Today, I’m heading down a path of reexamining my daily gratitude practice. Incorporating this daily practice has been a habit of mine for many years and continues to be reinforced in the books I have read over the years (see a list at the bottom). In one of the chapters I read this morning in Effortless, McKeown talks about how building a habit of gratitude can help get you out of the habit of complaining. His recipe is “After I complain, I will say something I am thankful for.” I absolutely love this idea and will be implementing it immediately!
Health Benefits of Gratitude
A big reason I choose to create a daily gratitude practice is because of all the health benefits from it, helping to move away from what McKeown calls the “emotional cancer” that comes from living in “a complaint culture that gets high on expressing anger.” Some of the health benefits of practicing gratitude are:
- Mental resilience/reduced stress
- Inner peace through emotional regulation
- Improved relationships with others
- Enhanced empathy
- Cognitive benefits (memory, problem-solving, neuroplasticity, creativity, etc.)
- Longevity
- Improved physical health
Starting a Gratitude Practice
Essentially, there is no downside to practicing gratitude. If you want to start a gratitude practice, just begin with one thing each day that you are grateful for. You can write in a journal, say it out loud to yourself or someone else, repeat it quietly to yourself in a meditation—whatever the method, just start. Then, build on that each and every day. There are also tons of amazing books out there to read on the subject (just a few listed below), find an author you like and read their work (or if reading isn’t your thing, find some videos on YouTube or podcasts that speak to you).
Ponder This
- What small steps can you take to start a daily gratitude practice?
- How might incorporating gratitude impact your business?
- How can you reframe complaints into expressions of gratitude in your daily interactions?
Share your experiences and insights in the comments below!
Books
- Effortless - Greg McKeown
- The Art of Happiness - Dali Lama and Howard Cutler
- The Emperor's Handbook - Marcus Aurelius
- Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
- Evolve Your Brain - Joe Dispenza
- Unlearn 101 - Humble the Poet
- Full Catastrophe Living - Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Minding the Body, Mending the Mind - Joan Borysenko
- Ikigai - Hector Garcia
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