Practicing being grateful has been shown to be one of the simplest and most effective habits to transform your life. People who have regular gratitude practices report sleeping better, enjoy better relationships, reach more of their goals, show more kindness and compassion for others and generally lead happier lives. So transformative is the practice of being grateful, that many celebrities and successful people include being grateful every day as one of their most important habits. People like Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Kelsey Grammar, Matt Damon, Jerry Seinfeld, Clint Eastwood, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey Richard Branson and Tony Robbins all include a gratitude practice as part of their daily routines.
Maya Angelou, in her book Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer suggests:
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bride you build to overcome evil and welcome good,”
While Arianna Huffington tweeted in 2014:
“Living in a state of gratitude is the gateway to grace.”
But many think it is difficult to be grateful, especially when things may not be going your way. When your job is difficult, or you’ve gone through a breakup or a loved one is ill. These are the times when gratitude can have the most beneficial effect. Being grateful is just a genuine, deep abiding appreciation for what you have in your life.
How to be Grateful
Studies have shown that how we practice gratitude matters. Just listing mentally, a litany of things that you are grateful for is not sufficient. It is the feeling and emotion of gratitude and appreciation where the real power of gratitude comes from. According to Robert A Emmons in his book Gratitude Works! A 21-Day Program For Creating Emotional Prosperity, broad topics of gratitude are not as effective as thinking and feeling with great detail about what we are grateful for. For instance I’m grateful for my husband, my kids, my house and my dog is not as effective as journalling “I am so very grateful for my husband because I love the incredible way he cooks epicurean dinners when I have to work late. I love how when I am upset, he is a rock that I can rely on. I love how he makes me laugh if I am feeling lowly and I love the way he holds my hand whenever we are out. My favorite time of day is morning before we’ve risen and I get to spend some time with his arm around me and my head on his shoulder.”
A great gratitude practice involves taking the time each day to really seep in gratitude. Get granular with what you are grateful for. Marie Forleo of MarieTV fame, tweeted:
“When it comes to gratitude, the dividends are in the details.”
There are many things you can be grateful for on a daily basis, regardless of what is going on in your life. The sun on your face, the wind against your skin, the smartphone in your pocket that allows you to be connected to the world, and to be able to look up anything you might be curious about. The way you can capture any image at any point in time with that glorious piece of technology and the way you can even read this article on your smartphone to learn about gratitude!
