Everyone is talking about gratitude lately and for good reason. We all know that being grateful is important to the human experience, but what exactly does that mean?
Do we just think about gratitude or do we put it into action? What’s the right amount of gratitude, and who should we be grateful for? What should we be grateful for? Is it just the wonderful things that happen to us as we share gratitude for others? Perhaps it’s individual to each and every one of us. All I know is that so many of us want to share our gratitude but often we’re stuck on the how.
5 things you can do to expand upon your gratitude:
- Keep a gratitude journal. Whether it be a fancy “5-minute Journal” or a basic notebook you have floating around the house, take a few minutes every day to write down something you’re grateful for. It can be as small as having food in your fridge or as large as having someone you love doing an act of kindness in support of you. Whatever it is, be mindful of it and write it down.
- Say grace! Growing up and getting to say grace at the family dinner table before our meals was one of my favorite things as a kid. We would always join hands and share our biggest feats from the day, good or bad. It doesn’t have to be a religious thing either. You can simply share your gratitude before eating a meal. It’s a simple exchange of positive energy.
- Call a friend or family member you haven’t spoken to in a while. We all mean to stay in touch with the people we love but that doesn’t always mean we do. There’s nothing more fulfilling than reaching out to one of those people and sharing your gratitude for simply having them in your life. You’ll feel good about it and so will they.
- Volunteer in your community. There are so many ways to get involved in your area, whether it be dedicating your time to a specific cause or organization or simply taking an hour to pick up trash at a local park; it all counts! Knowing that you are making conscious choices to better your town or city can unlock a new level of gratitude within yourself and also for those alongside you doing the same.
- Remember the moments that matter. Doesn’t it feel great when someone remembers a special occasion in your life, like a birthday or anniversary? Taking the time out of your day to do the same for others is often just as fulfilling as being on the receiving end. Making a phone call or sending someone a handwritten card in the mail is a simple way to do this. And if you’re too caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life, let WAITT worry about it for you with our Moments that Matter program.
I challenge you to implement one or more of these strategies into your daily routine and watch as your own acts of kindness and gratuity seep back into your life in unexpected ways. Here at WAITT, we LOVE acts of kindness and gratitude. It’s in the very fiber of our being. And we have the perfect solution to share with you so we can help you set your gratitude practice into motion. We can’t WAITT to help (see what we did there?)!