Expressing Gratitude and Showing Appreciation
A Personal Growth Plan Should Include Gratefulness to Find Happiness
Sep 6, 2009
Why should expressing gratitude and appreciation occupy a personal growth week? Positive psychology studies find that grateful and appreciative people are happier and healthier than those who are less inclined to express gratitude and show appreciation.
For those readers following the Sample Personal Development Program, the focus of personal growth activities this week (week #11) turns attention to gratitude and appreciation.
Positive Psychology Research Findings
Dr. Alex Wood, a postgraduate researcher in the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, defines gratitude as "...a life orientation towards noticing and appreciating the positive in the world. As such, gratitude is an integral part of well-being."
Expressing gratitude is not only about the big events of life, but also being appreciative of even the smallest aspects of daily living. As Buddha advised, "Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."
Albert Schweitzer points out the need to be grateful for the help that others have given, "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us."
Being thankful for those things most people take for granted establishes an attitude of gratitude and leads to greater happiness and well-being.
University of California Davis psychology professor Robert Emmons indicates that "Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors." His research finds that grateful people tend to be more optimistic, a characteristic that boosts the immune system.
Dr. Sandra Lyubomirsky's study of gratitude found that those following a regular practice of gratitude interventions were happier than a control group simply recording daily activities, indicating that intentional gratitude correlated with being happier.
Tips for Showing Appreciation and Expressing Gratitude
Incorporate these tips from positive psychology into daily activities to experience greater happiness and personal growth.
- The Gratitude Letter – Write to someone who has positively influenced your life. Describe the impact this person has made on your life and explain what this person's contributions have meant to you. This activity is most powerful when you deliver the letter in person and remain while the person reads it, generally leading to very positive, emotional interactions.
- Three Good Things – At the end of each day and just before retiring for the night, think of three good things that have happened to you that day, things for which you are grateful. These need not be events of major impact, but can be any of the simple, repetitive events that are often taken for granted. Examples might be: having a job, loving someone, enjoying a routine meal, or reading a funny story.
- Savor – Practice the art of savoring each positive thing in your life, beginning with today's three good things. Bring forth the positive feelings associated with each of the three good things, one at a time. Let the feelings linger, much as you might hold a bite of delicious food on your tongue, allowing the taste to linger while you relish it.
More Tools of Happiness, Gratitude and Appreciation
Use these tools of showing gratitude and appreciation to find happiness.
- The Best You – Think about a time when you were at your best. This would be a time that was very satisfying to you, perhaps filling you with pride at something you accomplished. Write about what you did and how you felt. Identify the characteristics you demonstrated at that time. These might be things such as creativity, honesty, humor, insight, or compassion.
- Notice Your Strengths – Identify your special and unique abilities, often called signature strengths. These are the skills and abilities you have which you enjoy using and which normally yield excellent results. Intentionally find a way to utilize one or more of your strengths in a new way.
- Three Questions – At the end of the day, ask these three questions: What have you learned? What has energized you? What has inspired you?
Personal Growth with Gratitude and Appreciation
Devote a portion of your personal growth plan to habituating your dedication to expressing gratitude and showing appreciation. Notice that these activities lift your spirits and improve your attitude.
Source:
- "The How, What, When, and Why of Happiness," International Positive Psychology Association quarterly Leader's Series, December 10, 2008.
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