How to Be Grateful Every Day

In 10 Simple Steps

Olga Filonenko on Unsplash

I went to the doctor the other day for a routine visit. The woman checking me in had a bracelet that read ‘content’ with the words facing toward me. I told her I liked it and she said,

“Yeah, anytime I complain I’m supposed to move it to the other wrist and turn the word toward me. It helps.”

Indeed. I’ve kept a gratitude journal every day for years, I told her. “It’s changed my life.”

And what I’ve found over all of these years is that we can complain about anything and everything, but the more negative we are, the more the negativity seeps into other areas of life.

If, however, we can give thanks for all of the little things, they add up, and bigger blessings follow — or they don’t, in which case we give thanks for the unexpectedness of life.

A 10 Step Gratitude Practice

1. Wake up.
2. Open your eyes.
3. Take a slow deep breath. Feel it fully.
4. Give thanks for this simple, yet profound God-given gift.
5. Walk to your kitchen.
6. Make your morning cup.
7. Take a sip. Really taste it.
8. Give thanks for the simple yet complex taste of your chosen morning drink.
9. Take a look outside. Open the window if it’s warm enough. Notice the trees, shapes, colors, perhaps the sunrise. Listen to the birds sing.
10. Give thanks that a new day is here, full of possibility.

Anyone can do these ten steps every day. And these ten steps will likely lead to hundreds more.

The simplest things in life are the most profound. The trouble is we’re too busy to savour the moments.

Slow down. Life is unfolding before you. Don’t miss it.

Thanks for reading! My name is Heather Sage. My first book, Yoga Prayers: Timeless Teachings for the Present Moment, will be available in late 2018. Get a preview here.