Today is Mother’s day. A day to express gratitude to our mothers. There have been many a day invented for many things similar. A day of gratitude for what we have, or a day of gratitude for the few precious moments we had with them. Although I wonder, shouldn’t it be a natural habit of our daily lives?
Gratitude is not hard work. It feels good, makes us richer in life, helps us be and remain a good person in essence. We develop an attitude with a continued behaviour, a behaviour by habits and habits by actions. So to develop an attitude of gratitude is all about expressing it on as many levels as possible. Over and over again until it’s an addiction.
Now, there are universal routes to expressing gratitude. If you clock someone for helping you carry your groceries to the car, that’s just not an acceptable token of gratitude. However, if you gave them a thank-you and a smile, tipped them a few dollars, or perhaps even pushed your luck with a nice big hug, that would be showing gratitude. That said, here are a few routes in which you can learn to express gratitude.
Basic List
Anything that has to do with change takes time, I think you’ll agree here. In fact, if you want to create a new habit, you need to repeat the particular action regularly for at least 3 months in order to have it stick, at least that’s what the behavioral experts seem to think. In other words, if you want to improve your gracious nature, you’re going to need to practice. If you want to kick-start your gratitude attitude, why not start with making a list, a list of gratitude? This is a tool to train your mind to recognize the things in life you are grateful for, things you might not acknowledge so much in your everyday. And your best bet is to dive right in and write down a hundred things you are grateful for. Don’t think about what you’re writing, just do it.
Whatever pops into your head with the thought, focal point “grateful,” write it down before it slips away. The purpose of this is to help you to appreciate and be grateful for the things you do have in life, and not just materialistic items either. This is a whole lot more than that. Things like your sister’s caring nature, even though she does drive you bonkers from time to time. Or how about your boss, because if you didn’t have him/her, you wouldn’t have the job you love right now. The point here is that with an open mind and appreciation for “everything” you have, by actually writing a list to remind yourself of these things, your world is only going to get richer, and that’s not talking lottery-wise!
Personal Journal
This is a great habit to get into, writing a journal for gratification. Just write thoughts each day that you are appreciative of, things you want to recognize and not take for granted. Too many things in life seem to just pass us by where we don’t take or rather make the time to show gratification. All you need is a notebook and a pen or pencil. Make a habit of writing in it before you go to bed each night, or maybe you want to throw it in your briefcase and write down a few thoughts here and there throughout your day. Just having your book with you will subliminally remind you to be gracious. It will put the thought in the back of your mind and make you a better, more loving, and giving person because of it. Believe it.
Volunteer or Give Back
We all have so much to be grateful for. It doesn’t matter who you are, no matter what, there are always those less fortunate than ourselves. In a strange way, this can help you to show gratitude for what you do have. Giving back to a special cause near and dear to your heart is a fantastic way to show you are grateful for what you have. Maybe you are grateful for having a dry and warm place to live, so you can volunteer a few hours to help out at the local homeless shelter.
Or perhaps you are thankful you have warm clothing, and this can inspire you to clean your closets out and take all the clothing you don’t need down to the local Salvation Army, so those less fortunate will have warm clothing too. Giving back just feels “right.” That’s not to mention the fact that it’s another good deed that will remind you of all that you have to show gratitude for.
Through Prayer
You don’t have to be religious to pray, anyone can do it. But many who do believe in some sort of “God,” or eternal power or being of sorts, find that showing gratitude through prayer warms your insides. There is no right or wrong way to go about this. All you’ve got to do is close your eyes, or not, and start listing the “things” you are grateful for in life. Maybe you are grateful for the sunshine, getting a good mark on a school paper, or not getting into trouble when you took the last piece of homemade apple pie. These are your thoughts, the things that are important to you, that you’re grateful for. Showing your gratitude through prayer is just one more route for you to bring recognition and appreciation of your thoughts to the table.
My Thoughts . . . There are all sorts of different routes you can show gratification. These four are a great place to start. Practice them and then practice them some more, make them a habit and you will see there’s a whole lot more gratitude in your future.
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