A Simple Rewiring That Reaps a Multitude of Benefits
“What one thing am I grateful for today?”
This question can change your brain and your life. Science has a lot to say about this. It turns out that gratitude is good for your brain. Not only does this resonate with me, but also with others. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
Have you ever heard the old story of the house with the golden windows? It tells of a little boy who would look across the sprawling meadows outside his house every morning and see in the distance a house with golden windows. He would stare and revel in the radiant beams streaming his way from far away. He asked his father one day if they could visit the house with the golden windows. The father obliged, and they started to walk. They walked and walked until they approached the house. The young lad stood, perplexed. He saw no windows of gold.
A little girl inside saw them staring at her home and came out to ask if they were looking for something. “Yes,” replied the boy. “I wanted to see the house with the golden windows that I see every morning.
“Oh, you’ve come to the wrong place,” she said quickly. “If you wait here a little until sunset, I will show you the house with the golden windows that I see every evening.” She then pointed to the house in the distance. She was pointing at the home of the little boy.
This story contains a powerful truth:
Developing an attitude of gratitude starts with simple awareness. Sometimes the things that are the hardest to see are the things right in front us.
Gratitude, like most things, is a habit. First we form habits and in turn, they form us. What would happen if you got a small notebook, and once a day, you wrote down one or two things that you were grateful for?
What if you kept it simple?
• I’m grateful to the stranger in the white truck who let me merge into traffic today.
• I’m grateful for the big smile that the person at the check-out gave me today.
• Yes, my back hurts today, but I’m so grateful that it isn’t broken.
• I am grateful for the food on my plate this morning.
Every now and then you could go back and read a few pages from previous months. Remember, your brain gets good at what it does. Neurons that fire together, wire together. You are literally wiring your brain for gratitude. And your brain will start to see things everywhere to be grateful for. Eventually, gratitude will be as effortless for you as breathing. You will have literally sculpted your brain to have bias for
gratitude. Neuroplasticity is amazing.
Here’s what science reports to happen when you start and maintain a gratitude log:
1. Your long term well-being increases 10%.That’s the same impact as doubling your income!
2. 16% fewer negative physical symptoms.
3. 19% more time spent exercising.
4. 10% less physical pain.
5. 8% more sleep. Who couldn’t use more of that?
6. 25% increased sleep quality. Even better than gaining 8% more time asleep!
7. 30% less depression symptoms.
8. Increased vitality and energy.
9. Significant decrease in systolic blood pressure.
10. Overall, an attitude of gratitude lets you live longer.
And one more thought to ponder: Gratitude makes you look good to others. So why not get a notebook and get started? Watch your brain change. Then watch the people around you change. Even the youngest of
characters recognise the difference it makes: “Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” – A.A. Milne, Winniethe-Pooh.
As for me, I’m writing in my log that I am grateful you took the time to read this.