“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.” ~Melody Beattie
Gratitude is the best attitude there is, and it’s not just for one day, or every once in a while- gratitude is for every day! Gratitude gives me perspective, balance, and peace of mind. It’s not about getting what I want, it’s wanting what I’ve got.
When I practice a daily attitude of gratitude my life is better- a lot better.
Over the past year I’ve gone through a lot of change and during all that change my daily practice of gratitude became an occasion practice of gratitude. And I felt the difference in my life. I was more often frustrated, unhappy, and felt stuck. I wanted to get unstuck!
I knew to get unstuck I needed to make gratitude a regular part of my day, every day. I needed to find that perspective, balance, and peace of mind I get from gratitude. From the awareness that things are never as bad as they might feel, from the awareness that there is always something good in life, from the awareness that right now, in this moment, I’m okay, even when things around me aren’t okay.
So what does it take to cultivate an attitude of gratitude? There are so many wonderful ways to practice gratitude!
01. Say thank you to someone new every day
02. Do something nice for someone else
03. Do something nice for you!
04. Pay someone a compliment
05. Speak positively about yourself
06. Overlook something you don’t like about someone else
07. Recognize something you like about someone you don’t like (There’s goodness in every one!)
08. Make a positive impact in the world- volunteer!
09. Practice gratitude in action- act thankful and you will feel thankful
10. Practice gratitude in thought- think thankful and you will feel thankful
11. Practice gratitude in words- speak thankful and you will feel thankful
12. Give a hug
13. Give a smile
14. Send someone a card for no reason
15. Call someone you love just to say, “I love you”
16. Write down 3 things you’re thankful for
17. Make an A-Z gratitude list (One gratitude for every letter of the alphabet!)
18. Start a gratitude photo journal
19. Participate in a Gratitude Challenge (Try my 30 Day Gratitude Challenge!)
20. Make space for gratitude by letting go of something you’ve been holding on to
Photo credit Bart Maguire
21. Don’t gossip
22. Don’t complain
23. Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t
24. Do something you love
25. Find fun in everything you do
26. Stop worrying
27. Enjoy the little things
28. Choose to see the beauty in each day
29. Spend time with a child
30. Snuggle up with a pet
31. Cook a homemade meal
32. Enjoy a meal free of distractions
33. Declutter your digital life
34. Declutter your personal space (Fill your space only with things that help you be more awesome!)
35. Exercise your body
36. Exercise your mind
37. Exercise your heart
38. Be present in this moment
39. Respond, don’t react
40. Don’t attend every argument you’re invited to
42. Love yourself, love your life!
I love your comments! How do you practice gratitude?