Gratitude is extremely easy to practice. It’s effective. It’s quick. It’s free. You can practice it anytime, anyplace, anywhere, for anything. Finding aspects of your life for which to be grateful can shift your energy to focus on the positives when faced with adversity.
Gratitude is the most powerful tool I have ever used; it never fails to lift the spirits of all involved. Providing examples of why you are grateful even strengthens connections with others. Expressing gratitude also doesn’t have to be a grand gesture; it can be as simple as telling someone they did a great job on a project. The tips below provide guidance of how to incorporate more gratitude:
- Be respectful. Maintain standards of etiquette in your day-to-day interactions. Hold the door open, tip servers, and be mindful of how your actions impact others.
- Give back. Volunteering allows us to connect with others in a positive way and helps us to see perspectives from those less fortunate.
- Use specific examples. When giving gratitude towards others, share why you are grateful. For example, I was given a car vacuum as a gift. I shared that I was able to clean up the mud from my son’s baseball cleats without having to get the big vacuum or go to the car wash. I said how it saved me time and enabled me to feel the car was clean in less than 5 minutes. This ensures they truly know the why behind your gratitude. If you are feeling stuck on ways to express your gratitude, try a few of the following:
- “Thank you for bringing ___ to my attention. It will help to take us to the next level by ___.
- I am grateful you felt you could come to me with your idea to ___. Now we can implement ___.
- Thank you for stepping up to help when you knew I did not have time to complete ___. Now I have more capacity to ___.
- I really appreciate you taking the time to _____. It not only saved me so much time, but the way you _____ gave it a personal touch.
- Utilize a variety of mechanisms. Send a text, Instant Message, funny meme, pick up the phone, or better yet write an old-fashion letter or send a thank you card in the mail.
- Share in the moment. Do your best to share shortly after you are feeling the sense of gratitude for someone, don’t wait too long. The best time is in the present moment. In this case, less is more as you can simply say, I am grateful for you helping me today, means the world to have your support.
- Enlist others. Make a practice to share in gratitude with your team at work, group of friends or loved ones. We share in gratitude as a family whenever we sit down to share a meal. It is an easy way to share about our days. Our internal team at Actualize shares on a weekly level.
Gratitude is always the answer. We can connect with others on a deeper level when we focus on the good, and we open ourselves up to being vulnerable about sharing. How can you be a role model of gratitude in your workplace and personal relationships?