More Gratitude = More Happiness

What’s happened in your life today that you are grateful for? That’s a good question and you might be thinking, “Nothing, nothing at all. It’s just an average day.” Or maybe not – let’s take a closer look. Here’s an interesting quote by Steve Maraboli, “If you want to find happiness, find gratitude”. It’s been shown that as people become more grateful, they also become happier.

I was fortunate to be a trainer for Drs. Martin Seligman and Ben Dean. In that program we helped people worldwide to have more gratitude and happiness. We shared a method called the “Three Blessings Exercise” from Dr. Seligman’s book, Authentic Happiness. Here’s how that exercise goes. Each day you look for three things (blessings) for which you are grateful. At first, people might mention some of the big things like – I can see and feel and hear. These are definitely blessings, but sometimes we take them for granted until they are lost. The blessings exercise is also about the little things that maybe go unnoticed at times but are also very impactful. We were in the park and Doug mentioned that he was grateful for being able to lean against a very old and sturdy oak tree. In the distance we could hear the laughter of children playing and that’s always a pleasant sound. There were all kinds of birds singing, and some geese honking. These things might seem small but they contribute a lot to a feeling of gratitude and happiness.

Here are some ways to incorporate the Three Blessings Exercise. Each evening as you and your family ar gathered around the table, take time to talk about three blessings that happened to each of you that day. If you start doing that each day, something interesting happens. You wake up in the morning and you start thinking that you had better be watchful for blessings that are going to happen to you that day, so you can report back on those things that night. When you start focusing on positive things that are happening in your life, you have less time to focus on the negative.

Another way to do the Three Blessings Exercise is to write three blessings down at night before you go to bed. Research that shows that by doing this, you encourage having more pleasant dreams. That would be good! Also, you can share blessings with a friend or accountability partner so you both can feel the benefits of being more aware of the positives in your lives.

On a walk we met some people and asked them what contributes to their feelings of gratitude. Barb Voss and Kathy Riutta shared a few things that came to mind for them. Kathy mentioned being grateful that she is healthy and has Barb, as a neighbor, friend and walking partner. Kathy mentioned she is grateful for kids who are happy and doing well in college. Also, she enjoys that the weather is getting beautiful.

Barb is grateful for her faith and a wonderful job at her church, Westwood Community. She’s also grateful to be able to teach piano in her home. Both Barb and Kathy are grateful for healthy families and good relationships with their grown children.

We also met Mike Roberts, twenty-five year resident of Chanhassen, who shared that he is grateful for many things including mental and physical health, friends and family. He also enjoys sunshine, the lake and his two dogs. He obviously is a loving dog owner and he wants his dogs to have good lives.

In summary, today we spent time exploring gratitude, how it can contribute to happiness and ways to incorporate the Three Blessings Exercise. We talked to people who shared what they are grateful for. How about you? What are you grateful for?

Here’s a challenge: For thirty days, take time to really notice and be grateful for three things each day. Write down your three blessings. What did you learn and what was the impact on your life? We would love to hear from you. We wish you increased happiness through more awareness and gratitude for the many blessings in your life. We want you to know that we are grateful for you!

© Lynn Nodland 2017
Chanhassen residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are owners of The Balance Center. Doug and Lynn can be contacted at at WeCare@SharingLifeslessons.com