3 Ways To Foster Gratitude

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s a great time to really think about gratitude.

Gratitude is simply “the act of being grateful…” – i.e. Being grateful that you have a job, being grateful you are in a creative and supportive environment (such as Roam), being grateful you are strong and healthy, being grateful for friends who appreciate who you are.

Looking at gratitude from a strength-based approach is grounded in recognizing what’s right within yourself and the people you interact with every day. Gratitude is so relevant because it changes attitudes, and it helps people focus on the good instead of the negative.

“Gratitude is a power practice that changes our perspective about life’s joys and hardships. It recharges our batteries when our energy is depleted or we are overwhelmed by life,” say authors Susan Ragsdale and Ann Saylor of Great Group Games: 175 Boredom-Busting, Zero-Prep Team Builder for All Ages.

Ragsdale and Saylor recommend certain disciplines to foster gratitude, especially because some personalities tend to be more negative than positive. Try these tips:

• Decide. Decide you’re going to be as present as you can to each moment and find the joy.
• Every day, embrace what’s good. When something good happens, stop, note it, and receive it as the gift it is.
• Hit replay. Savor what’s good. Re-picture it and turn it into an experience.
• Share gratitude. Sharing is a happiness booster: hold open a door, help someone cross the street, or take a moment to listen.

In trying to develop your own sense of gratitude, here are a few suggestions:

• List it. Create a list of the little blessings, joys, and graces that you have experienced recently.
• Journal it. Expand on that list and allow yourself time to journal about things you are grateful for each day. Think beyond 140 characters!
• Share it. Include a “circle of gratitude” time, inviting the people close to you to share one thing they are grateful for.

So, what are you doing to show your gratitude? What are you doing to maintain it?

We hope this season is one of true gratitude, joy, and community. Happy Thanksgiving!