Friday Faith Foundations - You Need Gratitude to Succeed

You've heard that you need gratitude to succeed and you've heard there are benefits to gratitude, but you don't know how to start a gratitude practice. Do you need gratitude to succeed? There are many benefits of gratitude. Maybe a gratitude practice won't make or break your business, but when you start a gratitude practice you will achieve more because you will be happier. Gratitude plays an important role in entrepreneurship and life. Why do you need to start a gratitude practice? There are many benefits of gratitude. Gratitude shifts your perspective to what is going well instead of what could go wrong. You can think of gratitude as a natural anti-depressant because gratitude releases dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and norepinephrine, positive neurochemicals in the brain. When you feel like you haven’t accomplished enough, or haven’t reached your goals, make a list of what you are grateful for – it could be what you’ve already accomplished, the other people involved with your work, the tools you have to work with, the canceled meeting that gave you an extra hour of focus time, etc. The brain is miraculous Gratitude helps stimulate positive neuropathways in the brain. God created the brain so intricately and He gives us the authority to transform our minds. The more you stimulate the positive neuropathways, the more automatic positive thinking will become. More positive thinking, more happiness. The higher your happiness levels are, the more productive you are, which leads to more success. In Romans 12:2 Paul tells us, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will." One of the biggest benefits of gratitude is that it helps you change your mindset, to transform your mind to see the positive. How the brain and neuropathways work Imagine when you were a kid, and you rode your bike through the woods to the creek. At first, it was hard because the grasses were high, there was brush on the path, and you had to get off and move debris out of the way. But eventually, after you rode the path enough times, you had a clear path that you could ride on with ease. Gratitude is like clearing that path. The more you practice it, the more likely you are to see the positive, and therefore, experience more peace and happiness. How to start a gratitude practice, because there are many benefits of gratitude and you need gratitude to succeed To start your gratitude practice, at the end of each day write 3 things that you are grateful for. You’ll reframe your thoughts about your day and rest better through the night. Do this practice for 30 days and see if you feel a difference. There may be days when you’re so tired or so frustrated you might think you have nothing to be grateful for, but when you let your mind wander back across the day, there will be things to be grateful for – they might be small, like a sharp pencil, I love a sharp pencil, but you will be able to identify 3 things. Do you really need gratitude to succeed? What you think about and focus on is what you create. Have you ever woken up in the morning – as we say – on the wrong side of the bed? Feeling grumpy. Your thoughts are heavy, you’re dreading the day ahead, and then – everything that can go wrong goes wrong. The coffee pot didn’t automatically brew your beloved morning coffee, the dog came to the door covered in mud. You get stuck in traffic, have to slam on the breaks and your handbag falls to the floor with its contents spewing everywhere, your kids is upset b/c now they’re going to be late for school – never mind that you’re going to be late for your meeting – and to top it off, you take a sip of the coffee you desperately need and it spills down your top. One of those days. And if you let it, the entire day can be sabotaged. But you have a choice. Instead of wallowing in self-pity and annoyance, you can find blessings. You can find things to be grateful for. For example, you were running late and avoided the accident that caused the traffic to slow down. You were able to spend 5 extra minutes with your child in the car, those moments are fleeting. And maybe best of all, the top you spilled coffee on was black and not white so no one will even notice there’s coffee on it. And just like that you reframed your thoughts from It’s an awful day to I’m blessed and content. If you want to be truly happy, you must refocus your thoughts. Practicing gratitude is the first step. You need gratitude to succeed because it refocuses your thoughts on the positive, which makes you happy. Happiness improves productivity which helps create success. Therefore, gratitude is a component of success. Viewing your life as filled with blessings, big and small, is another one of the benefits of gratitude. Read the full show notes and access all links.  Looking for more Bible verses for entrepreneurs? Download our free eBook, 37 Bible Verses Every Entrepreneur Should Reflect On and Live By.