Gratitude wreathed itself through my life for the final months of the last and the beginning of this new year. I’m quite familiar with the beneficial aspects of gratitude, and life was clearly asking me to pay a little more attention here. Putting it all together in this blog, I’ll share some insights and ideas for gratitude practices for 2021. 

You know, when you study the human mind from a spiritual knowledge perspective, it’s fascinating how often you find that you had it all backward. Praise makes me feel better if I give it and can make me feel shaky when I receive it. Criticism becomes a gift. Getting fired from a job turns into a blessing; separation and loneness are an illusion (albeit too often a powerful and convincing one).

Gratitude is one of those concepts that we often have backward. We think it is for the receiver, the person, or the entity we feel grateful to. We bestow it or offer it up. However, the more powerful effect of feeling and expressing gratitude is on the person who expresses gratitude. To feel grateful opens your heart, and to share it allows you to feel connected and blessed. So these ideas for gratitude practices are for your benefit. 

Gratitude practices

My home practice of gratitude is a blessing spoken over the evening meal. My family does not adhere to any specific religious custom. We do count spirituality as an important ingredient in our daily happiness.

Our blessing begins with a ‘Thank you’ for the elements, and includes the food, farmers, and shop. Then each of us claims an event of the day and digs deeper into all its aspects. I might be grateful for a call I was on, that reminds me of the technology that I have available, the warm house I am blessed to live in, the money I earn that allows us to pay our mortgage, the people I work with, and so on. As we explore the connected web that supported us for that day, the experience of grace in our lives becomes stronger and stronger. It is not uncommon that I begin our grace with a frown and end it with a smile and a deep breath. 

Gratitude notes

If you want to be serious about your daily practice of gratitude, imagine a year of committing to send at least one “Thank you” note per day into this world, be that via email, social media, message, or snail mail. Who could you thank for what? And remember, as I’ve said before, to notice the joy it brings you to send those notes. The joy the other person feels is the cherry on top.

Gratitude journal

Alternatively, if you feel more introverted, begin a gratitude journal for yourself. Every evening or morning, mention that special something that connects you to grace. You’ll be amazed how much your perception will shift after a while towards feeling supported and taken care of.

Gratitude jar/appreciation board

Create a gratitude jar or appreciation board if you want to bring a practice of gratitude into your own life at home or into your work environment. The jar allows you to collect many instances of gratitude and share them en masse. The board can facilitate a constant stream of appreciation and care amongst your coworkers. If you are the only one using it for a while, never despair. Just keep right on with it, and eventually, others will join in. 

Credits

If you want to dive deeper into the many variants of gratitude, I recommend Chris Palmore’s book ‘Dear Gratitude’. It is a diverse collection of stories of grace showing up in our lives. 

I’m pretty sure that I will add some form of a gratitude practice in my work this year! 

For the inspiration to this post and some of the practices, I’d like to thank the people on last weeks Coffee Chat (and save the world) Zoom call (it happens bi-monthly) with Dorothy Wilhelm.

Coming a full circle of 12 months, this is the first post from 2020 on Improving Awareness! Who could have known how that year panned out.