The Power of Gratitude: 9 Tools We Can Use to Harness It!

I have long been a fan of Aesop’s fables, so when I decided to write a blog post on the power of gratitude, there was one fable I knew I needed to share with you guys.  The fable is called Androcles and the Grateful Lion and it goes like this:

“A slave named Androcles once escaped from his master and fled to the forest. As he was wandering about there he came upon a lion lying down moaning and groaning. At first, he turned to flee, but finding that the lion did not pursue him, he turned back and went up to him. As he came near, the lion put out his paw, which was all swollen and bleeding, and Androcles found that a huge thorn had got into it, and was causing all the pain. He pulled out the thorn and bound up the paw of the lion, who was soon able to rise and lick the hand of Androcles like a dog. Then the lion took Androcles to his cave, and every day used to bring him meat from which to live.

 But shortly afterwards both Androcles and the lion were captured, and the slave was sentenced to be thrown to the lion, after the latter had been kept without food for several days.

 The emperor and all his court came to see the spectacle, and Androcles was led out into the middle of the arena. Soon the lion was let loose from his den, and rushed bounding and roaring towards his victim. But as soon as he came near to Androcles he recognized his friend, and fawned upon him, and licked his hands like a friendly dog.

 The emperor, surprised at this, summoned Androcles to him, who told him the whole story. Whereupon the slave was pardoned and freed, and the lion let loose to his native forest.” ²

The Importance of Experiencing the Power of Gratitude Both Cognitively and Physiologically

While the story above certainly teaches us that gratitude is the sign of a noble soul it also teaches us something else. It teaches us the power of gratitude and reminds us that it is easy to be grateful during our happy times but important to remember the people and things we are grateful for in our day to day struggles.

In his great book, Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life, author Dave Asprey compares building gratitude to the way we build muscle in the gym in that we need to exercise it every day.

Asprey discusses the work of UJ Ramdas, a behavioral change specialist and an entrepreneur who has a background in cognitive science. He discusses Ramdas thoughts on how to cultivate habits that foster the habit of gratitude in your life:

“UJ suggests that you must experience gratitude both cognitively and physiologically in order for it to be effective, meaning you have to think it and feel it. When those two elements connect, you can reshape your thinking in a powerful way.” ¹

For years Ramdas had a nightly ritual where he went through the events of the day to give thanks for all he had been given. One day, however, he looked more closely at the science and found that the effect of the power of gratitude was more powerful in the morning. So, he began to ask himself three questions upon waking: (1) What am I grateful for? (2) What can I do to make today great and (3) What type of person do I want to be today?

Asprey explained the strategy behind the 3 questions:

“UJ says that answering these questions first thing in the morning allowed him to take advantage of the primacy effect, the idea that doing something as soon as you wake up has a disproportionate effect on your entire day. The second and third questions prime the brain to anticipate positive actions and results, which boosts feelings of gratitude.” ¹

Let’s now take a look at 9 more things that Asprey recommends that we can do to harness the power of gratitude in our lives!

9 Tools to Harness the Power of Gratitude

(1)  Keeping a gratitude journal

This is one that we have discussed previously on the blog and it simply involves taking time each day to write down things that we are grateful for. You can write down three things you are grateful for in the morning and three more in the evening. If that’s too much, simply pick either the morning or the evening.

(2)  Practicing mindfulness and simple meditation

As Asprey advises:

“Slow your life down. If you find that you’re rushing to get to work, notice it and relax. Being a few minutes late won’t kill you. Next time you go up the stairs, pay attention to every step. Look at the trees and flowers and the grass growing through cracks in the pavement when you go take a walk. Literally stop to smell the roses. There’s tremendous beauty all around us, and most of us blow right by it on the way to the next goal or obligation.” ¹

In other words, take some time to just be present.  And if you want to really take it to the next level, you may want to engage in simple meditation every day.

(3)  Rethinking a negative situation

If you think about it, situations or events are neither good or bad – they are neutral.  It is how we perceive them which makes them good or bad.  As Asprey so aptly recommends: “Find the silver lining in everything. Often the silver lining is that each hardship makes you learn something new or become a stronger or more resilient human being. Don’t force yourself to feel a certain way if you’re not ready. This isn’t about being happy and positive all the time. Some situations suck, and it’s important to feel your negative emotions. Just get into the habit of finding positives as well.” ¹

This reminds me of a great short video by former Navy SEAL Commander Jocko Willink that you may want to check out… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdTMDpizis8

(4)  Being an active appreciator

The concept of being an active appreciator brings the power of gratitude to your life in real-time. The idea is to see if you can identify opportunities to be grateful throughout your day.  This can be a really useful practice if you happen to be having a crappy day or finding yourself focused on negative emotions.

This does not mean that you are lying to yourself or overlooking things but rather looking for things in your life that you legitimately are appreciative for.

(5)  Use a gratitude jar

This is a cool one that you can do by yourself or with your family. All you have to do is get a large jar or fishbowl and every day write down something you are grateful for and throw it in the jar. As the jar fills up it will give you a physical reminder of all the stuff you are grateful for!

(6)  Involve your loved ones in practicing gratitude

One of my best friends and his wife practice this with their little girls on a daily basis. At dinner time they go around the table and everyone shares what they are grateful for that day. Taking the time to look back on the day with gratitude can have really powerful benefits.

(7)  Go for a gratitude walk

One that I practice personally at least once a week is what Asprey calls taking a gratitude walk which he explains in the book:

“Go for a walk (bonus points if you get some sunshine at the same time), and pay close attention to everything you see and experience. Notice all the beauty, the feeling of each step in the soles of your feet. This will calm your mind and foster gratitude. Focus on the feeling that gratitude creates in your body, and enjoy it.” ¹

(8)  Write a thank-you note

The act of writing a thank you note involves taking some time to send some gratitude to a person who has touched your life in a big or small manner.

(9)  Make a habit of combining forgiveness and gratitude

The last of our tools to harness the power of gratitude is to combine it with forgiveness. As Asprey advises:

“You can carry around a lot of stress—even unconsciously—from anger and hurt. To practice a combination of gratitude and forgiveness, write down something that has hurt you, or maybe just acknowledge some of your anger or pain. Feel the negative emotion, think of a way the situation that caused it benefited you or shaped you into who you are today, and let go of the negativity.” ¹

As I End This Blog Post, I Feel A Lot Like the Grateful Lion in the Introduction…

I am grateful to you for taking the time to read my blog post today.

But DON’T worry, unlike the Grateful Lion who showed Androcles his gratitude by licking his hands, I will do no such thing to you!

Instead, I will simply say “thank you for reading” and ask you to take a moment to share one thing (or more if you like) that you are grateful for in the comments below!

Until next time, embrace the power of gratitude and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

Use it Or Lose It

The 9 tools to harness the power of gratitude that we discussed are:

(1)  Keeping a gratitude journal.
(2)  Practicing mindfulness and simple meditation.
(3)  Rethinking a negative situation.
(4)  Being an active appreciator.
(5)  Use a gratitude jar.
(6)   Involve your loved ones in practicing gratitude.
(7)  Go for a gratitude walk.
(8)  Write a thank-you note.
(9)  Make a habit of combining forgiveness and gratitude

When to Use It

Use the power of gratitude every day in your life!

What Do You Think?

What do you think of thee 9 tools to harness the power of gratitude? Do you have any other tools that you use to harness the power of gratitude? Please share them in the comments below!

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References

¹ Game Changers: What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life by Dave Asprey

² Androcles and the Lion by Aesop