“If the only prayer you say in your life is ‘thank you,’ that
would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart
I’ve had the pleasure of leading two workshops recently on the
power of gratitude, and I have spent a great deal of time submerged in various
studies and research findings, reporting on the enormous benefits of instituting
daily gratitude practices. Committing to
gratitude exercises can drastically improve the quality of your life and your
overall sense of happiness. What better
time than now to develop a simple plan to set aside a few minutes each day to
practice gratitude in some format? The
time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is often deemed as “the most wonderful
time of the year”, so let’s not leave any room for debate.
Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing
simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It shifts your
focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present. In
addition, behavioral and psychological research has shown the surprising life
improvements that can stem from the practice of gratitude. Giving thanks makes
people happier and more resilient, it strengthens relationships, it improves
health, and it reduces stress.
RESEARCH SHOWS GRATITUDE HEIGHTENS QUALITY OF LIFE
Psychologists,
McCollough and Emmons of the University of California, conducted an experiment
on gratitude and how it impacts overall well-being. They took 100 people and asked them to keep
daily diaries. One group wrote about the
events of their day without being guided as to what specifically to write
about, whether good or bad. The second
group was asked to write about the unpleasant experiences of their day, and the
last group was instructed to make a daily list of their blessings. The results of the study indicated that daily
gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness,
enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy. In addition, those in the
gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, were more likely to
help others, exercised more regularly, and made greater progress toward
achieving personal goals.
Emmons also conducted independent studies on
the connection between gratitude practices and happiness levels. One study indicates that practicing gratitude
can increase happiness levels by around 25%. This is significant, especially
when you consider that our body strives to maintain a level and function that
feels natural to it, (such as weight, energy, etc.…) your basic level of
happiness is set at a predetermined point.
If something bad happens to you during the day, your happiness can drop
momentarily, but then it returns to its natural set-point. Likewise, if
something positive happens to you, your level of happiness rises, and then it
returns once again to your “happiness set-point”. A practice of gratitude
raises your “happiness set-point” so you can remain at a higher level of
happiness regardless of outside circumstances.
Lastly, Dr. Emmons’
research shows that those who practice gratitude tend to be more creative, bounce
back more quickly from adversity, have a stronger immune system, and have
stronger social relationships than those who don’t practice gratitude. He
further points out that “To say we feel grateful is not to say that everything
in our lives is necessarily great. It just means we are aware of our
blessings.”
NOTICE AND APPRECIATE EACH DAY’S GIFTS
People tend to take
for granted the good that is already present in their lives. There’s a
gratitude exercise that instructs that you should imagine losing some of the
things that you take for granted, such as your home, your ability to see or
hear, your ability to walk, or anything that currently gives you comfort. Then
imagine getting each of these things back, one by one, and consider how
grateful you would be for each and every one. In addition, you need to start
finding joy in the small things instead of holding out for big
achievements—such as getting the promotion, having a comfortable nest egg saved
up, getting married, having the baby, and so on–before allowing yourself to
feel gratitude and joy.
Another way to use
giving thanks to appreciate life more fully is to use gratitude to help you put
things in their proper perspective. When things don’t go your way, remember
that every difficulty carries within it the seeds of an equal or greater
benefit. In the face of adversity ask yourself: “What’s good about this?”,
“What can I learn from this?”, and “How can I benefit from this?”
THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO PRACTICE GRATITUDE
A common method to develop the practice of
gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal.
This exercise basically consists of writing down every day a list of
three to five things for which you are grateful; you can do this first thing in
the morning or before going to bed at night. Another proposed practice is to
partake in a challenge to go 21 days without complaining, criticizing, or
gossiping.
Several self-improvement
experts have suggested that people wear a certain bracelet or piece of jewelry
or set timers to remind them to point out the gratitude in their lives to help
condition themselves to be constantly aware of the good around them.
CONCLUSION
Once you become oriented toward looking for
things to be grateful for, you will find that you begin to appreciate simple
pleasures and things that you previously took for granted. Gratitude should not
be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the
kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the
good even in unpleasant situations. Today, start bringing gratitude to your
experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel
grateful; in this way, you’ll be on your way toward becoming a master of
gratitude.
Later this week, look for my post outlining innovative ideas to practice daily gratitude.
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