Gratitude is one of the simplest and most wildly rewarding practices I have ever adopted in my life. It’s so sneakily simple that you may think it’s nothing special, but regularly practicing gratitude changes how you think in the most positive way. It changes how you see life, how you feel, and how you experience the world.

Everything in life can be viewed in countless different ways, the classic example being the glass half full or half empty. I used to be a “half empty” person, but I have learned to be grateful for what is there, not what is lacking. What is not there does not exist and, the feeling of lack is a fabricated thought from my mind. It’s perfectly fine to want to feel that way, but I am happier seeing the positives.

Practicing gratitude showed me I can choose how I feel about everything. Emotions, of course, are yours to feel, and this idea is not about suppressing them. Rather, you feel the emotion, let it go, and fill yourself with gratitude. There is always something to be grateful for. It could be a lesson learned, knowledge gained, or simply to be alive and to feel the sunshine on your skin.

Overall, I think gratitude is grounding. It reminds me that what I have here and now is worth something. That all experiences in my life are a product of everything up until that point. I couldn’t get to the highest highs without going through the lowest lows and vice versa.

It might be silly to say, but I am grateful for gratitude. It has illuminated a beautiful path in my life that I was previously blind to, and it gave me the power to choose how I see the world.