3 Ways to Kickstart Gratitude

 I confess it’s tough to sustain a steady sense of gratitude. The speed of life takes over and one’s focus on blessings, little and big, can be lost. Today, I want to share three voices that have helped me to refocus on “the good stuff.” These are not new but are my go-to gratitude kickstarters. 

The first is a video by cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg. Nature. Beauty. Gratitude is not only beautiful to watch, the narration by Benedictine Monk, Brother David Steindl-Rast, is a moving (secular) reminder to cherish the day.

The second is a Ted Talk by psychologist Shawn Achor. Happiness: The happy secret to better work posits that happy, grateful people are more successful at school, at work and in general. This talk is fascinating and Achor is very funny.

The third is a terrific article called Six Habits of Highly Grateful People. I found this on the University of California, Berkeley, Greater Good website (worth exploring - interesting for students and parents). The author shares links to many science-based “power of gratitude” projects and opens with this excellent definition:

Gratitude (and its sibling, appreciation) is the mental tool we use to remind ourselves of the good stuff. It’s a lens that helps us to see the things that don’t make it onto our lists of problems to be solved. It’s a spotlight that we shine on the people who give us the good things in life. It’s a bright red paintbrush we apply to otherwise-invisible blessings, like clean streets or health or enough food to eat.

I hope you enjoy these pieces as much as I did. Let's remember to get out our "bright red paintbrushes."