Hello, beautiful souls. Welcome back to another episode of the choosing happy podcast, where we explore the many ways to find happiness, to cultivate happiness and wellbeing in our everyday lives. And more importantly, in our businesses and our services and how we serve and how we show up in the world. I'm your host, Heather Masters, and today we're diving into a simple yet transformative topic, the one thing you can change right now to be happier. Before we get started, I want to thank each and every one of you for tuning in, sharing your feedback and being part of this incredible community. It really would help me if you could like, share, comment, and if possible, leave a review. Your stories and experiences inspire me and I hope that in some small way, I can return the favour by inspiring you. So let's jump right in. This week, we have this transformative topic, the one thing you can change right now to be happier. So stay tuned for this week's Choosing Happy podcast. Hello and welcome to the Choosing Happy podcast. I'm Heather Masters. Happiness can often seem like an elusive goal, a distant destination we're all striving to reach, but what have I told you that a significant boost in your happiness could be achieved by making one. Simple. Just one simple change. It might sound too good to be true, but bear with me while we go through this. The change I'm talking about is shifting your focus again from what's wrong to what's right in your life. And I know a lot of you struggle with that. I've really struggled. I'm getting so much better at it. And the answer is around creating awareness and cultivating an attitude of gratitude or how I would describe it. I prefer to say the word is an attitude of appreciation. Gratitude and appreciation might sound like a cliche. It's something we hear about so often and its profound impact easily be overlooked because we're kind of dismissing it as something you've heard before. But the science behind gratitude and appreciation and its effect on our happiness. is solid and compelling. Research consistently shows that people who practice gratitude regularly experience greater emotional well being, reduced stress and even improved physical health. And I wanted to cover a topic like this right now because of everything that's going on in the world. I think we don't want to. Do you need a way of bringing our focus back to what's truly important to us in this moment in our life? I really believe that we're here to experience joy. And if we're not experiencing joy, then the lesson, if you like, is how do you shift? How do you create that in your life, even if you're going through hell? And I know a lot of us are struggling with so much, with ill health, with financial challenges, whatever it is. I know we've all got our own burdens at this moment in time. Never, probably never as strong as we have at this moment on the planet globally. And it's about reaching for that light, reaching for the thing that it's going to help us move through this. Move through it in a way that we are experiencing as much joy as possible in our lives every day, because you never know the minute. You never know what's going to happen. So, grasp the moment. Grasp the opportunity to create joy, create appreciation. So how can you start incorporating gratitude and appreciation into your daily routine? Let's look at a few simple yet powerful practices you can begin right now. And I'll share what I've been doing as well, because I've had a massive shift over the last few months. The first one is keep a gratitude journal. And this is one of the most popular and effective ways to cultivate gratitude and appreciation. Each day, take a few moments to write down three things that you're grateful for. And they don't even have to be. big things. I like to get a little bit deeper and I write down something that I love. Even something as simple as a warm cup of coffee, because for me, coffee is massive for me in the morning. It's really important to start my day. It could be a hot shower that just wakes you up in the morning or a smile from a stranger. So, it's anything. What I like to do is think about things I love as well. So, if I'm getting into a dark place, I'll take a moment to think of three things. That I love, whether it's my son, I get into the experience of the last time I was with him and seeing his smile and feeling his hug and just appreciating his very being. And the key to all of this is consistency. One of the other things I do every day is in my gratitude or appreciation journal. I actually take the time at the end of the day to list down everything that I've appreciated about the day. What have been the wins? What have been the things that have made a difference to me? What have I received that I'm grateful for? Even if it's something small, Like, I don't know, an email from a long lost friend who I've lost contact with. I'll write that down as a received, something I appreciate that I've received that day. And I love doing that just before I go to sleep. There is also studies around appreciation before you go to sleep. It helps you sleep better. It puts you in that appreciative, high frequency state so that you have a restful, beautiful sleep. And over time, you'll train your brain to focus on positive aspects of your life. Which can lead to a significant boost in your overall happiness. Number two is expressing gratitude to others. Just taking the time to express your appreciation to those around you. So, I often, again, with my son, just drop him an email, drop him a direct message, just reminding him how much I appreciate him. A simple thank you, a heartfelt message, just a verbal acknowledgement can go a long way, especially in business. Just thanking them for their contribution is really, really important and can go a long way. Not only does it make the other person feel good, it reinforces your own sense of gratitude and connection and also helps strengthen your relationships. And what's more important than relationships? Number three. Mindful gratitude. And this is one that has mercifully made a difference to me. So, incorporating gratitude into your mindfulness or meditation practice. So, when you do your meditation or mindfulness practice, Really sitting in that energy of appreciation. So really feeling appreciation in your body. What, you know, where in your body is it? How strong is it? Can you make it stronger? Reflecting on things that you're thankful for, on times when you really felt immense gratitude for being alive. And allowing yourself to fully experience the feeling, letting them wash over you, but also really noticing, really connecting with where they are in your body as well. And this practice can help anchor you in the present moment and shift your focus. Perspective towards positivity. And as I say, the real difference for the mindfulness for me, though, that really shifted everything, noticing where the feeling of appreciation was in my body, what it felt like, what the images I associated with it, could I make them brighter? What was my. energy like when I really sat in this moment of appreciation and being able to just let go and let it wash over me and doing that on a regular basis and also visualizing that appreciation flowing through my day. So visualizing my day and seeing it all go really well and just being grateful, just appreciating that life is working for me. That everything happens is for me, and it's a lesson, it's a learning and appreciating everything as it unfolds. That that was, that's made a massive difference. It's been one of the biggest shifts for me being able to really, not just think about appreciation, but absolutely immerse myself in appreciation in a mindfulness and meditative way. I hope that's helping. So, let's talk about why appreciation and gratitude work. At its core, gratitude shifts your focus from what you lack to what you have. It's a powerful counterbalance to the natural human tendency to dwell on negatives and positives. problems. When you actively practice appreciation, you're training your brain to look for the good things to appreciate, the small joys and blessings that might otherwise go unnoticed. Moreover, gratitude, as we said earlier, can really improve your relationships. Because when you are in appreciation, you're more likely to thank people, to express gratitude for them. And it fosters a sense of connection and strengthens your bonds. You're more open with people. People feel valued and seen, and that creates a positive feedback loop of kindness and generosity. And gratitude also enhances your resilience. And this is really The reason for this episode, because life is full of challenges and setbacks, never more than at the moment, but a grateful and appreciative mindset helps you navigate these difficulties with a greater sense of hope and optimism. It raises your vibration. It reminds you that even in tough times, there are still things to be thankful for, and that can make all the difference. It can make the difference in what we focus on and that, in terms of consciousness, can make a difference to the planet, to humanity, to your life, to your future. Now, I know that starting a new habit can be daunting, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed, but the beauty of gratitude and appreciation is that it doesn't require a lot of time or effort. It's about small, consistent actions that gradually shift your outlook and bring you more joy in life. My practice really began with using headspace and just spending 10 minutes a day doing a meditation first thing in the morning, doing my journaling, and as I say, 10 minutes on an evening journaling about what I've appreciated throughout the day and what's gone well. what I've learnt and how it's impacted me in a positive way. The final comments I'll make, um, this is just a personal thing. Um, but I, I don't use, I think gratitude and appreciation have a different energy. And I remember as a child being told to be grateful for what I have. And that was said in such a way that it kind of meant. That if I was wanting more, I should just be grateful for what I have. So that, that's kind of a limiting way, which is why I prefer the word appreciation. There is no limit to appreciation. There's no kind of cutoff. You know, there's no obligation to feel appreciation. So that is why I prefer the word appreciation. I do think it has a different energy and that's just something to be aware of because I've noticed. If I feel gratitude for something, I have found myself restricting myself because of that belief around wanting more. Gratitude is not a limitation. Appreciation is not a limitation. It's about enjoying what you have and being open to receive so much more. Appreciation and gratitude, if put into the right energy, if you're really visualizing and stepping into the feeling of appreciation. It will attract more of the same to you. You attract those moments that you are appreciating. So here's my challenge for you this week. Start a gratitude or rather an appreciation practice for yourself, whether it's a journal expressing thanks to someone. A few moments of mindful reflection, appreciation at the end of the day of how the day has gone. Commit to incorporating appreciation into your daily routine. And notice how it makes you feel and pay attention to any changes in your mood and outlook. And one little tip is to, if you do an appreciation journal in the morning, appreciate ahead of time all the good things that are going to happen throughout the day. So watch how your day unfolds. And remember, happiness isn't about having a perfect life. It's about appreciating the beauty, nature and the blessings you already have. in your life and by focusing on appreciation and gratitude, you're choosing to see the good, to acknowledge the positives and to cultivate a mindset that embraces happiness. Thank you for joining me today on the Choosing Happy podcast. It's episode 70, so I'm celebrating. I hope this episode has inspired you to make that one change, to shift towards appreciation and the love of life and unlock a deeper sense of happiness. If you've enjoyed the episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who might benefit from a little bit more happiness in their life. Until next time, stay happy, stay grateful, stay appreciative and keep choosing. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to this week's episode. If you enjoyed it or think it would be valuable to others, please do share. And if you really enjoyed it, please leave me a review. It really helps the podcast. All of the links are in the show notes. And I look forward to seeing you next week on the Choosing Healthy podcast.