GRATITUDE TOOLKIT If the only prayer you said in your whole life was thank you, that would suffice. Meister Eckhart Before I close my eyes each night, at the end of every day There is something very important, that I always like to say Thank You Thank you for the things I ve learnt, they teach me how to know Thank you for my challenges, they show me how to grow Thank you for the good times and thank you for the bad It helps me to appreciate what I have and haven t had Thank you for my family and thank you for each friend You are so very special and all that matters in the end Thank you for my experiences and thank you for my past For the magic of the memories through my lifetime that will last Thank you for my journey and the dreams I m going to live Thank you for my future and for the best I ve yet to give So before I close my eyes each night what I really want to say Is thank you for my life and thank you for today. We first make our habits, and then our habits make us. John Dryden
Feeling grateful has a number of benefits. Feelings of gratitude are associated with less frequent negative emotions and can promote more positive emotions, such as feeling energised, alert, and enthusiastic. You can even experience pleasant muscle relaxation when recalling situations in which you were grateful. It is apparent that the act of giving thanks can have a remarkable impact on a person s well-being, and the best thing is that we can tap into this amazing resource any time we like! Gratitude is a choice and gratitude, if consciously practised enough, will become a habit. By being grateful for the people, situations and resources around us, we begin to attract better relationships and better personal results. The habit of appreciation will be strengthened as you make the decision to be grateful each and every day. Here is a toolkit of useful tips to help you cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Decide to be grateful It is entirely your choice whether you want to become a grateful person. If you decide to be a grateful person, then be it. No matter what happens to you, it is still up to you to decide how you want to respond. So make the decision now to be a grateful person. Appreciate life It is estimated that 106 billion people have been born on Earth, with 6 billion living today. Life expectancy in most of human history is only 20-35 years. And most of those years were spent in disease, poverty, and misery. Only in the last century has human life expectancy increased significantly. Seek out the good things Sometimes we see only the bad things that happen in our life and overlook the good things. Open your eyes and be observant of those good things. Dedicate time each day to simply focusing on positive things and seek out something that will make you smile. Wake up with an attitude of gratitude You can train your mind to focus on anything you like. When you wake up, you immediately begin to consciously programme your subconscious mind on how your day will be. If you tell yourself that you are going to have a bad/stressful day, then you will, because your subconscious mind will believe anything your conscious mind tells it. Turn any negative thought around and discipline yourself to start every day with a positive and appreciative thought. Introduce Vitamin G I mentioned at the beginning of the book the concept of Vitamin G (Vitamin Gratitude). A great way to do this is to have a gratitude stone by your bedside table or by your toothpaste, and remember to take it in your hand each morning and reflect upon what you
are grateful for. Do this every day for a month and it will become embedded as a new habit and you will start to notice how good it makes you feel. Keep a gratitude journal Take vitamin G one step further and write the good things that happen in your life in a journal, especially those which impress you. When life looks dark and it s difficult for you to be grateful, open and read your journal. Dwelling on the happy positive stuff will help you to realise how wonderful life can be and will be again. This is great to do before you go to bed at night. See problems as probortunities Out of every problematic situation there is an opportunity. You can choose to focus on the problem or the solution. This might be difficult for some people however, I firmly recommend it. At the very least, bad things give you valuable lessons you can be grateful for. When you have this mindset, it s easier to see the good things you can get out of something difficult and challenging. This way you will always have reasons to be grateful. Hang around radiators Some people are like drains: they are negative and draining and can zap your energy. Others are like radiators and they can positively warm you with their attitude. Research shows that you can catch other people s negativity germs, and in the same way, positive people can be a tonic. You will become more like the people you are with. Surround yourself with positive people who themselves are grateful people, and it will be much easier and more natural for you to be a grateful person. Focus on giving You will be grateful if your mind focuses on what you have, rather than what you don t have. By giving, your mind will focus on what you have, rather than what you don t have (you can t give something you don t have, can you?). Most people focus on receiving, which makes their mind focus on what they don t have. This is why it s difficult for them to be appreciative. Get into the habit of saying thank you Do you always remember to say thank you? Are there times you forget because you are too busy? Perhaps when someone has sent you a gift you haven t let them know how much you appreciated it. Perhaps, when you have been to dinner at someone s house, the next day you forget to let them know how much you enjoyed it. Even the routine things that your family or partner does, do you take it in your stride without acknowledgement? No one likes being taking for granted, so make sure that saying thank you is part of the daily fabric of your life.
Say thank you and mean it Also make sure that saying thank you isn t a chore in your mind. Heartfelt sincere thanks are tangible and not an obligation. When you say thank you to someone, look them in the eyes and mean it! A small gesture like that could make all the difference to someone whose day will glow a little brighter for being acknowledged and appreciated. Do highlights and keep a gratitude journal Getting into the habit of focusing on the best bits and highlighting three things that made you appreciative and happy is a wonderful way to summarise your day. SEVEN DAY GRATITUDE JOURNAL
Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven