A popular French proverb reminds us that gratitude is the heart’s memory. When we genuinely appreciate the many blessings and gifts in our lives, the feeling resonates in our hearts as joy. Age-old spiritual wisdom has taught that a grateful heart is key to happiness and health. Several studies have shown that people who adopt an attitude of gratitude—that is, they regularly appreciate the good things in life—are happier and more resilient. In one study, people who counted their blessings weekly for ten weeks noticed that they had fewer physical complaints, spent more time exercising and experienced improved quality of sleep.

These studies reinforce the benefit of shifting our focus to the good and positive things in life. Gratitude is a choice to focus on the good instead of the negative in our lives. It is also a choice to be present in the here and now, instead of in the past or future. When we are truly grateful, we are satisfied with where we are in the present moment. Unfortunately, in a high-pressure, results-driven society that tells us we should want it all and want more, being satisfied is often mistakenly perceived as settling for less. But we can have goals and look forward to a future of bigger and better things while savoring and celebrating the blessings of today.

Life is a wonderful gift: family and friends, lessons and challenges, the wonder of the extraordinary and the familiarity of the everyday, the abundance and convenience of food we enjoy, our health, homes, jobs and businesses, the light of the sun, the magnificence of nature. There is already so much for us to be thankful for.

Here are few ways to build your gratitude practice:
• Say a prayer of thanks each morning
• Keep a gratitude journal
• Light a candle
• Pause and bring your hands to your heart
• Reflect on three good things that happened at the end of each day
• Send a thank you note

Excerpted from The Heart of Living Well, Principle Five: Open Your Heart, by Judy Lubin, MPH.

Special thanks to the Balanced Life Center for the Season of Gratitude campaign.