How to Live in the Land of Enough - Gratitude

Life moves so quickly, that sometimes we forget to say thank you or even forget to be thankful at all. If you’ve forgotten how important gratitude is, it might be time to slow down, way down.

Gratitude makes everything smell sweeter, taste better and feel softer. Being thankful for something is like enjoying that something all over again.

This is the sixth post in a series from my guest post Living in the Land of Enough on one of my favorite blogs: becomingminimalist.com by Joshua Becker.

Say Thank You.

In the Land of Enough, you will find enough time and space to be grateful. Through prayer, thank you cards, or a kind gesture, share your gratitude every day.

That was the recommendation for a short hiatus in the Land of Enough. For a longer stay, like a lifetime, you will need to think about what it means to be truly grateful.

Ask questions like:

Am I taking something or someone for granted?
How do I show my gratitude?
When is it too late to say thanks?
Could my gratitude replace resentment or another emotion?
How do I feel when I express my thanks in a genuine way?

While it may not be as powerful as an immediate response, I firmly believe that it is never too late to say thank you, I’m sorry or I love you.

10 Ways to Say Thank You

Write a Letter. Check out Tammy’s advice on bringing back The Lost Art of Letter Writing. “It’s one way to show gratitude and love in a very busy world.”
Pick up the phone. Email is easier sometimes, but it doesn’t offer the heartfelt tone of your voice. Call and say Thank You. It will brighten some one’s day, and yours.
Thank Publicly. Thank people in front of other people to share the great work they’ve done. A public thank you can go a long way in the right circumstance.
Thank with a referral. Sometimes the best way to show your gratitude is with a referral. This could be for business or personal reasons.
Send an email. It’s quick and easy, and if worded the right way, can go a long way.
Pray. My prayer and relationship with God became so much stronger when I stopped asking for something and started giving thanks for everything about my life. Joshua Becker responded to one of my comments on his prayer post, “Generosity is absolutely fundamental to simplicity and a natural byproduct of prayer.”
Journal. Write down a few things that you are grateful for everyday. I journaled five things, every day, for an entire year and not surprisingly, even on the crappiest days, I could easily find five things to write about. While most pages were only five simple lines with a few words each, that journal was a perfect description of the year. I am considering that again for 2011.
Pay it back. Every winter, my neighbors surprise us and clear our driveway after a snowstorm. In return, I bake them a pie or cupcakes. The tasks aren’t equal in effort, but appreciated just the same. This thank you did not require words.
Leave a little note. Thank you cards are nice, but not necessary to leave a little note. A piece of paper, the back of an envelope or even a simple post it note will do.
Use a simple message. Sometimes we don’t send a thank you card, because we don’t know what to write. We over think the words and miss the sentiment entirely. Keep it simple. Dear X, Thank you for thinking of me and being amazing. Love, me.

I couldn’t end this post with anything less than a very heartfelt and sincere thank you to you.

Thank you for reading this.
Thank you for being a friend, even though we might not have met yet.
Thank you for telling me how I can do better.
Thank you for connecting with me.
Thank you for connecting with each other.
Thank you for taking some of my advice.
Thank you for giving me advice.
Thank you for making this such a blast.
Thank you for taking care.
Thank you for telling a friend about this blog.
Thank you for being so loving.
Thank you for taking the time to uncover what is important to you.
Thank you for changing the world.

Series Links

What are you grateful for and how do you like to say Thank You?