As Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, we often reflect on what we are grateful for. Dictionary.com defines gratitude as: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Simply put, gratitude is awareness of what and who your blessings are and not only to appreciate them, but to be able to show kindness toward others. Gratitude is a crucial part of happiness. Most, if not all of us, prefer to be happy.

I would like to share with you a few simple steps that can take less than a minute a day!

1. Quality of being thankful

I have attached a gratitude monthly calendar. All that is necessary is to write one thing you appreciate each day. For example, it could be you aced your test or you scored a goal, or you really enjoyed the ice cream you ate.

It is best to look for new things each day and week. Let’s face it, on our worst days, it could be hard to find something you are grateful for. On days such as those, it can be as simple as your dog cuddled up next to you or your mom did not make you take out the garbage.

If you are really stuck, think about your five senses — maybe you are grateful for something you heard, tasted, touched, smelled or something you saw.

Once you get into the swing of things and are writing down what you are grateful for each day, other things you appreciate will come into your awareness. You will begin to notice not just one good thing about your day, but some days, it could be several. That is when some people graduate to a gratitude journal.

For now, just concentrate on writing one thing a day. If you do not like writing on paper, write it in your phone calendar, on your computer, or anything that works for you.

2. Readiness to show appreciation

Displaying your gratitude towards others will set off the gratitude cycle in another individual’s life.

Take a moment to think about someone who has shown you an act of kindness, even if it is something simple, such as giving you a ride home or loaning your money for lunch. An easy, quick thing is to acknowledge what they have done and how they made you feel.

In doing so, both you and the other person both feel good. Everyone wants to feel appreciated.

3. Readiness to return kindness

It does not have to take much time or effort — hold the door for the person behind you, compliment someone on the good presentation they did, or volunteer at a bake sale for charity. Your small act of kindness can be what someone else jots down on their gratitude calendar.  

Gratitude is contagious. The more that it is shown to you, the more you want to perform acts of kindness. All of the things I have mentioned take time to do but can really make someone’s day.

According to Forbes.com, it only takes about 8 weeks to rewire your brain to be naturally more grateful and to start feeling happier.

In fact, Robert Emmons PhD., the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, states, “To put into numbers, according to the scale we used to calculate well-being, they (participants that practiced gratitude) were a full 25 percent happier than other participants. Not a long investment for the reward of happiness.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jaiden Price

Do good. Feel good. Look good.