“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”   — Melody Beattie

At a first glance, adding another practice to your life may not seem like a way to simplify. However, I would argue that practicing gratitude will indeed simplify your life in the long run.

Reminding ourselves of the abundant blessings in our current life helps us to focus on life’s simple pleasures as well as the wonder and beauty if what already surrounds us, instead of focusing on what we what we don’t have.

Gratitude can often remind us that what we have is enough, and that our current lives are rich with simple pleasures if we only step back to look at them: a shared meal, a joyful smile, a full-bodied laugh, a tender embrace, a warm bed, and so on.

There are days when I feel overwhelmed by life. We all have days like that. And some seasons in life can be almost unbearably rough, touched by tragedy and heartache (I’ve had those too). Coming back to what I’m thankful for helps me to find my center again.

So each night before I go to sleep, instead of thinking about what I need to do the next day (which is generally not a restful thing to dwell on anyway), I try to immerse myself in thoughts of what I’m thankful for. I try to recall moments of small beauty from throughout my day: my toddler’s giggle, a lovely purple wildflower, the smell of bread baking, a sip of hot tea, the feel my favorite jeans, an inside joke with a dear friend. I then drift into sleep knowing that there are things in my life to be grateful for.

You can take this a step further and take a minute or two each day to write down something you’re thankful for. Just one thing will do it. And then, on days when the sorrows and stresses of the world seem like too much, look back at the beauty that streams through your life and feel thankful. I find this helps me too.  (While any notebook will do, there are also pre-made gratitude journals).

Practice Gratitude in your life, and you’ll feel better about yourself and the world around you. You’ll feel more content, and you’ll smile more. I think that’s a great way to Simplify (and improve) your Life.

How do you practice gratitude in your life? What are your favorite ways to recall and celebrate your blessings?