Gratitudes

Research has proven the power of gratitude. Spending just a few minutes a day, reflecting on gratitude can have lasting long-term effects on your happiness, productivity, and health. Gratitude is, without a doubt, the simplest way to make our lives better—it’s an easy and instant win.

Whether it’s a problem at work, a trumped-up news crisis, or a stranger cutting us off in traffic, we get easily caught up in what isn’t going our way. Studies show that the easiest way to live a happier life is to shift our focus from the few things going wrong in our lives to the countless things that are going right. What’s incredible about this is how quickly we can shift our focus and benefit from the change.

Don’t believe me? Take thirty seconds to close your eyes after reading the following steps of this exercise:

Think about something that makes you feel grateful. It could be something simple like a warm cup of coffee or something epic like your last great vacation. It can be a person, a pet, or an experience. Spend time recognizing how impossibly lucky you are for your experiences. Repeat this gratitude exercise two more times, picking different things to focus on for thirty-second intervals. Note how you feel after each. 

Gratitude leaves no room for anger or worry. The more gratitude you make space for in your life, the happier you will be. Just like with our other habits, we are going to train this one every day using a simple process. 

On every Daily Page, you’ll find a new Gratitude prompt. Read the prompt, then take a few seconds to consider the experience and bring a smile to your face. Hint: Make sure you physically smile. In the space below the prompt, you can write a note or simply check the box if no note is necessary. Training yourself to think of these things daily will help ingrain the gratitude habit and bring unimaginable joy to your life.