You know what’s all the rage these days? Gratitude.
And for good reason.
Apart from making us happier, gratitude is good for our health and careers, makes us less self-centred, boosts our self-esteem and makes us more resilient. (Want more? This guy actually compiled the results of over 40 studies on gratitude and found more than 31 benefits. You’re welcome.)
So why aren’t more of us practising daily gratitude then? Most likely because it’s boring.
Well ok – maybe it’s just me who found it boring. The first time I tried doing gratitude the ‘usual’ way (by recording a daily gratitude in a diary) I only lasted five days.
Clearly I hadn’t given it a proper shot, so I gave it another go. And again petered out after five days. I was really determined to get on the gratitude bandwagon however. So I went looking for different ways to join in the fun.
1. Practice relentless gratitude.
AJ Jacobs is an author and self-described human guinea pig. His books involve him first immersing himself in an extreme way of living … then writing about it. His most recent book is The Year of Living Biblically and one of the things he practiced during the year of immersion for that book was giving thanks. For everything.
Like waking up in the morning and giving thanks for the fact you’ve woken up. Getting out of bed and giving thanks that your legs work. Having a shower and giving thanks for the ready stream of water … and the fact that it’s hot. Going to fridge and giving thanks for the food in there.
Top Comments
I love the idea of a gratitude diary! I write in my gratitude diary everyday - on one side of the page I write all the things that I am happy for today (my husband's love, my family support etc.) and on the other side of the page I write all the wonderful things that I am thankful for, but do not yet have! (for example: I am so happy and thankful for my wonderful new job and job satisfaction - I am currently looking for a new job). I find, in a way, it's like putting it out to the Universe! And it feels amazing to write it. The best thing is, it works! I've had so many gratitude's that I've written (that I wanted to manifest) and sure enough it's manifested when the time has been right!
Great article. A few years ago (when he was 86) I thanked my step grandfather for being such a big part of my life. Like having me live with my granny and him from the age of 10 to 21. For being such a great male role model for me, for teaching me to drive and lots of other things. He was quite embarrassed (being a humble person), however, I explained that I felt that he should know how I felt, and I didn't want to leave it untill it was too late.
Fast forward 5 years and my grandfather died last July,quite suddenly . I was very sad, but I was at peace, because I had no regrets.
The time to share our gratitude with those we love is now, or we may miss the chance.
Exactly Ella. We often assume people know what they mean to us ... or worse, we don't tell them because we don't want to embarrass them. But I'd rather embarrass them that ever let them slip away from me without knowing how important they were to my life.