Show Everyone That It’s Not Just the Big Five

Whenever I ask people, “What are you grateful for?” without any other direction almost everyone says the same thing. I call these the big five: Being alive, Family, Health, Friends, God. It reminds me of going around the table at Thanksgiving sharing our gratitude and everyone saying basically the same thing. This phenomenon happens because many of us tend to translate, “What are you grateful for?” to “What are you MOST grateful for?”. But there is little practice in a list of what we are most grateful for because those never change. Your list might not be the big five I listed above but whatever your big five is, those stay pretty constant. So this Thanksgiving, show off your advanced gratitude skills but sharing gratitude for the smallest of things. Maybe it is something you barely noticed or something that seems unimportant. These things are wonders waiting to be celebrated.

 

It could be silly like this St. Bernard made of cheese or something you see every day, like the sky. It could be something you never stop doing, like breathing. So this week, translate, “What are you grateful for?” to “What tiny seemingly unimportant thing are you grateful for?”. You will surprise yourself and others with the unexpected gratitude that emerges.

 

Here are some gratitude questions that are good at helping people find gratitude for the simple things. You can ask others these questions or better yet, just answer the question, “What are you grateful for?” with one of these answers instead. It will inspire others to think of their gratitude in a whole new way.

• What are you grateful to see/smell/hear/taste/feel in this moment?
• Look at the palms of your hands. What are you grateful for about your hands?
• What tiny little thing are you grateful you noticed today?
• What are you grateful for about something you are wearing right now?
• Think about the last song you heard. What are you grateful for about it?
• What are you grateful for about a piece of technology you use every day?
• What are you grateful to know?
• What is the last thing you ate? What are you grateful for about that?
• Think of someone you love. What is one thing they did recently that you are grateful for?

 

Happy Thanksgiving. Wishing you lots of unexpected gratitude for the simplest of things in your life!

 

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
~Robert Brault

What tiny seemingly unimportant thing are you grateful for?

LEARNING: These unexpected gratitude nudges have been great. It is so helpful to have a little direction to look when contemplating gratitude. Times like these I really understand the value of the gratitude services I offer.

FORGOTTEN GRATITUDE: Last week I was also grateful for a beautiful exploration of wonder and the validation I felt … The tiniest wooden salt scooper, why does it bring me so much joy?

  

 

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[su_note note_color=”#e7e7e7″ text_color=”#686767″ radius=”0″] My gratitude journey started in May 2011 and continues to this day. Thank you for being a part of it! A daily gratitude practice is simple. Write down three things you are grateful for each day. Download your free GratitudeGuide. My clients focus on gratitude and learn from their successes to make the positive changes they want in their lives. You can too. Call me to set up our first meeting 505.333.9336. [/su_note]