Create Your Gratitude List

Tips for making Gratitude a present condition and state of mind

Here's an exercise you should do at least twice a year ── get a sheet of paper and list all of the things for which you are grateful. This should be things, people, events, emotions, feelings, and thoughts that you are truly grateful for today.

If you write something in the past tense, edit it into the present tense. For instance, rather than being grateful for the great family vacation you had last year, write that you are grateful for the wonderful memories you have of that vacation and the deeper bonds and love between family members that abounds today as a result.

Likewise, instead of writing that you are grateful for the excellent advice of your mentors and teachers over the years, write that you are grateful for the opportunities you have today to put their advice and lessons to use.

Gratitude should be a present condition and state of mind. 

Too many people express gratitude in the past tense and then do not bring their gratitude with them into their experiences and interactions today. 

Being happy and thankful about past experiences is fine, but the fact is you live in the present and the chances of Living A Determined Life in the future are not great if you do not start with an abundance of gratitude today.

This should be a macro-level list, such as you are thankful for:

a)     having (name of person/s) in my life

b)     my specific talents in _______________ and being able to use these talents in pursuit of _______________

c)      my fitness level (if appropriate)

d)     my health status (if appropriate)

e)     my opportunities to contribute to the causes / community concerns that I am passionate about (list these)

f)       the challenges and opportunities given to me in my roles as mother/father, sister/brother, spouse, partner, grandparent, etc.

g)     my desire and willingness to start Living A Determined Life

Your gratitude list should be at least ten items long. 

If you cannot find ten macro-level things you are grateful for, come back to this exercise after you have read and contemplated chapters 5-9 of Project You: Living A Determined Life. 

A re-reading and internalization of the two previous blog posts on attitude may also help. 

We wrote earlier about making 2016 Your Personal Year of Gratitude. Knowing what you are grateful for, and ensuring that these are written in the present tense, will help you achieve this goal. 

Kindly share other ideas you have for creating Gratitude Lists in the comments below, as we'll be most grateful! 

This article is partially excerpted from the Amazon best-selling book Project You: Living A Determined Life. Get your copy today in paperback or Kindle formats at Amazon.