Following up on what I wrote on “gratitude practice” yesterday. I felt I should’ve elaborated a little. So, here I am with my take on what “gratitude practice” is. And trust me, I won’t ask you to cry and wail for an hour every day. Though, you can, if that’s your style.
Here you go:
- Gratitude isn’t just about feeling a sense of it… it’s a practice. It’s deliberate and forces you to question the choices you make. In my experience, your “why” in life is, more often than not, directly relates to the aspects you are deeply grateful for. Check out Gary Vaynerchuk’s note on being grateful.
- It forces you to be reflective. The most successful leaders are reflective. They weren’t born that way. At some point in life, they simply paused and reflected. Found it helpful and decided to reflect more. The habit stuck with them.
- You can simply book an appointment with yourself every month or every week or every other day for this “practice.” You don’t need to sit in a particular posture or focus on your breathing or keep your eyes closed. Heck, you can do this even in bed if you’re deliberate! Just acknowledge the things you are deeply “grateful” about in life and see how they connect to your daily life. Having a notebook by your side is probably a good idea.
- For best results, do it more often. It’s getting harder to stay centered in this chaotic world. I breathe, talk, speak and live every day. So, I just do it every morning.
- I sometimes use the 5-minute journal app (the physical notebook has this as well) has a prompt — “I’m feeling grateful for…” It’s so powerful. Just don’t thank your mom and dad every day. Go deeper. Really “feel” what you’re deeply grateful for.
For me, the practice works wonders. Unlike what people believe, the practice has more to do with your actions than mere ideas or thoughts. But you have to do it to feel it. Confusing? Do it! You’ll know what I’m talking about.