7 Easy Ways To Become More Grateful This Year

As we get further into 2018, it’s important that we still try to have conversations about gratitude. This isn’t something you just have to reflect on at the end of the year. Being grateful can help you throughout any season. But why is it so important?

You become more content with life when you are more grateful. I personally love having conversations with others about things we’re thankful for and the journey we’ve been on. This gratefulness gives me motivation and passion to continue to take steps forward. Being grateful is powerful in so many ways.

Today, we’re sharing seven easy ways for you to become more grateful this year in your own life. What’s great about these is you can start immediately with what you have and where you are. These are small, practical steps that we hope will inspire some more gratefulness in you.

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1. Make A Visual Gratitude Marker

One way to easily incorporate more gratitude into your life is to create a visual reminder of it. You could create a happy jar, with a note from each day of the year, or even a thankful wall or a thankful tree. Pinterest will be your source of inspiration here. There are so many creative ideas.

The best part about these ideas is how personal they are. This will be your creation and it won’t be expensive either. You’ll probably have most of the materials you need at home or at your local store. Looking at this marker will be a daily reminder to discuss it with your family. You can share your highlights from the day and add something new to your gratitude marker each evening.

2. Get Into The Habit Of Being More Grateful

At this point you might be worried that you don’t have time to add something to your gratitude marker each day, or you might forget. So make it a habit. Set a reminder in your planner. Or make it something you do while you’re having dinner. If being more grateful is something you’re serious about doing, try to make it a habit.

3. Share Your Gratitude With Others

Something really great to be thankful for on a daily basis is people. Who has helped you? Who has inspired you? Can you let them know? When you write down someone you’re grateful for, make a note to go and tell them this too. A simple “thank you” really can go a long way.

4. Write It Down

This is by far the most effective and most powerful way to be more grateful, because it cements things in your brain. You remember.

But there’s something even better about this method. Let’s say you’ve had a really tough day and you can’t think of anything to add to your gratitude marker. You can look back through your notes of gratitude when you’re going through a difficult season and allow it to inspire you. You don’t need to invest in a fancy journal. Just pick a notebook you have lying around and get started.

5. Spend More Time Doing What You’re Grateful For

It’s simple, really. If you want to become more grateful and you want gratefulness to have a positive effect on your life, intentionally do more of what you’re grateful for.

If you note down that you went for a walk at lunchtime, or you had a phone-free evening, or you spent the morning reading a chapter of your favorite book and it made you feel good, do more of that. Your notes on gratefulness should act as a reminder for you to pay attention to what’s most important to you. So go out for a walk as often as you can. Make a point to put down your phone more and enjoy those moments around you. Spend some time by yourself in the morning. You are in control of your own life.

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6. Listen To Yourself More

Something I want to do less of this year is complain without a solution. Can you relate? It happens to all of us.

If you complain just because you feel like there’s nothing else you can do, it ends up decreasing your productivity, and you start to feed off those negative thoughts.

Did someone annoy you today? What can you do to prevent it happening again? If you got frustated at the traffic, why not try a different route to work? Instead of feeling like there’s no way out, look at things logically from a positive perspective, and create your own opportunities.

Negativity can be a real problem for all of us. Instead, by training your mind to recognise gratitude, this will have such a positive effect on your heart and the hearts of others too.

7. Leave Gratitude Reminders Everywhere

In other words, surround yourself with gratitude. Make it a part of your life. This could mean filling your home with photos of your family and friends. Making recipes that remind you how thankful you are for your life. Playing music when you need a reminder. Do what makes you happy and do what makes you feel that gratefulness in every bone of your body.

A grateful heart is the foundation for everything. Try it and see what happens.

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