“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” Denis Waitley
Every minute – with love, grace, and gratitude? That’s a tall order.
(For me, at least.)
I know studies proving gratitude makes us happier and healthier humans abound in research publications and internet quote machines, but if we can be real for a minute, I’d like to acknowledge that practicing gratitude can also be HARD.
It’s hard to bust out of the drama-filled stories we tell ourselves (that’s another TPF yet to come) and it’s hard to look at what we have in light of what we see that we don’t have. It’s human nature. However, like any emotion, gratitude can’t be forced AND it CAN be cultivated when we practice it enough that it becomes a HABIT.
Just like the plethora of research that’s out there, there are countless gratitude journals and programs you can utilize to start your practice. But again, most of us aren’t willing to carve the time to make that a steady habit practice.
Today I’m going to give you a tool that can be done anywhere, at any time.
Take a look at the picture above or at a hand. Notice 5 fingers.
Now, think of 5 things you can genuinely be grateful and thankful for and either write them down or tap them out on your fingertips.
Having a really rough day and can’t think of 5? Look around you and think smaller and smaller until you can find 5 things.
There is nothing quicker, easier, and more cost effective to identify gratitude and refocus your mind from the path it might be spinning down. You can do it anywhere, at any time.
- You’ll benefit from a quick mindset shift.
- You’ll find that you ARE indeed grateful and you can practice gratitude easily.
- The sheer act of putting your hand out, or imagining a flattened hand, with extended fingers, will trigger your brain to STOP its negative thinking so you can prepare for the practice.
How can you make this “5 THINGS” a gratitude habit practice?
