Practicing gratitude can be key to improving our well-being and feelings of self-worth. There is no bad way to practice gratitude, but there are ways that can yield a greater benefit to us and help this positive habit to stick. The key is to train ourselves practice gratitude in the moment.
Many of us “count our blessings”, at least from time to time.
And when we do, we probably hit on the “big ones” – good health, family, employment, shelter, etc. But there’s another way to give thanks that creates more powerful good feelings, for all of us.
How to Be Grateful in the Moment
For gratitude to have the most powerful impact, we must learn to be “grateful in the moment”.
What this means is, as joyous, amazing things happen to us (big or small), we immediately remember to feel gratitude.
Positive feelings (such as those of gratitude) help crowd out negative feelings, which fosters more feelings of well-being.
When we are grateful for those feelings of well-being, the joy continues. The win-win-win cycle can become almost unstoppable.
But it can be challenging to be grateful in the moment.
Being grateful for the big stuff, like good health and a loving family are of course, good for us. But what we need to do is layer on top of that a healthy appreciation for the little stuff.
A good place to begin is to reflect on specific things that happen throughout the day.
It can help to have prompts that remind us to notice and remember these things.
Here are some examples:
- It made me feel so grateful when my daughter hugged me extra hard this morning.
- I slept so well last night; I awoke feeling rested and peaceful.
- The sky was so beautiful at sunset today that it took my breath away.
- The heat wave ended! Today was a refreshing, energizing day.
- I felt supported when my boss was understanding about me having to miss work.
- It was so peaceful when my dog(s) cuddled with me on the sofa last night.
- I read a blog that reminded me to be grateful, and that I’m awesome. It made me smile!!!
Once we have made it a habit to reflect on these moments in our days, we will begin to notice them more frequently as they happen.
And this is the ultimate goal: to become grateful in the moment, as each beautiful moment unfolds.
Practicing Gratitude
But to begin – let’s do it twice daily.
Every morning let’s rise with intention: envision three good things that will happen today.
And every evening, let’s rest with thanks: these are three things that happened today for which I am grateful.
Every day let’s all be thankful for each other and for knowing: we are all so much more than enough.
Please comment and let us all know how you are keeping gratitude at the top of your mind, and how you are learning to practice “gratitude in the moment.”
Thank you as always for reading.
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Joan Senio is the founder of KindCompassCoach. Her career includes 20+ years as a private sector corporate executive and 15 years (and counting) as a consultant and coach. The common thread through her professional life has been a commitment to compassionate leadership, including leading and mentoring current and future leaders, and women from all walks of life. KindCompassCoach articles are backed by research and include facts and advice from a wide variety of experts. Joan is a member of the International Organization of Life Coaches, serves as a thought-leader for KuelLife.com and is a regular contributor to PsychReg and Sixty and Me.
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9 Responses
Great post on the power of a grateful attitude!
Thank you so much for your comment, James. At this moment, I’m very grateful for your kind support! (see what I did there?) Thanks again!
I love your gratitude list Joan! It’s so important to appreciate the big things and the little things in life. I need to make a habit to reflect on the good things everyday, right now I’m having cuddles with my cat which is definitely a nice moment. Thank you for the positivity reminder, such a lovely post as always <3 xx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
I remember the things I am grateful for in the morning and in the evening. It is a ritual for me. Gratitude is a very important piece in my life.
I have been trying to work a lot more on gratitude myself!
This is a brilliant line: “A good place to begin is to make a habit of reflecting on good things that happen to us daily.” I agree with this wholeheartedly. I am practicing how to be grateful daily with the little things in life.
I just adore your attitude and approach to life, Joan. This is such a positive and uplifting post. I used to keep a gratitude journal and I was so aware of the difference at the time, but over time it just dwindled away. However, I’m going to start it back up! First one for today? I’m grateful for Joan for always giving me hope that life can be better, more positive and more fulfilling! x
Khadra, thank you so much! It is such a treat to wake up to your wonderful comments. I hope you have a wonderful day and please know how much I appreciate your support and feedback.
Great post, Loved your examples on expressing gratitude. Best post I read today. Thanks