Daily Practice of Gratitude and Appreciation

Hi Friends! Before we start, let’s take a moment to list 3 things that we are grateful for right now…

For me, while I am about to write this blog my 3 things are:

1. The time I have to write
2. My son, Benny
3. The lovely BBQ I have planned for lunch today

The things we express gratitude for daily don’t always have to be profound, or deep and meaningful. It can be a new notebook or outfit. It can be the fact that you had a nice long shower or a good nights sleep. It can be is our health, family and friends. The whole idea of a Daily Gratitude Practice, is that we focus on all the things.

BIG or small.

Often focusing on the small things to start makes it easier to incorporate gratitude practice in our daily lives. If you’ve been reading a few of my blogs, you will know that I am all for starting small, and working our way to the bigger things.

Here are some things I do to practice gratitude daily, and I hope you will find them useful and easy for you to start today.

1. First Thought in the Morning
   When you first open you eyes in the morning, even before you check your alarm or grab your phone, create a thought of gratitude for waking up to another day of opportunity. Be grateful for the bed you had to sleep on and the chance you had to comfortably rest and recharge. Often if we start our day in a certain way, we are likely to continue to keep that momentum and feeling throughout the day.
   
   
2. Using a Journal or a Gratitude App
   I am usually on my phone right after I wake up. Gotta catch up on social media and see what everyone is up to. I purposely put my instagram app in a folder along with my gratitude app. This way it is a daily reminder to go in and input the 3 things I am grateful for.
   
   
3. Object Gratitude
   This has been one of my favourite ways to practice gratitude each day, because there is an opportunity to use it in almost every minute of the day. Give thanks and appreciation for the objects in your life. When you are making your bed, give thanks for the bed you have to sleep on. When you are opening your fridge, give thanks for the fridge and food inside. When you are leaving the house, give thanks for the door and home that protects you.
   
   It is also helpful if you touch the object while you give thanks. It really helps to bring you into the moment and at the same time will help you practice mindfulness. Which leads into #4.
   
   
4. Gratitude with Mindfulness
   In the 15 Daily Habits post, one habit is to Practice Mindfulness in each day. Along with practicing this mindfulness, you can incorporate gratitude with your thoughts as well.
   
   Examples:
   Doing the Dishes
   THOUGHT “Right now I am doing the dishes. I am so grateful that I have fresh running water and soap to clean my dishes”.
   
   Preparing a Meal
   THOUGHT “Right now I am chopping some vegetables. I am so grateful that I have fresh food to make this meal, and a space to prepare it in”.
   
   
5. Right before Bed
   We should go to sleep with the most positive thoughts in our mind. Think about your day and ALL the things you are grateful for. Think about tomorrow and all the opportunity that you have awaiting for you. Give one last thanks and appreciation for what the day offered you, and set yourself up for a good nights sleep.

Gratitude is a mindset, and life is all about our thoughts and mindset. The whole idea of these tips are to help you activate positive thinking. To keep yourself in a state of mind that will give thanks, accept abundance and refrain from allowing the negative thoughts to completely take over. To teach us how to respond to the negative thoughts that we think, and how to turn them into something positive.

It isn’t easy, and it isn’t meant to be.

But using daily gratitude is a useful tool to help you along the way. Thank you for visiting Compound Dreams and reading this blog today. Hope to see you soon!