5 TIPS FOR PRACTICING GRATITUDE ALL YEAR
- Live Ariix
- Nov 29, 2018
- 2 min read
Take part in this challenge and think outside the box about the things in your life that you are truly thankful for.
Ralph Waldo Emerson classically said, “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.” The 2018 version: Be grateful for what ya got. Every. Single. Day.
Talking about gratitude in November is pretty cliché — it’s on everyone’s mind this time of year. But why should your gratefulness plummet on December 1st? Gratitude is something we need to embrace all year long. Here are some tips for cultivating gratitude all year.
Choose
Recognizing that gratitude is a choice is the first step on the journey toward embracing more of it in your life. Whether things are going great or going terribly, you can choose to be grateful. When you hit a bump in the road, realize that you can choose to stew, or choose to find the opportunities and experiences within the moment to be grateful for. After all, the greatest storms bring the largest growth.
Journal
By now we’ve all heard about gratitude journaling. There are benefits galore for writing down what you’re thankful for. But we think maybe taking it back to the very basics is best. What if, at the end of your day, you found just one thing to be grateful for and wrote it down? What if you did this every day for a week? A month? A year? What would your “one things” look like? We think the answer would be pretty revealing.
Vocalize
As a society, we’ve wavered far away from verbalizing our gratitude. It’s time to bring gratitude back. So speak up! The next time you’re truly grateful for something, say it. What could it hurt?
People love to hear appreciation, even for the small stuff. The person that held the restaurant door, your hairdresser for a stellar cut, your mom for taking the kids so you can grocery shop — they would all love to hear how grateful you are for them. Gratitude expressed is a beautiful thing.
Prioritize
You aren’t going to increase your gratitude if you don’t make it a priority. Go to the store right now and pick up a giant box of thank you cards. Have them on hand to send out all year long. Think of little gifts you can give teachers, friends and even strangers that will put a smile on their faces. Leave a journal out and carve out space in your daily routine for gratitude. When we make it a priority, it’s much more likely to happen.
Act
The thing about gratitude is it’s contagious. When you’re grateful, you act on it and make a difference in someone else’s life. They, in turn, become more grateful and share that gratitude with others in their circle. And it keeps going and going. Practice random acts of kindness throughout the year. Volunteer regularly within your community. By giving back to others, you’re sure to start a domino effect of gratitude all around you.
What would the world look like if we were all just a little more grateful? It’s time to up the gratitude and change the world. You with us?
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