The Importance of Gratitude and Appreciation: 3 Ways to Practice Gratitude Daily
Thanksgiving is a time for family, gratitude and helping others. There is usually a lot of food and activities like football involved too. During this time, we hear reminders such as: count your blessings, do unto others, and we have so much to be thankful for. At times it is easy to be grateful for all that we have and our many blessings. The birth of a healthy baby, a new car and the opportunity to go away for a holiday are all worthy of gratitude.
Yet, today — as we’ve had to navigate things like COVID, natural disasters, war and civil unrest — being grateful can be challenging. It can be hard to find the positive side or the silver lining in things. It can be easy to be negative, down or just pessimistic, and also angry. These feelings can start suddenly, turn into a negative spiral very quickly and take a hold of you. All we have to do is read the paper or watch the news to find the numerous reasons to be fearful and negative.
A shift toward gratitude can turn all that around. Making it a daily habit can really be life changing. What better time than Thanksgiving to give that a try and set up a new routine.
The art of practicing Gratitude is not just about appreciating and being thankful for all that you have, it is also about all that you experience and receive.
Gratitude for your many blessings can enhance your life in other ways as well. It can provide and foster a positive connection, making for closer relationships. Being grateful improves your mood and makes others more fun to be around. It can make you feel more fortunate, more successful and will bring more of it into your life.
3 Ways to Bring More Gratitude into Your Life Daily
A Written Gratitude List
Make a list of things, people, moments, experiences that you are grateful for every day. You can do this at night as a way to review your day or in the morning as a beginning to the day ahead. Write it down, add to it, and let it remind you of how fortunate you are. You could even carry it with you if you want. This list might be hard to do in the beginning, yet when done daily it will become easier to do. Try it.
Make a list right now of 5 (or more) things that you are grateful for. They can be anything you want and as simple as the weather, the flowers or the birds singing.
A Gratitude Prayer
As a part of your evening meal have each person take a turn voicing something from their day that they are grateful for. This is a great way to include children of all ages, to get to know them and for anyone to express appreciation. It’s a great practice to include dinner guests in as well. As a part of saying grace, each family member, including the young children, share something from their day that they were grateful for. It could be anything they want, even as simple as finding your car keys. You never know what may come up.
This is a powerful exercise because it sends a message out to the universe about the value of friendship, it builds relationships, connections and it lets parents know the things they do are appreciated.
To do this on a daily basis also has value, it builds momentum, it grows and it makes it easier to do in the future. To express gratitude for something in our day, every day, opens us up to new possibilities.
Pass along the kindness! Be helpful, kind, generous, loving.
Reach out to help another person.
Hold the door open for someone who has their arms full and cannot manage it.
Check in on a friend or relative to see how they are, especially if they live alone.
Cook dinner for your spouse who has had an especially busy day.
Donate food and/or clothing to those in need.
The ideas and possibilities are endless.
Once you know for yourself the value of gratitude and appreciation, pass it on! Give someone else something to be grateful for. It will make you both feel good.
Maureen Considine is Founder and CEO of Finding Your Way Coaching. A Master Coach with expertise in Income Acceleration, Business Development, Sales and Mindset, she is the Wealth Health Creation Strategist for entrepreneurs, executives, and other high performers. Maureen has over 25 years of experience in sales and marketing. She has helped hundreds of clients grow their businesses and reach their true potential using her unique, intuitive, and holistic approach. Maureen has a B.A. in Psychology, with training in mindset and the Psychology of Sales.
