Thank You 33000 followers - Your thoughtfulness is a gift I will always treasure

Today I celebrate the joy of being followed by 33000 people all over the world and that is why I would love to share with You some amazing gratitude exercises for fostering gratefulness, suggested by Marelina Fabrega and Tchiki Davis

1. Morning coffee gratitude

Begin the day thinking of all the things you are grateful for.

If you think you won’t find the time, or that you will simply forget, perhaps you can tie your gratitude practice with your first cup of coffee in the morning. To develop a sense of gratitude, begin by reflecting on what you’re thankful for in regards to your coffee routine. Notice and appreciate:

• The warmth and texture of the cup
• The smell of the coffee
• Tasting the first sip of coffee
• Embracing the beautiful morning
• Celebrate a new day
• Take pleasure in the peace and quiet before the day officially begins.

2. Grace before meals

Give thanks for your food, and all the work that was necessary in order for you to be able to eat it. Pause before you begin to eat, and be mindful.

3. Things you take for granted

This exercise involves picturing what it would be like to lose some of the things that you take for granted – such as your senses, your home, and so on. Then, imagine that you get these things back and think about how grateful you would be for each of these things.

4. Put things in perspective

Use gratitude to deal with challenges such as failure, a setback, or some other sort of difficulty. Remind yourself that even difficulties present us with things of benefit – so, when dealing with adversity, consider the positives: e.g. is there something good in this situation? Can you learn something?

5. Gratitude charm bracelet

Buy a charm bracelet and choose charms or trinkets that are meaningful to you personally and that can serve as a reminder of something you are thankful for – for example, you may select a heart to symbolize your romantic relationship. Then, every time that you notice your bracelet, you can be reminded of those things you are grateful for.

6. Gratitude stroll

Go for a walk, and set yourself the task of finding how many positive things that you can notice.

7. Gratitude trigger

Use an object that can serve as a reminder to feel grateful when you see it – for example, you could put a small sign next to your desk that says “thank you”, or perhaps you can put a ‘welcome’ doormat at the front-door to remind you to be thankful of your home.

8. Gratitude partner

Spend time with another person sharing what both of you are grateful for – you can both feed off each other’s ideas, and if you know one another well you can even remind each other of things that you may have forgotten!

9. The ‘rampage’ of appreciation

This is an exercise about noticing positive feelings. Look around you, and find something that pleases you. Then, focus your attention on the object, and think about its’ positive qualities. The more you think about it, the more that positive feelings will increase. Then, notice that shift in your feelings and appreciate it. Once you begin to really experience the good feeling, choose another pleasing object in your environment to pay attention to.

10. Through the eyes of another

Occasionally, we begin taking the good things in our life for granted. Choose to try and see things, people, and places that you love in the way that another person would see them. Look at the ordinary aspects of your life through the eyes of another, and re-discover your appreciation for these things.

11. Gratitude for objects and tools

Spend some time considering all the various gadgets, devices and appliances you have that make life easier and more enjoyable. Take a moment to appreciate these things in your home and feel grateful for all the people who made it possible to have these things that make life so much more convenient.

12. Thankful tree

More so an appropriate activity for the Thanksgiving/Christmas season, this involves each person choosing a paper leaf, and writing something on it that they’re grateful for. Then, the colored paper leaves are hung from some tree branches.

13. Four questions

In order to reflect on the things that you’re grateful for, ask yourself these questions at the end of the day:

• What touched me today?
• Who, or what, inspired me today?
• What made me smile today?
• What’s the best thing that happened today?

 14. Gratitude lookout

Choose a particular day on which you’re actively going to notice people you can thank. Keep an eye out for things that others do on that day that are kind, helpful, or considerate…don’t be afraid to use ‘thank you’!

15. Gratitude inventory

Write a list of 100 things that you are grateful for. If you wish, you can distinguish between different categories – assets, people, experiences, for example.

16. 365 Thank you notes

This activity is not for the faint-hearted! It involves setting about to write one thank you note for each day of the year. You will need to be on the lookout for people you can thank…your child’s preschool teacher, the cashier at your local grocer, the post-man…

17. Going around the table

This activity is great for group/family dinners. Set the table, and put an index card and pen at each place setting. Then, each person writes the name of the person sitting to their left at the top of the card, and then writes something about that person for which they are thankful. Then, the card is passed to the right and that person can then continue the list on the index card. Every card will eventually get back to the person that the list was for. After the activity, read the ‘thank yous’ aloud.

18. Appreciation chair

Choose one chair to be the ‘appreciation chair’. In turn, each person sits in the appreciation chair and everyone tells that person why they appreciate them and to express gratitude – for example, for kindness the person in the appreciation chair has showed, or help that they have given.

19. Ungrateful thought

Notice one ungrateful thought each day to choose to transform into a grateful one…e.g. “what a rotten day at work, so stressful! I hate my job” could be transformed to “I am tired at the end of this day but I feel lucky to have my job that pays the bills”.

20. Gratitude notes

Write one or two things that you appreciate about people who you are thankful for on sticky notes, and stick the note on their desk, on their car, or on their bag.

21. Gratitude letter

Write a letter to someone describing how thankful you are for someone who did something special for you. Explain how it made you feel and how grateful you are (n.b. this was explored previously in the article! Plus, a sample letter is provided!).

22. Track 3 good things

Every day, note down three good things about the day. As the week comes to an end, look at your list to remember that you have a lot to be thankful for.

23. Gratitude drawing

Create a picture of the people and things that you are most grateful for. Display it, such as put it on the fridge, which will help you recall what you’re grateful for and be encouraged to continue practicing gratitude.

Be grateful for everything that You own and You do not own and thank Lord God every minute that You and the loved ones are healthy, that Your life is blessed with so many miracles and life cannot be lived without God.

Nihil sine Deo - Nothing without God

Humbly Yours,

Zoltan Stefan BRASOVEANU