3 Ways To Create A Habit of Gratitude

Yesterday marked the beginning of the Lenten season and the reminder to return to love, and turn away from all that leads us astray. Once, when I was young, I prayed about what I should give up for Lent. The response clearly came to me that I should stop feeling sorry for myself. What’s the best way to stop feeling sorry for yourself? The answer came to me… practice gratitude. And that one practice has transformed my life!

If you want to build a habit of gratitude in your life, below are 3 ways that have worked for me.

Make A List Each Morning

Get a pencil and a notebook and set the timer for 5 minutes. List everything in your life that you are grateful for and try not to pick up your pencil for the full 5 minutes. It can start with something as simple as feeling your heart beat, your ability to breathe, or the cup of coffee in your hands. Then it can progress into things you never usually think to be grateful for. By setting a timer, you are forcing yourself to write longer than you normally would and therefore go a little deeper. You may begin to see that even the things you normally would think are a pain have an upside. For instance, I might not like that my legs are sore, but that means that I can feel them and use them and they are getting stronger.

Put a Paper in a Jar Each Night

Simply write the date on a scrap piece of paper and write one moment, one person, or one thought that you were grateful for that day. As you see the glass jar fill up, you will begin to feel an abundance mindset creeping in. The great thing is at the end of each month or season of the year, you can empty out the jar and read each paper. Rereading them reminds you how blessed you are.

Tell Someone Thank You

In the month of November I made a list of people who I was grateful for and I wrote each of their names on an envelope. Then each morning, I wrote a thank you card to one of the people on my list. Handwriting my personal gratitude to another filled my heart with love and joy. But you don’t have to do it in the form of a card. You could shoot someone a quick text. You could leave some gatorade on the front porch for your mail carrier with a sign that says thank you. It could even be as simple as thanking the cashier in the grocery line. And let’s not forget the people we live with! Whenever you express gratitude to another being (including plants and animals), you are growing that mindset and creating more opportunities for gratitude to flow in.

About the Author: Julie Glaser is a healer who creates sacred spaces for people to share, release, and grow. She’s in the habit of being in awe and wonder and writes to share her own experiences and learnings with other inquisitive souls in the process of transforming.