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Finding one simple thing to give thanks for, and writing it down, started a chain reaction. I found another, and another. I wrote each one down, in a numbered list. I began, inch by inch, to move away from the void and into a place of relative OK-ness, then hope, and finally joy.
Gratitude, celebration, giving thanks – even for the smallest of gifts – became a new way of living for me, a kind of oxygen I couldn’t get enough of, a transformative way of being. I filled my first “gratitude journal,” and kept going.
Here are my five favorite ways to practice gratitude:
- Set time aside each day to make a list of what you are thankful for. Start with the tiniest details, and write down even just one thing. On days when you’re feeling empty – or just wanting an excuse to smile – go back and read some of your list. Ann Voskamp says it best: “When I give thanks for the seemingly microscopic, I make a place for God to grow within me.”
- Tell other people “thank you” when they do something kind for you, no matter how small the deed.
- Don’t allow other people’s bitterness or negativity, or any other outward circumstance, to influence your inner peace. Look for the best in everyone, and believe and say the best about them.
- Anger, disappointment, failure, and frustration are parts of life, but don’t let them become your default emotions. Don’t be complacent and resign yourself to victimhood. Choosing to live from a place of gratitude brings peace.
- Build gratitude around you with small, daily, unexpected, undeserved acts of love, compassion, grace, and forgiveness.