Easy to be Grateful
The benefits of being grateful seem to be on par with exercising and eating correctly. The most basically good-for-you tasks have the best results. They belong to a group of beliefs that we are well aware of but don’t always incorporate into our daily lives. It is a very counter-intuitive thought. A mind mystery. I was thinking that if I could determine an even easier way to be grateful regularly, I would get more benefit. There are endless ways to keep track of gratefulness. I have journaled my daily gratefulness, I have said my thanks out loud, and I even share an intentional practice of creating gratefulness by day’s end as a part of my coaching work. Yet, there is an even more assessable method to use every day all day long.
Gratefully thanked
We tend to use the words “thank you” quite a bit in daily conversation. It can be used for really giving thanks, as an exclamation and even as a way of ending a conversation. It is a safe and reliable way to be polite. Thank you is on display in retail stores, on cards and is spoken back and forth in families in polite conversation while passing the potatoes. It is very all-purpose. We even celebrate thankfulness every fall with a food spread that includes traditional favorites and football. We have a lot to be grateful for and being with friends and family makes it easier to remember where we came from and what to be really thankful for. But research states that the more we demonstrate our gratefulness, the more we are positively affected.
Just say it
As easily as thank you rolls off our tongues, it doesn’t always convey real thanks. It is nice to be polite and if you could tally how many times you have spoken those words, it would be millions. But there is a way to give that moment some new meaning and be more grateful at the same time. It’s time to substitute the words “I’m grateful” for the usual thanks. It is an easy substitute that just requires a little change in habit. I’m not saying that changing a habit that is this ingrained will be easy. But focusing on changing our wording will accomplish more than one great task. The first change is our focus. Whenever we have to think about something and want to make a change, it requires a little intention. We must get acclimated to stopping the automatic reply and substitute our new expression. We exercise our brains.
I am Grateful
A couple of things happen simultaneously when you start to say I’m grateful instead of thank-you. First, people notice. You have broken the default rule of ending interactions and that takes adjustment. Second, you will feel differently. By using language that better expresses a true thought, you have a bigger impact. The recipient will probably notice and look at you. That subtle pause will provide a chance for a quick interaction. We could all use more of that. Third, in the actual saying of those words, you are teaching your brain what you appreciate. Our minds look out for us and can find more of what we like when we give it clues. The best result of starting to substitute I am grateful or just I’m grateful will put the world on notice that we understand the beauty of what we are being given. We can produce feelings of appreciation and kindness in brand new ways. I am going to start right now with my new wording. I can’t wait to see what it produces in the world. By the way, I’m grateful for you.
Can you start saying I’m grateful to see what it provides? What other automatic sayings need updating? What will being more grateful bring to your life?
