The Four Tenants of Gratitude
If gratitude journals are not your thing, feel too impractical or don't fit in to your lifestyle. This tool is an alternative look at how to practice gratitude throughout your day through the incorporation of four tenants:
- Attention
- Awareness
- Absorption
- Expression
Practice
Think about something this week that you are grateful for. It might be something that went your way, someone that showed up for you, or it could be something as simple as having time to yourself, participating in a hobby, or feeling content. How did you feel:
- Mentally
- Emotionally
- Physically
Practicing gratitude requires attention, awareness, absorption, and expression (either internally or externally). Thinking about this experience, how ‘plugged-in’ were you to the experience?
What is one thing you could think of that takes away from your gratitude?
Plan
Think about something coming up this week where you could practice gratitude. How would you like to incorporate the tenants of gratitude into the experience:
- Attention
- Awareness
- Absorption
- Expression
Tips on How to Incorporate Gratitude
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Make it a ritual - gratitude list each morning, take yourself back to your experience, write it down, take a picture of it, or find a token that makes you think of it.
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Be open to the small things that make your world a better place. Pause to take notice of small things that make you feel good.
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Be social with it! Thank people, tell them you appreciate them, in a way that is authentic to you. A little goes a long way. Our relationships with others are the greatest determinant of our happiness, and often it inspires others to do the same.
