Growing up we learnt all about how we are made up of bones, nerves, muscles etc, but there is one muscle that did not get taught about nearly as much as it should; Your Gratitude Muscle. This muscle is very important to our well being, and like all muscles it needs to be stretched, supported and nourished daily. When we forget to use our Gratitude muscle; it becomes weak, inflexible and under nourished. Yet the amazing thing about this beautiful muscle is – No matter what condition it may be in, it is easy to build it up and make it strong + healthy again!

The easiest way to help it grow is to nourish and fuel it every day. How do you do this you may ask?

Well it is very simple. Here is the secret how…

Practice Daily Gratitude!

It is that easy.

♥

Now if your Gratitude muscle has been out of action for a while, or gets infrequent use, no stress! Take it slowly. It is like any other muscle workout, if you go to big and hard too fast, then you can crash and burn. When this happens, it can be overwhelming and trier you out to the point where you cannot face doing another workout. Remember your Gratitude muscle has been out of action for a while, so it needs gentle exercising and to be eased back into being used again.

Here is an easy way to warm up back into using your Gratitude muscle.

Get a little notebook and keep a pen in it. Place this beside your bed, or somewhere you will see it each day. (Could be by your kettle, or next to your loo!) Then for a week, each day, write out 5 things you are Grateful for in your life at that moment. So if it is by your bed, you could write these 5 things down before you go to sleep at night, or if it is by your kettle; write 5 things while your water is boiling.

Here is a guide of what your entry may look like:

Example:

Sunday 1^st May

1. My beautiful family and friends.
2. My good health, beauty and wellbeing.
3. The kindness and support I experienced today at work.
4. My cup of tea.
5. That car spot I found right outside the post office.

♥

And there you have it. Pretty simple stuff right? After 1 week of writing 5 things you are grateful for each day; now write down 7 things you are grateful for each day, and then the next week – go for 10 things. Also don’t feel restricted to write only the 5 or 7 things. If you are feeling you want to write more, go for it! The point of this is to get your Gratitude Muscle up and working again, with a gentle mini daily workout.

When you start using and nourishing your Gratitude muscle, it will create a muscle memory, which will then help you to use this muscle automatically in your day to day life, without even thinking about it. How awesome is that!?

♥

So go forth, put on that sweatband, rock that lycra, and get your Gratitude Muscle grooving and moving to that Grateful Beat!

You were given a gift of 86,400 seconds today.

Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’ ~William A. Ward