How Gratitude Helps Your Finances encourages you to be grateful for the things in your life. Key tips are being happy with what you have and focusing on your blessings.
It feels as though I’ve been telling everyone about my journey to gratitude. But I’ve never told the story about how being grateful has helped me to worry less about my finances. Yes, I know that I’m using budgeting to keep things on track. But being grateful for the little things has not hurt me in any way. In fact, I would say that it has helped me tremendously.
On mornings when I wake up, I give thanks for everything. I mean everything. One of my favourite morning rituals is to listen to the birds. They usually walk across the roof making a racket and call to each other loudly. It’s like they are trying to wake up the entire neighbourhood. My grateful speech includes a nod to the birds. I am grateful for the birds on the roof because I made it to another day. I take this a step further and give thanks for the ability to hear the birds. This may be extreme to some, but it makes me really appreciate the seemingly minor things around me.
By giving thanks for everything that you have, you are effectively changing your perspective on life. And, by focusing on the good in your life, you will see that you are very wealthy. Even when we have rough patches, we have to give thanks even when things are not going exactly how we want them to. Gratitude helps your finances in many ways and it all starts with your mind. Your mind is a powerful tool and you must use it wisely.
How to be Grateful
When it comes to being grateful for what you have, you may need to take a step back. To be honest, I used to complain and gripe about my job and its many shortcomings. But when I started on this grateful journey, I realised that the job was more valuable than I was giving it credit for.
1. First of all, I have a job. There are thousands of people who would give anything for employment. And there are thousands more who have been looking for jobs for a long time. I have a job, so why am I bitching?
2. The next realisation was that because of this job, I can pay bills and buy the things that I need. Without that money coming in, I would be faced with tough decisions and even tougher consequences.
3. And finally, even though this job is not ideal for my development, it has pushed me to take control over my future and to take steps to create the life that I want. I am actively developing my skills and using them in other areas.
This is the approach that you can take when it comes to your finances. Your wallet might not have $1,000, but it might have a $100. That $100 may be more than enough to buy breakfast for your family for the next two weeks. It might be enough to pay the internet bill, which means that your child can continue online classes. That $100 might be enough to buy medication for a sick relative, to help them get over an illness. $100 might be all that’s required to pay the mechanic who fixed your car, thus enabling you to get to work on time tomorrow.
How Gratitude Helps Your Finances
If you are trying to find ways to be more grateful, the below suggestions may help. I’ve been using these simple tips to be more thankful and grateful for life. Yes, there are days when I feel like crap, but not everyday is like that. The tips below are powerful lessons on how gratitude helps your finances. Spend some time reading them and see if you can find a silver lining in your life.
1. Respect and Understand the Value of a Dollar
If you ask someone who’s lived through poverty, one of the things that they may mention is how important one dollar is to them. People who have nothing and have to lean on others for help, can teach you lessons about being grateful for every cent that comes your way. We should not take having money for granted. Instead, focus on how blessed you are to have money and the opportunities it provides.
2. Be Happy With Less
Sometimes we get so caught up with material things and the quest to acquire more. But in some cases, we have all that we need. Take a look at your life and make a list of all the things that you have that positively contribute to your life. Resolve to make do with the things that you already have. An author from Tennessee tried this exercise and she was able to save more money; , spend less money; and was in a frame of mind where she valued experiences more.
3. Use Your Money Nobly
It’s often difficult for people with serious financial problems to wrap their heads around giving to others. But, I can attest to this. You will be surprised how the smallest thing that you have, could make the world of difference to someone’s life. When you practice gratitude, you are more motivated to pay it forward to someone else. The good news is that it’s not only money, it could be your time, your service, or items in your home that you no longer use.
4. Focus on Your Blessings
In the last few months, I have amplified my focus on my blessings. I made a point to look at everything that I have and simply give thanks for them. As I mentioned previously, I give thanks for the birds back down to the ability to hear. It’s a simple shift that can help you to realise how truly blessed you are. If you are ever in doubt about the blessings in your life, consider how your life would be without all of the things that you have now.
5. Be Willing to Learn
I don’t know it all in personal finance and there are lots of areas that I am clueless about. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you don’t know something. This is especially true if you are willing to learn and increase your knowledge on a specific topic. Although you might be grateful for for how your finances are, there is nothing wrong with wanting to learn how to manage your money more effectively.
6. Keep Up With Yourself
My daily jog through Instagram, is always an eye-opening exercise. I often see people trying to keep up with others who boast about material things. I was never a fan of keeping up with the Jones family, simply because it’s too much work and I was not interested in what they had. The lesson here is that you have to be grateful for yourself, the things that you have and the plans that you have made to reach your goals.
7. Slow Down and Reflect
There is nothing wrong with slowing down and assessing your finances. This is something that I do from time to time and I recommend it anyone who’s trying to stay on top of their finances. This is an opportunity to look at all the things that went right and the steps that you can take to replicate them. It’s also the perfect time to look at all the things that did not go so well, so that you can go back to the drawing board and put plans in place to get them right.
Many people are looking forward to next year because this year was rough for them. But I want to challenge you to give thanks for this year. I am grateful for the lessons and experiences that have taught me about things about life that I never dreamed of. Instead of being upset at what has happened, be hopeful about what may come. Maybe this year was the year where we were challenged to change our outlooks and thus change our actions for the future.