“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust.

It’s easy for us to fall into the trap of focusing our mind on what we lack, what’s not working and what’s wrong with our life.

Falling into this habit doesn’t help our energy levels, mood or help us to maintain a positive outlook.  In today’s fast paced world with countless demands and distractions, we can all easily forget and take for granted things to be grateful for.

For instance, how at the turn of a tap we have fresh running water that we can drink and wash in, at the flick of a switch we have electricity to power the kettle to make a hot drink when we wake up and listen to the radio or simply that we have the gift of life.

I’ve found that being more deliberate about practising gratitude and acknowledging all that there is to be grateful for in life helps my energy levels, keeps me happy, positive and better equipped to deal with challenges and hassles that we all inevitably face from time to time.

When I first started deliberately practising this approach, I wrote a list of 50 things to be grateful for which I added to over the course of a month. I still refer to this list from time to time when things don’t go as planned, if I am facing an obstacle or if my energy level drops. It always lifts my mood, puts things into perspective and lifts my spirits.

After reading the list, I always remind myself that whatever issue I am facing “this too will pass.” It’s a bit like pressing a reset button on your computer.

Another practice that I have found helpful is to take the time to acknowledge positive events when they happen. I make a note of such events on post it notes which I put in a jar.  I note down acts of kindness, positive feedback, receipt of income, gifts, unexpected windfalls, great customer service and nice experiences.

At the end of each year, I take out the notes and read them all. I have found this to be an excellent way to acknowledge and appreciate all the things that I have been fortunate to experience during that year. Finally, before I go to sleep each night, I take the time to mentally acknowledge at least 3 things from the day that I can be grateful for.

Robert A. Emmons & Michael McCullough are two of the leading scholars on the topic of gratitude and they have researched and written about its power to boost happiness.

In one of their studies, they carried out research with 3 experimental groups over a 10-week period:

  1. The first group was asked to write down five things they were grateful for that had happened in the last week for each of the 10 weeks of the study. This was called the gratitude condition.
  2. The second group was asked to write down five daily hassles from the previous week. This was the hassles condition.
  3. The third group simply listed five events that had occurred in the last week, but not told to focus on positive or negative aspects. This was the events or control condition.

Before the experiment began participants had kept daily journals to chronicle their moods, physical health and general attitudes. These were then used to provide a comparison for after the experimental intervention.

People who were in the gratitude condition felt fully 25% happier – they were more optimistic about the future and they felt better about their lives. They even did almost 1.5 hours more exercise a week than those in the hassles or events condition.

Martin Seligman is a leading expert on positive psychology and a very successful author. He has looked extensively at the effect and benefits of practising gratitude in his work. He has found that writing down what you are grateful for has the ability to shape your mood positively in lasting ways.

This week why not take some time to write a list of things that you are grateful for. Aim for 50 things and then add to it over the coming month.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk