INTRO
There’s a continual phenomenon in the wellness world that focuses on gratitude. There are hundreds of books on the topic as well as insightful Instagram posts, journals, blog entries, and more. And I wanted to add to this collection of media, because I’ve seen firsthand how being grateful can transform your life.
PERSONAL STORY
I had a gratitude ritual before I even knew it was a thing. Ever since I can remember, even as a child, every time I would get into the shower I thought about how grateful I was for the warm running water. I always run cold, so this moment of my day is always a highlight and an easy way to give gratitude. My gratitude rituals have expanded since, and now my favorite place to hold this ritual is on planes. First off, I always do what I can to get a window seat. And as we breach the clouds I always smile, whether it’s rainy (taking off from PDX is usually so), or the skies are clear, I always smile. I think of all things I am grateful for in that moment, which could be work, the ability to escape from work, the view from the plane, my morning coffee, etc. I do the same thing when I land, this time with my eyes closed I bring my hands to my heart chakra, fingers spread, sending my gratitude out onto the earth I am landing on.
TO-DO
Gratitude can come easy if you make it a simple daily task. And yes, even with the smallest gratitude ritual you will start to see it transform your heart, your mind, and the way you live your life.
Here are three simple ways to bring more gratitude into your daily life:
-
Find your daily gratitude ritual. This can be as simple as thinking or saying out loud how thankful you are for your warm shower. It can be the first sip of your coffee, or when your dog gets excited to see you when you come home. The important thing to do here is to fully experience this moment of gratitude, close your eyes, smile, think about how grateful you are, and give thanks to the universe for this small pleasure you share. Do this every time this experience happens.
-
Replace impatience with gratitude. You know what sucks? Sitting in traffic! You know what is awesome? The cold AC blasting from the vents, the time you have to listen to a podcast, the fact that cars were invented so we could travel easier, and the fact that you have two hands to hold the steering wheel. An easy way to have gratitude is to reverse engineer the times you feel impatient or frustrated. Replace those emotions you feel with the fact that there’s probably a lot of awesome things around you. The next time you’re feeling impatient, find one small thing to be thankful for.
-
Tell someone thanks. Every single day there is someone who makes your day easier: the mail person, your dog walker, the barista, your work’s accountant. Find that person and tell them how thankful you are that they make your life easier. Just do this once a week. It’ll become a habit and you’ll start to discover more and more people to give thanks to.
Gratitude is full of magic. It’ll make you happier, gloomy days a bit brighter, and will attract other amazing grateful people to you. Use your gratefulness to spread joy and love, because we all know the world could use a bit more of each.