I recently made the connection that gratitude and practicing gratitude are two entirely different things. I feel very grateful for the blessings in my life, but on the other hand I know I’m not putting my gratitude into practice very often. It’s one thing to know I’m grateful, but it’s another thing to claim what those things are and bring them to my awareness on a daily basis. For a lot of people, this can mean the difference in feeling apathetic about ones life or feeling happy, grateful, and blessed.
As I mentioned in my Goals for 2012 post, I was struggling with more internal negativity than usual. Shortly after writing that post, I realized that my goal of reducing negativity wasn’t the best goal because I didn’t say how I was going to overcome it. Great goals always have a plan, right? I decided to change my goal up slightly. Instead of saying that I was going to reduce negativity, I now say that I’m going to reduce negativity by incorporating a daily gratitude practice in my life. My goal now has a plan!
When I told Eric about my plan, he was eager to join me. Initially, my plan was to write down 5 things that I’m grateful for each day, but after telling Eric about it, he suggested that we do it together. Instead of writing it down, we would just talk about 5 positive things from our day with each other. It’s now a daily gratitude conversation. Not only does this keep us accountable (it’s like having a workout buddy!), but it allows us to share the goods things that went on that we otherwise may not have known about.
I’ve tried in the past to keep a daily gratitude log, but I always found that I could never stick with it. Having someone as my gratitude buddy will help me commit to this practice each day. We’ve been telling each other 5 things we are grateful for before bed and I’ve been blown away by what a difference it makes in our outlook. Not only do I enjoy hearing about things that have made him happy in his day, but I love to share things with him. I like to relate it to gift giving; is it better to receive a nice gift or is it better to watch someone open a gift you gave them? Sharing joy, increases the joy in our own hearts.
As an added bonus, it’s a great way to tell your partner something that they did to make you happy. How often do we do things for each other that go unrecognized? It’s the perfect time to say “I acknowledge what you did and that makes me feel grateful”. Of course, this can be done any time of the day, but sometimes all we need is a quiet moment to reflect on things.
For all of you who have a hard time sticking with a daily gratitude practice, my challenge for you is to find a gratitude buddy. It can be your partner, mom, sibling, roomie, best friend….anyone you love and trust. Pledge to share 5 things you are grateful for each day. Some days will be easier than others to come up with the list, but that is the point. If you don’t live with the person, you can call them on the phone, Skype, or even just commit to emailing each other your list each night before bed. Or maybe once a week works better for you. You come up with what will be realistic for your life!
Sketchie is thankful for boxes. :)
Since we started this daily gratitude practice, I’ve felt significantly happier and more positive than I have in a while. I totally underestimated how much of a difference it would make and now I’m a believer of the positivity daily gratitude can create. I find myself thinking about good things throughout the day because I know that I will have to come up with 5 things before bed. In turn, my positivity is increased all day long.
In my mind, practicing gratitude is simply bringing all of those daily experiences that we all have to the forefront of our minds. Gratitude does not negate the bad things that happen to us, but it’s a conscious choice to bring our attention to the positives in each day.
I’d love for you to join us with this challenge!
~~~
For other Daily Glow posts, see:
Graduation Fears
The Silly Things We Say
Do What You Can…Today
What’s Your 6-Word Love Story?
Without Self-Love, I Have Nothing.
Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain
Kicking the Pop Habit: Eric 1 Year Later
Weekend Inspiration
How to Reframe and Negative Thought with a Thought Record
~~
Have you been reading Brene Brown?? I was JUST reading about the difference between being grateful and practicing gratitude. I’ve been working on this in my own life, and I think having a gratitude buddy makes all the difference. It’s just too easy to get out of the habit – kind of sad, but true.
Hey Katie! No I haven’t…but what book is it?
Angela, me & my two best friends absolutely LOVE not only your recipes, but your insight and most of all humor! Reading this post today gives me hope that you’re inspiring a better world by setting an example of practicing gratitude and love! My husband and I have been doing this exact thing every night for a few years now and it’s changed our lives in amazing ways (although we only do 3 things were grateful for, we need to step up our game…lol!). We also add one thing we appreciate about each other. I find it’s a sweet way to recognize each other as well as all the abundance in life. It was even one of our wedding vows to continue to do this, so we’re stuck with it!! Ha! Thank you again for your generosity, delicious healthy foods, and your continued humor! :)
Thank you Sarah! That’s so awesome that you included it in your vows…kudos to you both for sticking with it.
Love this post! Thanks for inspiring me :)
I think this is a great idea! It not only holds you accountable by having your husband be your gratitude buddy, but is also helps to stay connected to him and build your relationship as a couple. My husband and I have been making a point to pray at dinner time every night. This not only keeps us connected with God but also with each other. He brings up things he is thinking about or concerned about that he might not have brought up otherwise. It helps me to know how he’s feeling and be able to better support him.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Isn’t it amazing what gratitude will do for you?! Study’s show that people who practice gratitude will make you happy, healthier and less depressed than those who don’t — http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/09/practicing-gratitude-can-increase.php. In our house, we have a gratitude journal that’s open in the foyer. Anyone who visits the house is free to write down what they are thankful for. It’s amazing to look back and see a year of gratitude in review.
that’s a great idea!
I am totally with you on this one! Positive energy is something I truly believe in, and changing our thoughts little by little is the way to go!
I can just picture you and eric having your gratitude convos! So cute! And such a positive way to add some humility and appreciation into your day! I love it!
hah it is pretty funny to watch I’d say…
Thank you for sharing! Expressing my gratitude : ) There are numerous studies that show living a life based in gratitude increases our longevity. Long lives for those with a healthy outlook combined with healthy eating and movement.
aw this sounds nice! my husband and I do something similar. before we start eating supper we always say something we are thankful for, a nice little tradition we started one day and it’s stuck.
Hi Angela,
Thanks for this great post! I try each day when driving into work, to think of what I am grateful for in my life and it always brings a whole new light to things and a smile! Have you read a book called The Secret by Rhonda Byrne? It’s about the power of positive thinking and being grateful is one the subjects spoken about in the book! It’s a quick read! On days that are not going well for me, I will pick up the book and read is over again ;0)
Good Luck and Thanks again
Hi Emily! No I havent but I would like to read it. :)
Years ago, an audience member on the Oprah Show, caught Oprah’s eye. She just glowed with happiness. (I saw her, she absolutely did.) Oprah asked her why she looked so happy. She answered that, from the time she was a small child, her parents, when she was being put to bed, would ask her to tell them what the best part of her day was. So, she would not only go to sleep with happy thoughts, she would go through her day looking for all the positive things, ‘cos she would have to find the “best” one to share when she went to bed each night. This small daily practice was really not so small at all……..
Wow what an amazing story Lea! I can totally see that. I think going to bed with positive thoughts is a great way to end the day and set the tone for the next.
Sounds awesome! Question: do you write them down throughout the day or commit them to memory? Or do you just come up with them on the spot at night?
Hi Lisa, We don’t write anything down (although you certainly can!)…and usually just think of them on the spot. Sometimes I find myself more aware of positive things throughout the day though which is nice.
Brilliant concept, Ange…you are so insightful! Thanks for sharing!
Great post – I love that you guys are doing this together. It gives me hope for the future of being involved with someone – having that kind of similar outlook on life is essential. I just was feeling the same way about expressing gratitude for all of the positives in my life, rather than getting pulled down by negativity, and I started a tumblr to record 3 things every day that I feel grateful for. It is now the way I start the day. I’m not a full vegan or vegetarian, but I love your blog – beautiful pictures and great recipes. Anytime anyone I know starts talking about vegan cooking, I try to direct them your way. :)
Thank you Amy, that’s wonderful you started a blog for gratitude! Thanks for reading.
Interesting synchronicity ~ I decided to do your original idea: write 5 things I’m grateful for, every night before bed, for all of 2012. I love that you decided to share gratitudes, instead :-) So sweet! I think being more aware of what I’m grateful for really makes a difference in daily life! A gratitude buddy is a fabulous idea :-)
I just forwarded this to my mom and husband. I think this a great idea! What better way to end the day then to talk about the good things that happened rather than the negative.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing this Angela. I love the idea of a gratitude buddy, and it sounds to me like a fantastic way to become closer to a person you love. I’ll definitely be doing this! xx
I love this! I have been doing something similar and have noticed a difference as well. I have started a “gratitude check” every morning and evening-listing 5 things each time. Love it!
What a great idea! I think I’ll have to start doing this with my husband on a regular basis. We’ve talked about things we’re grateful for before, but not too often.
Another one of my favorite posts from you.
And by the way this Eric=such a keeper! I love this so much and I plan on also sharing this with my husband to see what he thinks…he is similiar to Eric… always on board. :)
I too start say a journal but do not always stick with it and I love this “buddy system” idea.
Good luck with it!