You have likely heard someone say that gratitude is a powerful practice to increase happiness. Extensive research confirms and illuminates how and why you may want to add this to your start to 2025.
I have several started and abandoned gratitude journals in my nightstand drawer. This led me to explore how I can bring gratitude into my daily routine using a method that works for me. Just what makes gratitude so powerful?
First, get specific: Shawn Achor’s book, The Happiness Advantage, offered a tip to be as specific as possible. Saying I am grateful for my health is fine, but being more specific is exponentially more powerful, such as, ‘I am grateful for today’s brisk walk around the zoo boardwalk path, chat with my walking buddy, and my warm coat, hat and mittens.’
Second, find the time and medium that work for you to be consistent: picking up a journal in the evening and writing down three things I am grateful for from that day is a great approach, but does not consistently work well for me. I tried journalling gratitude at another time of day. I tried using a note app on my phone versus the hard copy journal. I tried agreeing to text with a friend what we were grateful for. All of these worked for a period of time, but I kept looking as I was convinced there was something else that would really help me practice gratitude consistently. I found an online journal and I have paid for the text option enhancement. Each evening, I get a text* that I reply to with what I am grateful for. Each week I get an email* with what I texted that week, and at any point I can go the website and see my now over 3,600 entries going back to 2018. For me the text that I can either answer right away or reply to later is helping me be consistent. I am specific in my gratitude entries and don’t worry too much if it is something I have typed before or if I miss a day.
Note: You could also share your journal with others if a community-based gratitude practice would support you. (*You set up your preferences.)
Third, offer what you need: the more you tell others you are grateful for them, the more that gratitude comes back to and benefits you. Emmons’ and McCullough’s research project on gratitude and thankfulness found many things including that “gratitude is the ‘forgotten factor’ in happiness research.” (The full study and a summary are in the links below.) If you are lonely, reach out to someone else who may be lonely. Feeling frustrated from an interaction, make an effort to be the best you with someone else: smile and speak with the barista making your coffee, say thanks to your mail carrier, reach out to a friend who is sick or having a rough time just to say hello.
I am curious what is already working for you vis a vis gratitude, or what you will experiment with?
If you want to read further about gratitude, you might like:
- Emmons’ & McCullough’s research project on gratitude and thankfulness
- Shawn Achor’s book The Happiness Advantage and this blog post
- Greater Good Science Center in general and this article
- Oliver Sacks book about gratitude
I’m grateful for the reminders about gratitude as I put this post together!
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To learn more about building gratitude and executive coaching, reach out to Kelly for a consultation.