8 tips to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in life
Most people understand the benefits of fostering an attitude of gratitude in their lives, yet many struggles to put it into practice. Here are 8 tips to cultivate thankfulness in your life so you may live a happier, healthier, and more fulfilled life every day.
1. Appreciate those who support you
From family and friends to teachers and coaches, there are many people in your life who have supported you along your path. You can express gratitude for their influence by recognizing how far you’ve come and how these people have helped you get there.
If you find it hard to articulate feelings of appreciation, try starting a gratitude journal where you regularly write down three things each day that happened that made your life better. Appreciation is a powerful force—try it out today!
2. Actively seek opportunities to give
So often we think about what we can get out of life, and forget that it’s equally as important to focus on what we can give. Seek opportunities to give your time, energy, and love to others without thought of reward. Not only will you build a great reputation with your peers and friends, but you’ll be doing something great for yourself.
One of my favorite ways to do this is by volunteering for a local organization in my community—but there are many ways that you can help others: donations to worthy causes, offering your expertise as a freelancer, etc. Be creative! In addition to helping you become more grateful, when you assist others, the feeling of satisfaction you will achieve internally can’t be put into words.
3. Be thankful for whatever you have
There’s an important distinction between appreciating and being grateful. Many of us have a tendency to focus on what we don’t have or what we wish we had more of. In reality, gratitude is all about noticing what you already have in your life—and that shift in mindset can make all the difference.
At its core, gratitude is about noticing and celebrating positive things as they happen, especially when they are not expected. By cultivating a sense of gratitude in your life, you create space for more positivity, creativity, and compassion to flow through you each day. If you really want to live a happy life, cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
4. Give help freely without expecting anything in return
Offer to do tasks for your friends or family that you know they’re busy with. You can also try to make a habit of being helpful in small ways to people you encounter throughout your day, whether it’s offering directions or pointing out a spider crawling on someone’s shoulder. Although it may feel silly at first, it’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase your own gratitude.
When you find yourself thinking about all of your problems, remind yourself how lucky you are by doing something nice for someone else—no strings attached. It not only helps others but will bring a smile to you and your friends’ faces as well.
5. Do something nice for someone anonymously
Next time you feel grumpy because someone got in your way or stopped you from doing something, just stop and think about that person. If he wouldn’t have done that, what would his life be like right now? Would he be happy? It’s likely that he doesn’t even know how much better your day is now than it was before you encountered him. Be grateful for him, and make a resolution to go out of your way to do something nice for someone else next time.
6. Celebrate your own accomplishments and the ones of others with joy
Rather than focusing on what’s missing in your life, take a moment to recognize what you have. Rather than getting upset at someone who didn’t call or text you back, try to think about how nice it was when they did reach out last week.
Not only will cultivating an attitude of gratitude help you feel better but there’s evidence that it can improve your health and well-being as well. It won’t happen overnight, but committing yourself to find more joy in your day-to-day life is worth giving gratitude a shot—and no one needs reminding of all we have to be grateful for.
7. Make it your habit
Being grateful helps you focus on your strengths and what you have to be happy about. In addition, it can improve your relationships, help you cope with life’s challenges, and encourage you to be more helpful and forgiving to others.
The key to developing an attitude of gratitude lies in changing your focus. Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, or what you wish others would do for you, focus on being grateful for what you already have.
To develop a sense of appreciation and thankfulness, try being mindful while completing daily tasks. The next time you’re eating lunch, try taking one bite at a time and savoring it; think about how that meal came to be and all that went into getting it to your plate. Instead of scrolling through Facebook while on break at work, close your eyes and enjoy a few moments of peace before getting back to work.
8. Morning gratitude meditation
Start by finding a place where you can sit quietly for 5 to 10 minutes without being interrupted. Sit upright in a chair or on a cushion, with your feet flat on the floor. Set a timer for five minutes and close your eyes. Focus on your breathing: Inhale slowly through your nose, feeling your belly rise, and exhale slowly through pursed lips. Repeat three times.
Then focus on what you’re grateful for: Think about something that brings you joy or makes you feel grateful (and if nothing comes to mind right away, recall things from previous years that brought positive feelings). Then take note of how it feels inside as you think about what you’re grateful for.
Also read: Meditation for kids – 4 easy steps
Just like some athletes try to get a head start on their day with a morning workout, some people try to get ahead with a morning gratitude workout. A study published in The Journal of Positive Psychology suggests that meditating for about 10 minutes on one’s positive qualities in the morning may improve well-being throughout the day.
Try writing down three or four things you’re grateful for and then reading it out loud as part of your morning routine. If you want to go old school, there’s also something to be said for keeping a gratitude journal. It’ll help you reflect at night and become aware of all that you have to be thankful for (even when it feels like things are falling apart).
Conclusion
As discussed above, developing an attitude of gratitude is important for everyone to achieve maximum efficiency, respect of affiliates, good health & satisfaction among many other benefits. 2 more important benefits are explained below.
Why is gratitude important in life?
You’re not grateful when you don’t know what you have. Grateful people are aware of what they have and can see how to make positive changes. Unappreciative people take for granted things that could go away, like a job. Showing appreciation makes others feel good about themselves.
Studies show that expressing gratitude is beneficial for your overall well-being and can improve both physical and mental health. A handful of studies suggest that people who are grateful tend to live longer. There’s even evidence that being grateful makes you happier. When we think back on events in our lives, it’s natural to dwell on negative experiences more than positive ones — but it doesn’t need to be that way.
Gratitude turns what we have into enough
It takes a sense of contentment to understand that just because you don’t have something you want, it doesn’t mean you don’t have something better. A good attitude is one of those intangible but important qualities that can help carry us through tough times, helping us remain grateful and content.
Studies show that people who focus on positive thoughts and behaviors experience fewer stress-related symptoms, lower blood pressure, and higher happiness levels than those who don’t. Developing a sense of gratitude may not be easy, but by actively looking for things to appreciate, we can change our perspective about the challenges we face in life. Gratitude enables us to turn what we have into enough, rather than focusing on what we lack.
