If you are reading this post, you have a lot to be grateful for. You should be grateful for the ability to see, and to read my words; and you also should be grateful for access to technology that is connecting you to the internet.

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is something that will help you each day that you pursue your artistic passions.  You are likely to be practicing gratitude right now, so in that event here are my…

7 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude in Your Daily Life

 

Put things back

When you use one of your belongings, you should put it back where it came from when you finish with it. All of your belongings have a home, so an act of practicing gratitude is to return those items at the end of their use.

You will appreciate things more often when they do not exist on the floor, or cluttering up a hallway table. Put things away, and you will get a clearer picture of what you have to be grateful for.

 

Make your bed

Make your bed and tidy your bedroom when you wake each morning. When I was a child, my Jamaican Grandmother used to imprint this practice into my mind and I would ALWAYS make the bed. As I got older, this practice fell by the wayside and I became a bit more of a slob without her watchful eye.

Now that I am an adult with my own family, I realize the importance of making the bed each morning. When you walk into a room where the bed is neatly spread with sheets, and the pillows are fluffed perfectly, you FEEL calmer than you would if you walked into a messy room. The feeling of gratitude washes over you in a neat and tidy room because you can recognize the comfort that your bed represents, and appreciate the lack of visual clutter. Make your bed every day for a week, and I guarantee you will feel grateful that you did.

 

Write thank you notes

Writing thank you notes was a practice that was common in older generations. Now, people only write these notes for the guests that attended their gatherings like weddings or baby showers. It has largely been forgotten for young people, and I believe that it is a signal of our society becoming more self-centered, and less concerned with etiquette.

I think that “thank you” emails, notes, and texts are important because they allow the writer and the receiver to show their gratitude for the experience, as well as for the relationships they have. They are a physical representation of the high regard you feel for that person, and I think it only adds to the sentiment of being grateful for your life.

 

Count your blessings

We have all heard this saying (I hope), but you can also accomplish this by counting the things that you DON’T need to worry about. Are you debt free? Do you have great family members and friends who do not bring you down with their negativity on a regular basis? If so: you should be grateful for this! Count your blessings, by counting what you don’t need to worry about!

 

Volunteer

Volunteering your time to help your community is a great way to cultivate gratitude for what you have. If you can’t volunteer, donate to a local food bank by driving over to drop off food items.

 

Look Up

I have always been called a “dreamer” because my eyes are always looking up to the sky. If staring blindly into the sun isn’t your thing (lol), then take notice of the clouds. Take note of the shapes and symbols that appear to you. Make sure that when you look up, however, you are in a safe position to do so.

 

Celebrate your birthday

Each year that passes is an achievement. Sometimes we shy away from celebrating milestones because it reminds us of how old we are. Try looking at it this way: if you have made it to 85, rejoice! You have outsmarted and outlived many other people! Anyone who lives that long must be doing something right, so take ownership of that and celebrate it. Research shows that the celebration of milestones contributes to feelings of gratitude- so why not try it this year?

 

Do you practice gratitude in your daily life? What are your methods? I would love to read your comments in the section below. Thanks for stopping by.

 

Stephanie