Guided Meditations

Use this Gratitude Meditation to learn how showing your gratitude can be a great way to spread positive feelings in your world around you.

Happiness and success are two mental states we’d all like to experience more often. These states rarely happen randomly on their own. It takes an intention to experience happiness and success, and the best way to manifest them is with an attitude that supports them.

An attitude of being grateful leads to effective actions and effective actions can lead you to happiness and success. If you’re focused on the positive things in your life, it’s a lot easier to experience happiness.

Your success in life can also come from a gratitude meditation like the one above. Gratitude has an almost magical power to bring more good things into your life. If you can feel grateful each day, you can expect to have good days ahead.

5 Minute Guided Gratitude Meditation Script Beginning…

Appreciation meditation. Begin by sitting or lying in a comfortable position, placing your palms facing upwards, letting your shoulders roll back slightly to open up your chest, and gently closing your eyes as you just focus on your breath.

Notice how it flows naturally without you even needing to do anything to it. It’s always keeping you alive, bringing in nutrients on the inhale, and releasing stale old energy on the exhale.

You don’t have to think about it. You don’t have to work at it. Your body just does this for you. It is life-giving. Let yourself feel a sense of appreciation, for your ability to breathe. How wonderful is it?

How easy, effortless and natural, saying out louder in your mind. Thank you. To the air to your lungs. To your breath.

Take a nice deep slow inhale through your nose feeling your stomach expand, holding your breath the top, and when you’re ready, exhale with a sigh.

Let your awareness travel from your breath, as you let your breath just be natural, to thinking about your body in general.

Your ability to be here right now practicing this meditation, all the different working components in your body that are making this possible right now, there’s so much to appreciate.

Let your cells begin to infuse with feelings of appreciation for your body. Think about all the things your body enables you to do that you love. No matter how big or small.

It could be as simple as hugging someone you love, eating a favorite meal. We’re simply just being here right now.

We often take our bodies for granted, but in this moment, you honor it. You well up with feelings of appreciation for all that it does. Feel the appreciation flowing around and within you.

And now let your awareness travel, to a person, or an animal that you are so appreciative for. Doesn’t matter if you know this person, just anyone who gives you feelings of gratitude.

Let yourself think about all the reasons why you appreciate them. Where does this feeling of gratitude live within you? What does it feel like?

Take this feeling with you, as you bring your awareness back to the room around you, opening your eyes whenever you are ready.

5 Minute Guided Gratitude Meditation Script Ending

Giving IS Receiving

Life is a miracle and can be taken away at a moment’s notice. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, there are many ways you can show your appreciation for your life.

When you give of yourself – either with a smile or another kind gesture – you receive the warm satisfaction of helping to make a difference in the world, one person at a time. Your uplifting attitude will be contagious and you just might be the recipient of a random act of kindness!

5 Benefits of Gratitude

Showing your gratitude can be a great way to spread positive feelings in the world around you. When you think about it, reaching your goals starts with a single positive thought.

How do you feel when someone sincerely expresses his or her gratitude to you for something you did? Doesn’t it make you feel good about yourself? These positive feelings from a gratitude meditation can lift you up, boost your enthusiasm, and motivate you to achieve even more.

Feeling grateful for what you have can produce the same good feelings and sustain your drive toward your goals. This shows how a gratitude meditation can have some seriously positive snowball effects.

Here are some of the benefits of gratitude:

1. Reaching your goals. When you feel grateful, it tends to be a lasting and selfless feeling. It’s much more than just a momentary burst of positive energy; it has staying power that will provide a great boost for you to reach your goals.

When you express your gratitude to others, ensure that you’re open and expressive. People don’t know what you’re thinking; hearing it can make all the difference.

2. Strengthened relationships. There are many ways you can express your gratitude to your loved ones, including saying, “Thank you,” writing a letter, or giving them a thoughtful gift. When you learn to avoid taking your loved ones for granted, you’ll have a long-lasting and loving relationship.

Showing gratitude is a two-way street. Learn how to effectively express your gratitude by using gratitude meditation and, just as importantly, to receive it as well.

3. Improved communication. Gratitude can mean better communication all around. By expressing your gratitude to strangers, they’ll be more likely to show an interest in helping you, too. Gratitude meditation is such a powerful entity that it can even help you communicate with your pets! They should be appreciated too.

4. More effective constructive criticism. No matter how we express constructive criticism, it often makes the recipient defensive or even angry. No one likes a blow to the ego. In this situation, a grateful attitude can take you a long way. You can express criticism quite effectively when you also emphasize what you appreciate about them.

5. Preserving memories. You can preserve memories in a positive way when you keep a gratitude journal. You’ll be able to enjoy your memories again and again when you read about these happy times in the future.

Write down all the things you’re grateful for in your life and reflect on all that is good. Even the simplest things – such as finding a parking space at the mall or locating your missing keys – are times to be grateful!

Click Here For Your Gratitude Journal Worksheet…

This is likely the most popular gratitude practice. It comes with a variety of benefits, including better quality sleep, increased immunity, greater levels of resilience, and improved mood. All these benefits are needed when youÕre going through a tough time in life.

To start a gratitude journal all you need is a few moments of undisturbed time, willingness to reflect, and a way to capture your thoughts (notebook, phone, laptop).

You can start by reflecting on the following questions: What experiences in my life can I be grateful for? What happened lately that makes me feel thankful? What opportunities do I have today? What have the significant others in my life done that I am grateful for?

Writing helps you to organize thoughts, process information, and experiences and supports you in accepting your challenging times by putting them in context.

Show Your Gratitude Every Day

Showing gratitude to others may seem like a selfless act, but it’s something that you also benefit from. When you show your gratitude every day using a gratitude meditation, you change the way you think.

You’ll appreciate your good life when the majority of your thoughts remain positive. Negative thoughts can sometimes be overwhelming, and just because you have them doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. They happen to everyone, but you can strive to keep them to a minimum with the help of a gratitude meditation and a grateful attitude.

One way to show your gratitude every day is to remind yourself of the big picture when a negative thought arises. If a petty argument with your spouse makes you feel angry and heated, take a deep breath and think for a moment. Remember that the argument is not permanent and, instead, feel grateful for the gift of this relationship.

Our days on this earth are numbered so we must cherish the time that we do have and enjoy the benefits of living each day as if it were our last.

6 Attitudes That Lead to Happiness and Success

Happiness and success are two mental states we’d all like to experience more often. These states rarely happen randomly on their own.

It takes an intention that you can develop using a gratitude meditation to experience happiness and success, and the best way to manifest them is with an attitude that supports them.

Your attitude is under your control. A supporting attitude leads to effective actions, and effective actions can lead you to happiness and success.

Adjust your attitudes for greater happiness and success with these strategies:

1. Gratitude. If you’re focused on the positive things in your life, it’s a lot easier to experience happiness. But success can also come from gratitude. You can use a gratitude meditation to go deep to develop your gratitude intentions to create a more purposed life. Gratitude has an almost magical power to bring more good things into your life. If you can feel grateful each day, you can expect to have good days ahead.

2. Life is short. With this attitude, you’ll be more predisposed to take action with the clarity that a routine gratitude meditation will provide you instead of stalling. What others think becomes less important to you as you focus on what you want.

3. Failure is good. Most often, success requires failing along the way. If you can avoid harboring negative feelings toward failure, life is easier to manage and success easier to achieve. Imagine all the things you would try if you weren’t afraid of failing!

Remember the times you’ve failed in the past but were eventually successful. Now, remember the times in life you gave up after a failure. What do you think would’ve happened if you didn’t quit but kept trying and working toward your goal?

4. You can learn anything. You learned to walk and talk. You could learn to surf and to speak Cantonese. You can learn to be a great public speaker or an accountant. With few exceptions, you can learn to be or do just about anything. That means you can learn anything you need to learn in order to be happy or successful. What do you want to learn?

5. Cause and effect. You have control over the results in your life. If you drop a bowling ball over your foot, it will fall on your foot. If you do anything, there are consequences, good or bad. The world is very practical. You can create the results you desire through your actions with effective gratitude meditation techniques.

No hocus pocus required. That means you can create results that bring you happiness just by starting with a gratitude meditation. You can create success, too. You have this power! Use it to your benefit.

6. Resilience to criticism. If you’re too concerned about what others think, you’ll be unhappy and unsuccessful. Few people are going to authentically cheer you on in life. In fact, many will try to hold you back. Learn to ignore the naysayers.

Think of all the times you were told something discouraging. How relevant were those opinions? Were they experts? Did they know absolutely nothing about the topic at hand? Most people have an opinion about everything, but they certainly don’t know everything.

Your attitude matters. Obviously, a pessimistic attitude is unlikely to lead to either happiness or success. An attitude of gratitude would be a much more effective way to approach the world.

Ensure that your attitude is giving you the best chance to experience happiness and success by using a gratitude meditation each day. Your attitude is under your control, so do the best you can with it.

Giving Thanks for Your Life

When was the last time you said thank you for being alive? Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Well, if you barely have time to appreciate what you have, how can you ever desire anything more?

We all have something to be thankful for and a gratitude meditation each day can help keep us centered and focused, even those who live a modest lifestyle by choice or by circumstance. Focusing on material possessions, rather than on the very fact that we’re living and breathing, tend to make us forgetful of the greater gifts, such as our families and our health.

Life is a miracle and can be taken away at a moment’s notice. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, there are many ways you can show your appreciation for your life.

Powerful Ways to Express Your Gratitude

Sometimes showing your gratitude can be as simple as saying “thanks,” but other times you can show gratitude by helping others, or “paying it forward.” After all, you’ll never know how a simple, kind gesture will affect someone’s day.

Here are some ideas to help you appreciate life while also helping others:

1. Reach out to your extended family and friends. Send them cards just to say “Hi,” call or email them, or even throw a party to reconnect and show these people they’re important to you.

2. Reflect on your childhood and ancestors. Write a poem, essay, or short story about your life. What sacrifices did your parents make for you? What struggles did the family endure? How is your life better or easier than that of your great-grandparents? How did these events make you the person you are today?

3. Meditate, pray, or go to your place of worship. Find a quiet place to think about all that’s good – your health, family, or home – and simply say “thank you” to your Creator.

4. Reconnect with your spouse and children. Actions speak louder than words so turn off that television and spend some quality time with your family just to have some fun! Whether it’s a surprise getaway or a family game night, renewing your relationships with your family will strengthen your bond and bring you closer together.

When You Need a Wake-Up Call

Sometimes it’s all too easy to engage in these activities and give thanks for a good life, yet over time, we somehow fall back into our old habits. In these times, we need a jolt to remind ourselves of all that is good.

Spend a few hours a week volunteering at a hospital, nursing home, or soup kitchen. Take a good look at the people you’re helping, listen to their stories, and be grateful that you’re fortunate enough to help those in need.

Giving IS Receiving

When you give of yourself – either with a smile or another kind gesture – you receive the warm satisfaction of helping to make a difference in the world, one person at a time. Your uplifting attitude from a gratitude meditation will be contagious and you just might be the recipient of a random act of kindness!

Gratitude Affirmations For Success and Self-Reflection Questions

I start each day with gratitude.

I wake up feeling thankful.

I savor small pleasures. I notice when a neighbor takes a minute to greet me with a smile and chat about the weather. I think about how delicious my first cup of coffee tastes.

I keep a journal. I write down the pleasant things that happen to me each day.

I write thank-you letters. I try to make them creative and memorable, so my friends and family know how much I appreciate their thoughtfulness. When possible, I thank others in person too.

I think about how much others have helped me, and I try to contribute something back. I may return a favor directly or I may do something nice for a stranger.

I give thanks every day for my relationships.

I let my spouse know how much I count on their love and support. I tell my children that I am proud of them for trying regardless of the results. I trust my friends with my private thoughts and encourage them to pursue their dreams.

I give thanks for my health. Having a strong mind and body makes it possible for me to do the things I love.

I give thanks for my faith. I pray for my spiritual teachers and friends who help me to clarify my beliefs and make sound decisions.

Today, I cultivate a sense of gratitude from the moment that I wake up. I notice the good things in my life and acknowledge the many acts of kindness that I have received.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. How does gratitude enhance my wellbeing?
2. How can I use social media to help spread a state of gratitude?
3. What is the relationship between gratitude and optimism?

Creative Ways to Show Your Gratitude to Loved Ones

How do you show your gratitude to those you love in a unique way? Simply saying thank you is not enough. A spoken or written thank you note is not the only option. Show your loved ones how much you care in unique and unusual ways that will surprise them:

1. Create a social media post online. Instead of writing a traditional thank-you note to show your gratitude, you can use the internet.

A social media post is a public way to express your gratitude. It can be shared with hundreds or thousands of people, so your message will spread. Your loved ones will see that you truly care.

Before you make a public social media post, ensure your family is comfortable with being tagged in the post. Also, avoid sharing too much personal information or photos that can be used by scammers or hackers.

2. Offer to do a chore for them. Actions always speak louder than words, and no one likes to do chores. Offer to do a boring or annoying chore for them.

Do they hate to do the dishes after dinner every night? Do they despise using the vacuum cleaner and dragging it upstairs? You can offer to do these chores and give them the gift of time or relaxation. This shows that you truly care about them and want them to be happy.

3. Make them a special gift. Use your own hands to make a gift instead of simply buying a present online or in a store. A handmade gift conveys your thank you message while also showing that you took the time and effort to make something yourself.

It’s easy to pick up a bath set, chocolate, or a card at a store. However, it takes time to make a birdhouse, toy, box, or other useful items. You may want to consider making them something they can use every day, such as a storage bin for their keys or a jewelry box.

4. Put a letter in their lunch. If you pack their lunch, this is a great opportunity to show your gratitude. Add a handwritten letter or note to their lunch. Hide it, so they find it at work or school and are surprised. This type of letter can make their day and brighten a boring lunchtime.

5. Make their favorite food from childhood. Instead of picking up a cake or doughnuts at a store, make their favorite comfort food. Cooking and baking are easy ways to show your gratitude. You may have to contact family members to discover their all-time favorite foods. Avoid making assumptions! You certainly don’t want to cook something they don’t like.

You can make this experience unique by trying to recreate their favorite meals and getting appropriate utensils and dishes from that era. Spend some time exploring different meal options and presentation choices, so the entire experience is special.

Gratitude isn’t always easy to express, but these unique ideas will help you. The next time you need to say thank you to a loved one, consider using these tips.

Effective Ways to Feel Gratitude in Challenging Times

Life is unpredictable and often very challenging. Each day we’re faced with obstacles that test our ability to cope well with difficulties. It’s easy to get angry, scared, or resentful and forget about gratitude for the good things in our life.

If we don’t cherish and feel grateful for the good things, how can we justify wanting more of them? If you have never meditated before a gratitude meditation is an excellent place to start to really get the feel for the benefits of meditation.

Consider these easy gratitude practices when you need support in challenging times:

Include an act of kindness in your day. When we’re going through a stressful or difficult period in our life, we get so self-centered and focused on self-pity that we rarely stop to think about others. This is precisely why we need to break away from this negative mindset by doing something kind.

Who is the most deserving of my simple act of kindness today? Who has shown me support and love lately? What can I do to honor their support and affection? By being kind and generous to others, you create a greater sense of connection that generates a more positive outlook on life. You feel better about yourself.

Say thank you for the little things. When things don’t go your way and you feel like a victim of life, it can be extremely hard to feel grateful and notice things to be thankful for. Yet, there are plenty of small joys around you even on the most difficult of days. You can notice them by shifting the point of your focus with a gratitude meditation.

What kind of blessings have I received lately? How can I show my gratitude for those blessings? Is there someone who deserves a thank you note from me? Being able to say thank you for the small things helps you in shifting your focus from life’s challenges to life’s pleasures. This way, your mind expands and supports you in finding solutions and ways to get unstuck and move forward.

Re-frame your negativity. Challenging times bring on lots of negativity. If you struggle for any reason, you will likely start to sabotage yourself by creating sadness, falling into despair, evoking regrets, and generating tons of unproductive negative thoughts.

Changing your perspective is the best way to re-frame negativity using a gratitude meditation like the one above. Remember that everything in life comes in the form of duality. Nothing is purely good or bad. Look at the goodness and benefits of your current struggles and try to learn from them. Negative thoughts only have the power to hurt you if you let them.

Spread loving kindness. The practice of loving-kindness gratitude meditation is designed to emphasize the practitioner’s strength and capacity to feel unconditional gratitude.

Besides opening your heart to appreciation, this tool is great for building lasting compassion towards yourself and others. Compassion is crucial if you’re looking to reduce stress and overcome obstacles in your life.

Loving-kindness gratitude meditation serves as a tool for creating unconditional, inclusive love that leads to true wisdom. The love created this way has no conditions and it doesn’t need to be deserved in any way.

Everyone struggles at times and we all can get stuck and experience difficulty. Next time you find yourself having a tough time, remember that crisis is also a wonderful growth opportunity. Embrace the challenge, enrich your life with a gratitude meditation, and you’ll experience genuine growth.