You’ve probably heard about the benefits of having a gratitude practice before: being happier, enhancing our positive emotions, and having better relationships, among them. 

Maybe you are even practicing gratitude already. If so, kudos to you!! 

But what if you could derive even more benefit from your gratitude practice?

I’ve been using Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map Planner for a couple of years now, and one of the best things about this planner is her awesome prompt for gratitude. It doesn’t simply ask what you are grateful for, but why!! 

Now I’ll be honest, I don’t always fill out my planner, so writing it down often isn’t the most consistent practice for me. If you talked me last year, I would have definitely told you I could benefit from practicing gratitude more regularly..

Back in December, Danielle was the guest mentor in my Life Coach mentoring program, which reminded me once again of this awesome practice.

I’ve been slowly building a new morning routine and that’s when I had a huge aha moment. 

What if I speak my gratitude out loud after my meditation?

So I tried it. And the results were profound. Maybe it is because I’m an actor and writer!  Regardless, speaking the words is truly magical for me as it gets me deeper into my heart and emotions. 

Whereas, I often found that writing down my gratitude would get a little repetitive, when I speak my gratitude, it is truly different and meaningful every day.

I begin by placing my hands on my heart and then I speak whatever comes to my mind. 

Sometimes my list of things I am grateful for is long and sometimes not so much. Sometimes what comes to me after I say “because” is incredibly simple and other days, it is a sweeping paragraph …

What doesn’t change is the power that it offers in connecting me to my body, heart, and spirit.

In this moment as I’m writing …

I’m grateful to my family because they ushered me into this world and gave me the framework from which my life and art begins. Without them I would be a completely different person and my presence has a unique impact on the world.

I am grateful for my body because it carries me through the world. It is resilient, strong and self-healing.

I am grateful for my ability to write because it allows me to step outside of my protective habit of needing to be in control and truly expand my edges.

Try out this practice and tell me what you’re grateful for in the comments below.

Much love,
Natalie