Quote From Grateful:

“The practice of gratitude comes down to attentiveness and awareness. All around us,

every day, there are gifts. No matter our challenges or feelings. There are gifts. Mostly

unnoticed, unappreciated, and often disregarded. But if we cultivate our awareness of

those gifts, thankfulness becomes habitual. As a habit, gratitude becomes a steadying

companion, a daily–perhaps even hourly–disposition of appreciation.”

Awareness:

Habits are simply regular acts that we do without much thought. Habits are triggered by

cues. We automatically do things as a result of a sound (a phone buzzing or a particular

song playing), a smell (coffee brewing in the morning), or sight (seeing a certain item,

scene, or person). Two cues help me with a gratitude habit: keeping a small prayer book

by my bed and visiting a website (gratefulness.org) each day. Even if I do not open the

prayer book, seeing it reminds me to be thankful. Sitting at my desk as I begin work

cues me to go to the website and read their daily posts. These two cues–seeing the book

bedside and sitting at my desk–have helped me toward a habit of noticing gifts and

practicing gratitude.

Do you find yourself actively feeling gratitude throughout the day?

Practice:

Identify your gratitude cue, ideally something in your world that you see, smell, hear,

or touch first thing in the morning. The cue could be a token—like a small rock or a

picture—by your bedside. Or, set a morning gratitude reminder on your phone. The cue

could also be something you already do–like walking the dog or driving past a park on

your commute. When cued, remember what you are thankful for. A cue and this modest

routine can help integrate a habit of gratitude into your life.

• What are you grateful for right now?

Jot your cue in a small notebook or on your cell phone. Review the cue, frequently, and

make sure that whenever you see it, you remember gratitude. Keep going with the cue

and let “thank-you” grow into a natural habit.

Prayer:

Thank you for these days to consider gratitude, for new insights, and for hope. May I not

only feel grateful or occasionally act gratefully, but may I become a truly grateful person.