Gratitude is the most powerful tool I have. It has changed my life and helped me through every difficult situation, big or small, I’ve had since I started my practice. It still astounds me how such a simple practice can have such a profound impact. What’s even more incredible; it costs nothing, you need nothing to do it and you can start immediately.
I stumbled upon gratitude about 10 years ago. I was having a particularly hard time looking for work in my field and feeling stuck doing something I didn’t love. That’s when I found Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy at a garage sale. The idea behind the book is you read a passage for each day of the year and then write 5 things you are grateful for. It’s a little bit cheesy, but honestly there is lots of comfort in her writing and I was completely amazed how quickly the practice had a positive impact on me. Literally within days I was feeling an almost complete turnaround.
Why does gratitude work?
Robert Emmons, THE expert on gratitude, says gratitude affirms there is good in the world and we are in receipt of those good things. It also recognizes that that goodness is outside of us and gets us to acknowledge that. Because gratitude gets us acknowleging the goodness it also connects us to each other by encouraging repayment of the goodness. So so much goodness and connectivity. Then there’s more.
The benefits of gratitude are huge. Increased happiness and good feelings, decreased depression, anxiety and other hard feelings. It positively affects our physical bodies, sleep and makes us more resilient. It also strengthens our relationships, encourages forgiveness and gets us “paying it forward”. So all really great things and I have to emphasize how simple the output is for such outstanding benefits.
How to practice gratitude
There are a number of ways you can get into the practice but my favourite is a gratitude journal. I used to do this daily but have actually found since starting that the research indicates it’s actually best to it weekly, but more in-depth. Quality over quantity, which is not surprising, right? I have two favourite sources for everything gratitude; Greater Good Science Center out of University of California Berkley and gratefulness.org.
The first is the research/sciency stuff, which I love and the second is more spiritual, I think is the best word. David Steindl-Rast has an incredibly beautiful voice and way of articulating his ideas. I’m sharing his TED talk because he will tell you in such a concise and beautiful way, why gratitude matters and leave you with a deep impression of it’s importance. Gratefulness.org has so many great resources and inspiration if you’re curious about more.
Also please give yourself the gift of watching this video. It is so profound and inspiring. I watch it routinely, especially on darker days. It reminds me of our human connection, the beauty in the simple and the gifts we have everyday that can be taken for granted.
Your own way
I think this is true of anything, you will make this practice your own. Take what you like from here, learn more yourself or see what others are doing. Get your inspiration from wherever resonates with you and then build your own practice. There is no perfect or ‘right’ way to do this, just do it. Honestly, this is the biggest gift I could ever give you if you walk away from here and start. Gratitude is profound and beautiful, made only more incredible by it’s simplicity. I hope you give it a try, I promise it will change you life.
I’ve also made a printable gratitude journal, as a part of my Intentional Living Bundle. If you’d like a guide to get you started, just subscribe and it will be sent straight to your inbox. Are you new to the idea of a gratitude practice? Is it something you’ve tried? What did you think? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you!
