"Practicing Gratefulness Isn't Just A Cliche"

Gratitude has been in vogue lately. The benefits of gratitude are espoused by legitimate psychologists and charlatans alike. Swanky book stores carry gratitude journals. It's safe to say there is a lot of hype around practicing gratitude.

It is easy to be cynical about something that we hear parroted time and time again. You must have been completely unplugged from the world to not hear something about the benefits of practicing gratitude in the last few years. But just because something is cliched, doesn't mean it's not true. I think that the meme-level status of gratitude is actually an artifact of its success; people have gleaned real benefits from being grateful for the little things in their lives.

The act of practicing gratitude feels good. Counting a few of your blessings can give you the boost you need to push through a difficult time in your life. Also, it can help realign your perspective into a more realistic worldview. After all, we have it pretty good most of the time, especially if you are from the West.

For example, you have the option to eat a more diverse diet than any human has in the past. Our world enjoys the benefits of vaccines, sterilization, and other countless miracles of modern medicine. While poverty still exists, the living conditions of the lower-tiers of society have improved drastically. You probably own a computer that fits in your pocket. Digitization of information allows you to read about rocket science, computer programming, and the Kardashians without ever leaving your bed. What a time to be alive!

Coupled with the upward trends mentioned above (minus the rise of the Kardashians), you have little things in your life to be grateful for too. The hug your son gave you before work. The coffee you drank on break. The surprise and joy you felt when your sister decided to call you out of the blue. Life's little blessings are innumerable, once you train yourself to look for them.

Take five minutes today to practice gratitude. Write down the things you can be grateful for in this moment. Leave them in a comment below, and we can discuss practicing gratitude together.