Three Easy Ways to Create a Gratitude Practice

How to weave gratitude into your everyday life

Photo by Donald Giannatti on Unsplash

Typically, when November and the end of the year roll around, people start talking about what they are grateful for. I have always been fascinated that people seem to reserve these grand feelings around gratitude for one time of the year.

What about the rest of the year?

What about every day?

It’s so easy to get caught up in our routines and fall into ruts. Whenever I feel a rut creeping in or whenever I finally realize I’m actually in one, it dawns on me that I haven’t been practicing much gratitude.

I feel like recognizing and acknowledging what I am thankful for does wonders for my mindset and can help me get out of a funk. Shedding light on what makes me grateful often leads to other positive things and habits like meditating more, journaling consistently, or connecting with somebody else better.

I have a few “go-tos of gratitude” whenever I need to incorporate it back into my life:

👉 I write down three things I am grateful for in the morning before I meditate or at night before I meditate.

👉 At dinner, my husband and I will ask what the other person is grateful for.

👉 I tell someone I know I am grateful for them or something they do.

These three things aren’t anything revolutionary or time consuming but they are simple and effective.

Starting off my meditation with gratitude

I love meditating, and I am trying to get into a more frequent practice with it. I love how my mind feels and how I feel more settled after meditating.

Often, I will write three things I am grateful for before I meditate, either in the morning or at night. I love doing this because it puts my mind in the right space for meditation.

When I practice in the morning, I feel like it helps me start my day on the right note. When I do this practice at night, it helps to put me in a calm headspace before going to bed. Writing down what I am grateful for on days that feel tough can help me not fixate so much on what may have gone wrong that day.

The most important thing about this ritual is to make sure you aren’t picking obvious things that you’re grateful for.

Saying that we’re grateful for our families is easy, but saying that we are grateful when our sister picks up the phone to call first or when your partner surprises you with date plans takes effort to think about and makes it more meaningful.

My biggest piece of advice for listing what you’re grateful for is to get as specific as you can.

Don’t just say that you are grateful for your health; say that you are grateful that you can walk up the stairs without feeling out of breath or that you’re thankful for learning to cook a healthy recipe recently.

Try to get as specific as you can when you think about what you’re thankful for. This helps you develop a deeper appreciation for the special details in life. Then write them down! Write them down so that you have them listed somewhere that you can go back and read through.

I notice that my gratitude journal serves as a sort of time capsule and reading through it can transport me back to a certain time in my life.

Bring someone else into the gratitude practice with you

Sometimes, at dinner or before we go to bed, I like to ask my husband what he is thankful for that day, and after he answers, he will ask me the same. It’s so interesting to hear what he has to say; I feel like every answer gives me more insight into what he’s thinking or how his day actually was versus the standard response of “It was good.”

What’s nice about this practice is that you can do it with anyone - a roommate, a family member, even friends from a distance.

You create an accountability buddy by adding someone else into this practice with you. Sometimes relationships can be surface level without us realizing it, so when we ask the other person what they’re thankful for, it shows our interest in that person, but it also can be a great conversation starter. You never know where it will lead.

Telling someone else that you are grateful for them or something that they do

I believe one of the best things we can do within our community is to let others know how great they are.

Sharing words and acts of kindness are so simple for us to do, but they make an incredible impression on the recipient. When I was a coordinator at Disney, I used to leave notes on people’s desks. One time, I wrote down what I was grateful for about each person and left the notes for them to find the next day. I did this before I was going to be out of the office. It took me about an hour of my time to write up all of the notes, but I know so many of them appreciated the kind words I left.

Take a few moments to think about who you are grateful for and why, and then go tell them.

It can be a coworker, a neighbor, a loved one, a boss, or even someone random at a store or restaurant who gave you good customer service. Doing something nice for other people is very rewarding, and we all have a responsibility to put kindness and love out into the world.

Telling others what it is about them you are grateful for is a wonderful habit to keep your relationships strong and to help bring positivity into your life and theirs.

Recognizing what you are thankful for is a powerful feeling. Taking a moment to reflect on the sweet parts of your life and what makes you grateful is a helpful reminder when you’re feeling down. It can elevate your meditation, set the tone for the day, put you in a different headspace, deepen your connection with someone else, and spread love and kindness.

This topic is at the forefront of most people’s minds during the holiday season, but what if it were at the forefront of our minds throughout the whole year instead? How different would you feel? How different might your relationships be?

Stay magical, golden, and gorgeous✨

Sending you love,

Tay