How to Create a Daily Gratitude Practice | #1 Reason Why I Have One
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Years ago, a friend of mine started writing down one thing she was grateful for every day and shared it on her Facebook wall. I thought it was a lovely idea and asked her what had inspired her to start doing that. She replied that she'd been struggling with depression and her therapist had suggested she start a gratitude practice to help her see that even on the darkest of days there was at least one beautiful spark of light.
At the time, I already felt that it was important to be grateful for what I had and to try to not take my life for granted, yadda, yadda... (yawn)... but her story brought gratitude to my attention. After spending quite a lot of time reflecting on gratitude I came to realize that there is an entirely deeper layer to it than I had previously thought and the role it plays in our lives is huge.
“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.”
I went deep with the idea of gratitude and came to understand that the importance of acknowledging it in my life is that it's the catalyst to growth.
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There is a domino effect that happens when we acknowledge gratitude. Gratitude leads to perspective, and perspective leads to a feeling of well-being, which leads to hope, and hope leads to a desire to create, which leads to growth, and if we are not growing we are dying. Mind. Blown.
When I realized the full impact of gratitude, I knew I wanted to bring it into my life as a daily practice. What's amazing about having a gratitude practice is that it's quick and simple. You get a lot of bang for your buck.
How to create a gratitude practice: There really is no right or wrong way to have a gratitude practice. What feels right to you is what will be best for you to go with.
With that in mind here are some ideas to get you going.
01// As part of your morning routine give yourself a time limit and list everything you are feeling grateful for off the top of your head that morning.
02// Write only one thing that you are grateful for.
03// Keep a journal devoted to gratitude. Write what you are grateful for and why.
04// Use a journal like I have that gives you the opportunity to combine your desire for what you'd like to accomplish in the day with celebrating what you're grateful for at the end of the day.
05// List what you are currently grateful for at the start of the week and use each item listed as a journal prompt for each day of the remaining week. Dive deep into why you're grateful for it, what does it put into perspective for you? How does that perspective make you feel? What does that knowledge lead you to desire to create?
06// Do a round-up of what you are most grateful for at the end of the week. Do the same at the end of each month and again at the end of the year. What are the themes of what you are grateful for? Journal on why those things came up so often and what they mean to you.
Your practice can be as simple or involved as you desire. You could even do a combination of the above suggestions throughout your week. The most important thing is that you do it regularly. Turn it into a habit and watch how it transforms you.
xx Sarah
