How to practice gratitude…
This post works really well with our Gratitude Practice over on our resources page.
This gives you downloadable content in the form of a workbook, which gives you the opportunity to begin to introduce the benefits of every day gratitude in your life.
We equally have another conversation which focus’s on the science of gratitude, so how it works and the emotional and physical benefits, then our complimentary article is just the thing for you. Combine all three and you have a powerhouse of information.
Gratitude is one of those simple yet powerful practices, that if done consistently can lead to radical, longterm transformation.
I believe that gratitude is an essential component towards leading a more fulfilled life; bringing us closer to our immeasurable greatness!
So before I talk more about how to create a gratitude practice in your life, let's focus on why - Why would you want to start a gratitude practice to begin with?
In essence it leads to greater connection, fulfilment and joy. Not to mention multiple health benefits!
What is Gratitude?
Putting it simply, gratitude is the practice of acknowledging and feeling thankful for things, events, people or experiences in your life.
It doesn’t mean convincing yourself everything’s fine and dandy if it isn’t! It doesn't ask us to use sugar coating as a way to glaze over our raw, authentic feelings.
It is however a shift in perception and a way of honouring your journey.
Living your life from a place of gratitude means choosing to focus your time and attention on what you appreciate. Choosing to practice gratitude offers us a shift in perception, a chance to consciously create our life. The goal is not to block out difficulties, but to acknowledge them and approach those difficulties from a different perspective. It can offer us the time to reflect, process, be thankful, take part in and, acknowledge the unfolding of our lives.
Personally this has fostered a greater awareness of my actions, specifically how I relate to others. Which has led to me actively creating my life because of how I choose to perceive it, rather than feeling as though life happens to me. We often cannot control the events in our lives, but we can control our perception of them, and this is where our true power lies.
“I have come to discover, that it is the simple, small and precious moments of our lives; that if we are not fully present for, could appear seemingly insignificant, even go unnoticed! Yet they are an opportunity to experience the true joy of what it is to be human and hold the key to our greatest fulfilment and joy.”
Gratitude is a process that starts internally and then reaches outward to all your relationships like a ripple effect. Enabling a deeper sense of understanding and creating more connected and fulfilling experience. It creates deeper emotional bonds with others and more meaning and purpose in our lives as a result.
If you are leading from a place of compassion for yourself and others then you are already practicing gratitude even if you don’t realise it.
Being present to our experience and taking a mental note of things allows us to show up fully and stay engaged in the moment; to make more aligned and conscious decisions from a place of intuition and authentic knowing.
When you are grateful you attract more reasons to be grateful and live from an abundance mindset which can have a profound impact on your life.
Living from a place of deep appreciation helps us to build strength and resiliency; especially useful when we are faced with difficult situations. It enables us to shift more easily from a negative to a positive mindset. Gratitude is a wonderful tool to prevent us from staying stuck in negative stories or beliefs and instead to come up with creative solutions.
Gratitude makes us more present to our experiences. It helps us acknowledge what is working well and our achievements which are sometimes easy to overlook. It fosters compassion for self which as a result we naturally extend to those around us; fostering deeper appreciation and value for yourself and your relationships.
The great news is that all of these practices are simple and require only a few minutes of your time. They real key is consistency and weaving a gratitude practice into your daily life so that it becomes second nature.
How to get started…five simple approaches.
1) Tell people how important they are.
Hell tell strangers how awesome they are!
There are so many things we never share with each other, like how we truly feel. e.g. How much we admire someone or the qualities we love about them, that they look beautiful today, and how much they bring to our lives. Don’t leave it until a deathbed, do it now! Not only does it boost others happiness it feels incredible to give and boosts yours too!
You can try this in person, or write letters, pick up the phone, email or send a gift and card. Even a simple text message with two sentences to a friend or family member expressing your gratitude and love can have a radical impact on both of you. The great thing about gratitude is that it brings equal benefit to all parties involved, the giver and the receiver.
2) Play the appreciation game.
This involves saying to the person what you appreciate about them and can done with friends, family or loved one’s. Anyone that you feel comfortable having that sort of conversation with. For example, try …
“I really value and appreciate x about you.” or “I love that you always inspire me to....” You can also think about things like “I appreciate that you always ask me how my day went” and “I love it when you....”
Then let the other person have a go. It’s a great way to instantly boost love, compassion, connection and strengthen emotional bonds.
“Appreciation softens us. It soothes our turbulent minds by connecting us with the wonderfully ordinary things, great and small, that we might otherwise take for granted.”
3) Ask your friends, family or partner, what three things went well today for them?
This enables you to get into the habit of being reflective, and consciously process your feelings and emotions as well as those around you.
It also stimulates conversation that allows each of you to open up about your feelings and truly hear one another, leading to more fulfilling relationships. It's a beautiful one to do with children in helping them to feel truly seen and a space to focus on their achievements.
4) Keep a gratitude diary
Write down all the things you are grateful for in your life – this can be great to read on the days when you are finding it hard to reach for the positive thoughts, or are feeling stuck or overwhelmed. You can include anything from the seemingly mundane to the magnificent – the idea is to create something that feels good for you and that will look slightly different to everyone. If you can, be specific and not too general because as we acknowledge what we are grateful for, it slowly changes the way we perceive situations by adjusting what we focus on. One of the most effective methods is to write…
a) What you are grateful for and b) Why you are grateful for it.
This can help you to deepen the practice further as you dive into the detail and access way it makes you feel. You can even apply this method to things you are grateful for in the future, as if they have already happened - it can be a magical way of manifesting your desires!
If you’d like to give this sort of approach a go, then our Gratitude workbook within our Resources library is a great chance to give this a go.
Bonus tip
Notice the small moments throughout the day, ask someone how they are, smile at someone – we all know how this can make our day! Notice the sunlight through the trees, or the way the light reflects off the water, notice the beauty that surrounds you and make a mental note of how grateful you are to be here in this moment.
We would love to hear how you practice gratitude and how it has improved your life. Feel free to comment below or get in touch with us!
Kezra x
“When you realise there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
