The more I looked for great moments, the more great moments appeared
Updated: Nov 7, 2022
My Gratitude Practice: How I have learned to be Grateful Every Day
Gratitude seems like such a small practice, but it is actually a very powerful one and much larger than saying thank you for your big blessings. Remembering to be grateful on all levels of significance provides an automatic shift in your mindset from scarcity to abundance, allowing you to appreciate all the good in your life plus gratitude for things that are not typically good but you know have taught you a lesson or could be a “blessing in disguise”. When we focus on the things that we don’t have or the problems that come up we stop seeing the beauty and abundance that truly surrounds us.
This practice of gratitude is really about shifting your mindset and point of view. Some days it will be very easy to see the great things we have - large and small. Some days we will be ungrateful about irritation and the whole day might feel lost. To help you have more grateful days I am sharing my practice.
Here are some ways to be more grateful each and every day.
Morning Gratitude
The best way to start your day off feeling positive and grateful is to start each morning with a gratitude practice and make it a routine. While you sip your tea or coffee you can write all the things you are grateful for in a journal or notebook or you may develop affirmations that remind you of your gratitude.
Use affirmations that are great for gratitude, where you are reminded to be grateful for every blessing in your life. The more you repeat them, the more you will appreciate your own life.
A few samples of morning affirmations.
I am grateful for a wonderful new day
I am grateful for all that I have
My mind is clear and focused
I accept and approve of myself
I can achieve greatness
I prefer to journal in my own official gratitude journal. I challenge myself to write down about 5 to 10 things I am grateful for every morning. Some of these won’t change and they may be repeated from previous days, but if I stretch myself a bit I can always come up with new things.
Nighttime Gratitude is just as valuable and important
At night, the gratitude practice tends to be a little different in the morning. This is when
you can be more specific about what you are grateful for that day. It is a good time for
getting into the details of what good things happened that day.
Just come up with 3 each night and no repeaters.
Someone holding a door open for your
Getting all green lights on your commute to work
Your significant other made dinner reservations
As you can see, they don’t have to be these elaborate blessings. The smallest things
are what you can feel the most gratitude for. They are all making a positive impact on
your life.
Tell People You Appreciate Them
Sharing your appreciation for another has a big impact on you and them. Both of you can feel the energy return to you and you are fulfilled twice. The practice of gratitude involves staying in the emotion as much as possible throughout the day. When you continue practicing gratitude in the morning then make a habit of telling people you appreciate them you are feeling and sharing blessings all day.
When someone does something nice for you, remember to say, “thank you”. If they are a complete stranger and you are feeling shy then silently say it to yourself. Call up your Mom to tell her how much you love and appreciate her, and tell your
friends how much you value their friendship and support. Doing this, not only helps
them feel loved and appreciated, but it helps you practice gratitude and boost your own
positive mindset at the same time.
Find Gratitude on Your Bad Days
While bad days can be a little harder to be grateful for it might be the way you benefit from gratitude the most. When you are having a bad day, keep reminding yourself about the good things in your life. Maybe you got some bad news at work, but a friend has overcome her illness. You can find a way to focus on what has gone right. There is always a way to look at something else good in your life and focus on that.
Find Gratitude on Your Bad Days
While bad days can be a little harder to be grateful for it might be the way you benefit from gratitude the most. When you are having a bad day, keep reminding yourself about the good things in your life. Maybe you got some bad news at work, but a friend has overcome her illness. You can find a way to focus on what has gone right. There is always a way to look at something else good in your life and focus on that.
How do you stay grateful in your life? Please feel free to share your tips and tricks.
Also - I created my own gratitude journal. I use it every day and I want to share it with you.
Please choose to subscribe and I will send the Gratitude Journal to your inbox.