How to Start Your Gratitude Practice

In this episode, you’ll hear about why starting a gratitude practice is so important and three ways to do it!

When I was obsessed with my career, I was consumed by thoughts of “If I had more money then I’ll have everything I want”.

Then I got a promotion, and started making more money. But, guess what? The cycle only continued. I needed MORE money so I could live in a better house and drive a better car, etc. Honestly, the list never ended.

Does this sound familiar?

It happens to all of us. But thankfully, we can get off the hamster wheel of always wanting more. And the best way to do that is through gratitude.

And in this episode, I’m breaking down why having a gratitude practice is so important, and three ways you can start your own.

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Why is gratitude important?

Scrolling on social media can bring out the self-comparison in all of us. Think about all the times you’ve scrolled through Instagram to see pics of people traveling all over the world. Then the inevitable wave of envy washes over and you look around to see all the reasons you can’t travel like that.

Or even when you’re watching T.V. or reading a magazine, you constantly see advertisements telling you to buy more and travel more and just… get more.

Messages telling us that we don’t have enough and that we aren’t enough are all around us. So it makes sense that we struggle with always wanting more and never thinking we have enough.

I believe in gratitude so much that I hope you’ll want to turn it into a habit. If you do, it’ll totally change your life for the better. But, starting a new habit is hard, so if you need a “habit accountability partner” I gotchu! Download my FREE habit tracker to turn healthy routines into habits that stick.

In it, you can list what you’re grateful for and WHY you’re grateful for it. That way you can really feel the effects of your gratitude practice.

how do you beat the envy?

Creating a gratitude practice that sticks is the BEST way to get out of that feeling of lack.

But there are a few important things to remember:

• The goal is to make your practice a habit and not a to-do
• You need to practice this habit until it becomes second nature

If you can make a gratitude practice that sticks that truly reminds you of all you DO have, you can finally get off the hamster wheel of longing for more.

So, are you stuck in the Rat Race?

Here’s something important to remember:

There’s always someone with more than you, so always chasing the latest trends is a rat race. If you keep chasing for more, you’ll never have enough. You’ll never get to a point where you feel like you have the most updated tech, or the latest look, or anything else.

Once you let go of the rat race, it’s so much easier!

And honestly, once I stopped trying to keep up, that’s when I became grateful for the simple fact that I’m NOT keeping up. It really builds your confidence!

It’s a practice and a muscle

The key to making gratitude work is turning it into a habit. And here’s some food for thought, the majority of our lives are made up habits.

This also is true for your thoughts and mindset. If you’re always looking for what’s wrong in your life, then that’s all you’ll see.

The same is true with your gratitude practice. Once you consciously think of all the things you have and all the things going right for you, it becomes what you see over and over.

My 3 tips to implement gratitude into your routine

These habits make sure I’m staying grateful for all that I have in my life. I truly believe if you stick with doing these, you’ll start to see all the good in your life.

But here’s the thing.. you have to do it CONSISTENTLY to work!

1) Gratitude Journal

What do people get wrong with their gratitude journal? They aren’t getting specific enough!

People will abandon their gratitude journal pretty quickly. They give up because they’re listing broad, off the top of their head things.

So, how do you actually make it stick? List one thing each day and 5 specific reasons why.

I go way more in detail in my post “How to Start a Gratitude Journal that Actually Works”

Definitely make sure to check that out so you can use an effective journal for your gratitude practice.

2) Review what you’re grateful for when you wake up

Ok, so I know you’ve heard the phrase, “Woke up on the wrong side of the bed”. And after a few times of waking up late and running out the door, I’ve felt that before.

But having the first thought that comes into your mind about gratitude instead of your to-do list can be the easiest way to make sure you always wake up on the right side of the bed.

I’m obsessed with my morning routine, and adding reading my gratitude journal from the night before has been such a great addition.

You can read more about my morning routine here.

3) Remember to be grateful in the bad situations

I know. This is the hardest to do! It’s simple, but it’s not easy.

Here’s the thing, though. We don’t have control of the events that happen in our lives, but we do have control over our reactions to them.

So when something happens that isn’t in your favor, take some time to think about all the things you’re grateful for from it.

Maybe that could be the lesson you learned, or how you’re thankful it didn’t get as bad as it could have.

Not only does this help you stay in a positive mindset, but this can be a great way to calm yourself down when something happens that makes you angry or upset.

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HOW WILL YOU PRACTICE GRATITUDE?

Now I want to hear from you! What does your gratitude practice look like? Or are you adding any of these tips into your daily routine? Let me know in the comments below!

xo,

Monica

P.S. If you liked this post, then you’ll love this. And make sure to sign up for email updates by filling out the form below. You’ll get my free 7 day healthy habit challenge. I’ll also let you know when I post new tips and tricks and hear stories from me that I don’t share anywhere else.