Banner photo credit: Prasad Jadhav @prasadjadhav

Do you ever feel that it is challenging to do your gratitude practices? You are not alone.

In Alison Ledgerwood’s TEDx Talk, she shares her research that shows our brains find a “loss frame” to be way more sticky than a “gain frame.” This means that for us to get good at gratitude, we need to consciously invest time and energy into creating that habit.

Ways to Make Gratitude A Part of Your Life

1. Gratitude partners. Get a few friends to share your gratitudes with on a daily basis. Read this Gratitude Partners article for details and then make it happen.

2. Slogan work. Post the slogan, “Live with an attitude of gratitude,” in places where you will see it and make a point of reading it several times throughout your day and giving thanks for all that is well, beautiful, successful, and skillful in your life and the lives of others.

3. Create set times to be thankful throughout your day. Create set times throughout your day when you will give thanks. Possible times include:

   • As soon as you wake up every morning.

   • Before meals.

   • After completing, or making good progress on, a task or project.

   • Before and/or after spending times with friends or relatives.

   • Whenever enjoying the beauty of nature.

   • Before going to sleep at night.

   • When celebrating your or another person’s successes.

4. Aim to give thanks 10 to 20 times a day. A few of the fruits of gratitude practice include: more joy, energy, creativity, and open-heartedness. If you can give thanks 10 to 20 times a day, you will notice these fruits in your life. if you can give thanks 10 or more times a day for three weeks straight, you will have done the work necessary to make the habit of gratitude a part of your life. Then you will enjoy the fruits of the practice for the rest of your life.