It’s so easy to take things for granted in life, especially when you have good health, a roof over your head, and food on your plate. Often it’s not until something essential is taken away from you that you panic and realize how grateful you should have been for what you had, no matter how basic it may seem.
In our consumerist society, it is almost easier to be ungrateful than to be grateful! This is because much of what is conditioned in us is about getting ahead, having more money, more power, and more things. There are many things we want that we don’t have.
I found out the hard way that gratitude really can transform your life. When you hit rock bottom, as I have in the past, you realize that gratitude is the single most powerful source of joy and inspiration you can tap into.
Gratitude is something that can make a miracle out of your day, just by stopping to pay attention to the beauty of small things.
A big change can happen in your life when you express gratitude every day. You can literally change your reality. Don’t you believe me? Why not try it for the next 21 days?
If you want to bring more gratitude into your life, the best way to start it is to create a daily habit. Here are five easy rituals to increase feelings of gratitude in your life, just try adding at least one of these habits to your routine and see how things begin to transform for you.
Ritual 1 – Saying thank you before going to sleep
In a journal, note the things you are grateful for each day. Be sure to write down the specific details of everything, whether it was the color of the sky, your child’s achievement or a smile from a stranger.
If you do this the last thing you do before you go to bed and sleep, you will be saturating your conscious mind with happy thoughts, putting your head in a state of calm, grateful, and positive happiness before you close your eyes for the night.
Ritual 2 – Say thank you as you wake up
You can make it as big or as small as you like. It can be as simple as saying “thank you” for another new day of life as you wake up each morning. It’s a nice way to start the day, and you can easily follow it up with a gratitude meditation.
Ritual 3 – Doing something for someone else
It’s all about taking the focus off yourself and doing something nice for someone else. You can write a letter to an old friend, call someone who needs a chat, hold the door open for someone, let someone in traffic, help a neighbor, volunteer locally or pay it forward by buy a coffee for the next person in line. . Try and do something like this every day.
Ritual 4 – Gratitude during meals
Say a few words of gratitude before each meal. You can make it a family ritual, where everyone has to share something that is grateful for what happened that day. It’s a nice way to create a sense of belonging and happiness. If you are alone at lunch, just do it alone, create a habit of just giving thanks, and reflect on what you are grateful for that day.
Ritual 5 – Gratitude for every area of your life
Write down just one thing you are grateful for in every area of your life.
So it can be something about yourself that you like, something about your family, where you live or the income you are receiving. the weather that is happening right now!
There really are no rules of gratitude, you can be grateful for whatever makes you feel good.
Here’s some inspiration to help:
- What do you love about your physical self?
- What are you proud of lately?
- What events in your past have you overcome with strength?
- What have you been excited about lately?
- What is good in your daily life?
- Has anyone complimented you in any way lately?
- Who are your favorite loved ones and why?
- What do you love about where you live?
There are infinite reasons to find things to be grateful for and they don’t have to be big; it can be something simple like that first taste of coffee or the sun on your walls, and the music on the radio. In fact, the more you look for sweet moments of gratitude in the smallest details, the more you will attract those moments to you.
Please share your stories of gratitude with our community in the comments.
I will leave you with two of my favorite quotes about gratitude.
“Wear gratitude like a cloak, and it will feed every corner of your life.” Rumi
“Let gratitude be the pillow on which you kneel to say your evening prayers. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” Maya Angelou
