10 Tips for Practicing Gratitude

Practicing Gratitude is made easy with these 10 simple tips to help transform your mindset, cultivate a gracious attitude, learn to give thanks & be kind.

Practicing gratitude can be life changing & can promote a time for true self-growth. Living with a gracious heart can really help create the life that you have always dreamt of having. Gratitude can transform & strengthen relationships with others & with yourself, while also creating an abundance of good & positivity in your life. We should always be practicing gratitude, but since we are in the season of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share 10 easy tips to help start or amplify your own practices.

It’s quite easy to live with a gracious attitude when things are going great, when you get a job promotion, when you get married, have a baby, get a new car, or have a really exciting day, but that’s really not the reality of everyday life. The true test will be practicing gratitude when things are going WRONG. You get fired, you’re working countless hours, you burn dinner, a loved one passes, something doesn’t work out, a relationship or friendship ends, or if you just have a really bad day.

We have ALL been there, & downright, it sucks. I learned a ton about myself when I reflected back on those really crappy moments in life & transformed my thought process regarding the situation into something positive. What did I learn from those tough moments. How did my life transform in an amazing way as a result of that trying time.

That reflection process is a way to practice gratitude.

Practicing gratitude is a CHOICE. It’s a practice, it’s an attitude, & it’s a way of life.

Like anything in life, if you want to be good at something, you must practice, you must devote time, & you must believe you are capable. It’s a skill, that can be acquired by ANYONE!

10 TIPS FOR PRACTICING GRATITUDE

1. Keep a gratitude journal. Try writing consistently for days at a time. Find a rhythm. If you’re new to this practice, start with writing 1-3 things you’re thankful for. Build upon that. Work your way up to 5-10.
2. Write down something you are grateful for but take it a step further & ask yourself WHY. WHY are you thankful that you have a job. WHY are you thankful for your significant other, etc. This will help you to really reflect. Try coming up with a list of 10 things on a monthly basis.
3. Repeat your gratitude list or statements…out loud. Read it & affirm it, to speed up your manifestations.
4. Reframe attitudes of negativity. You might not be great at something, but really great at something else. Maybe be grateful for your patience while improving at the thing you aren’t great at, instead of bringing yourself down.
5. Be aware of the words you speak. Are you constantly negative? Do you say things like “Why me?”. If so, stop. Speak with a gracious attitude. It will start to improve your mood, mindset, self-esteem, & capabilities.
6. Take care of yourself. If you have a healthy relationship with yourself, you will be more capable of finding the good in others & in life situations.
7. Take notice of the little things in life; it will make you appreciate the big things.
8. Verbally express your thanks. To the woman who bagged your groceries, to the guy who delivers your mail, to the stranger at the laundromat, say THANK YOU. A thank you can turn someone’s day around, it will make YOU feel good, & it will help you become more aware of things to be grateful for.
9. Act with kindness, instead of ego. Do the right thing because it’s the right thing. You don’t need to be praised for being kind.
10. Set a gratitude intention during meditation or as soon as you wake up. It can be simple. It can be small. It’s the thought behind the intention that matters.

“If you want to find happiness, find gratitude” – Steve Maraboli

Living a life full of gratitude is one of the most powerful things you can do to transform your mindset. Our minds are one of our most powerful tools as human beings. The quality of our thoughts reflect on the quality of the live we life. If we are constantly in a state of gratitude, we will be able to see the good in more situations. As I mentioned in the beginning, it’s easy to focus on the negative & what went wrong. Instead of dwelling on the negative, cultivating a practice of gratitude will help you see the good, see the blessings, & figure out what you need to do in order to improve. The more you practice gratitude, the easier it will be.

Do you practice gratitude?