Living life with a heart of gratitude changes our perspective and allows us to see good things. Even those with very little have something to be thankful for. Practicing gratitude every day has the power to transform us and its effects can be life-changing. Gratitude opens our hearts and our minds to see the gifts around us and reminds us that we are not alone, and that we are loved.
With the Thanksgiving season right around the corner here in the US, it is a perfect time to start practicing gratitude every day and to see how it truly can change your life. I am offering a FREE gratitude journal at the end of this article to help you get started.
Observe
I think the first thing we can do to begin practicing gratitude, is to observe how many times we say, “thank you.” Of course this is just simple manners, but actively noticing how often we actually say the words, can give us a glimpse of insight into how grateful our hearts truly are. Did someone hold the door for you? Was someone especially kind? Were you grateful to your server? Did you thank a co-worker, friend, or loved one for a task they completed? What about your family or spouse? Did you say ‘thank you’ today, just because you appreciate them?
Hearing the words, “thank you” can be an amazing gift to the person receiving them. But saying the words, “thank you,” can be an astounding gift you give yourself, as well. Show gratitude. Practice good manners. Allow yourself to seek out and to find the good things in your day. Practice Observation.
Robert Emmons, psychology professor and gratitude researcher at the University of California, Davis, explains that there are two key components of practicing gratitude:
- We affirm the good things we’ve received
- We acknowledge the role other people play in providing our lives with goodness
Recognize
By simply recognizing the little things that often go unrecognized, we gain the opportunity to practice gratitude. This may sound a little like romanticizing your life, but there is merit in the practice. Recognizing that enough is a decision and not an amount can help keep overwhelm at bay. Becoming the person you want to be can reveal areas in your own life that you want to make – by choice. Seeing all we have been given, by choice or by chance can help us recognize the small things we can be grateful for; the breeze, a blue sky, a kind friend, the scent of clean laundry. Recognize the unrecognized, and be intentionally grateful for them.
Savor
Obviously, not everyday leaves us feeling grateful. Some days are harder than others for various reasons – on those days, allow yourself to savor gratitude you have from better days. Be thankful not all days are as hard as this one; be grateful you’ve experienced good in your life. Remembering the good things in the middle of hard things allows our minds to focus again on the fact that not all moments are bad moments, and good things do still happen.
Journal
It’s something we’ve heard for years: Keep a gratitude journal. When I was in college I learned that writing something down was the equivalent to reading it seven times. So, in that vein of thinking, writing down or journaling things you are thankful for, is like re-living them, or re-reading them seven times! Imagine what that can do for your outlook.
Keeping a journal of thankfulness doesn’t have to be long or arduous. It can simply be a list of one thing you find yourself blessed by, or it can be a paragraph, a few sentences, or pages. The journal is yours and you can write whatever you want. The point is to be thankful and to practice that gratitude in writing. Everyday.
That leads me to the FREE journal. Please feel free to click the link to download the free printable gratitude journal. It’s short and sweet, only a dozen pages. Since it’s yours to keep, feel free to print it as often as you like! Happy journalling!
And remember, no matter where the road takes you, always be grateful and don’t forget to forward your mail
Cheers, everybody!
John and Billie
