Practicing Gratitude
We, as human beings, always want more. Satisfaction, it seems, is hard to come by. There is an old story about a man who told himself that if he completed the task of cleaning all the dishes, he would allow himself to have a slice of peach pie. After all the scrubbing was done and the dishes were complete, he ate that piece of pie and wondered to himself “what’s next?” He did not allow himself to savor the present moment as his mind went immediately to the next task at hand. We do not truly experience the wonderful things that occur during our day to day life. I, myself, fall victim to this constantly. In a world where achievement is seen as obtaining things, appreciation is our ability to get pleasure from those things. One way to do this is to start a gratitude journal.
Now I know most of you out there may think I am crazy but the research supporting this journaling method is crazy! If there were a magic pill that allowed individuals higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism and energy, would you take it? How about if that same pill guaranteed lower levels of depression and stress, made you more likely to help others, led you to exercise more often, and helped you make progress toward your goals? I would hope the answer to those questions was a resounding YES!
Now here is how you get those benefits in only 60 seconds of your time. Every evening, when you are ready to go to bed, do the following two things:
- Write down 1-3 things that you are grateful for.
- Write down what made that day great
The wonderful thing about this is that throughout the day, you will beginning noticing things that used to go unnoticed. It could be that view from your office, or how pleasant your boss’s secretary is, or just how much you love spending time with your family or pets. As long as you are being totally honest and keep the answers fresh (one can only be grateful for their family so much…), you will reap the benefits of gratitude!
Chris Fluck
