4 Ways To Be Grateful In A Powerful Way

Key Takeaways

• Take gratefulness to the next level.
• Never take anything for anyone does for you for granted because they always have a choice.
• Acknowledge people’s efforts even if you don’t like the outcome because they tried.
• Don’t just be grateful in general. Be grateful in specifics.
• Be grateful for the challenges you face because they give you an opportunity to be better, stronger, and more authentic.

Next level gratefulness

Being more grateful creates more joy in your and other people's lives. Gratefulness is not just about telling yourself that you are grateful for your life, food, relationships, and job you have. That’s easy.

Here are 4 ways you can take gratefulness to the next level.

1. Never take what others do for granted.

I once told my mother that she had to pay for my school because that was her duty as my mother. She answered “It’s my job to give education, but I don’t have to pay for quality education. I have the responsibility to give you a roof, but not to give you your own room. I must feed you, but I don’t have to serve tasty food.” From that day onwards I learned to appreciate everything she did for me.

Don’t take for granted what people do for you: your spouse’s cooking and cleaning, growth opportunities given to you by your boss, and experiences provided by parents. Acknowledge each meal, each laundry, each new assignment, each vacation, and each gift.

And gently remind others to not take your actions for granted either.

2. Acknowledge people’s efforts even if you don’t like the outcome.

I used to take partner dance classes, and there were twice as many women as men. Many of the guys were beginners. One of the guys revealed to me that the other women said he was a bad dancer and had no patience with him.

This infuriated me. We had very few men and the women still treated them poorly and didn’t acknowledge their presence and effort to improve. The men stopped showing up and they closed the dance class.

If an employee is putting effort into a project but is still struggling, if a colleague demonstrates effort to help you but fails, if a loved one is putting effort to change behavior but is having setbacks, acknowledge their efforts instead of judging them. And then offer to help them.

3. Don’t just be grateful in general. Be grateful in specifics. 

Express gratefulness in specific terms, for example. “I noticed you’ve been engaging your colleagues into discussions. I appreciate your leadership. It makes my job a lot easier.” Or “I am grateful for sleeping safely.”

4. Be grateful for the challenges you face even if they feel unfair. 

My greatest challenge in my teens and 20s was to overcome my extreme social aversion and social awkwardness. I walked looking at the floor because I couldn’t stand making eye contact. I dreaded raising my hand in class. I lived in the shadows.

It took me about a decade of deliberately putting myself in uncomfortable situations like public speaking, networking, and taking on leadership roles to overcome it.

It was in the long journey of overcoming that I found myself and had some of the most memorable experiences in my life like traveling the world, going to international dance conferences, and living abroad.

Recognize that it is in your journey of overcoming that you will find yourself and encounter some of the most insightful moments in your life. Therefore, be grateful for those challenges as opportunities for discovery, positive change, and significance.

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” – Eckhart Tolle