Why I turbocharge the power of gratitude
Here are some thoughts on how I look at the power of gratitude and why I “turbocharge” my appreciation for others to yield positive and meaningful results. You may wonder what this means, right? Before I explain, let’s take a look at the concept of gratitude. Practicing gratitude is often seen as a positive response to others after their acts of kindness, such as saying thank you, presenting a loved one with a bouquet of flowers, or an affirmative nod of the head and smile.
To expand on what gratitude is, Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of the How of Happiness, writes: “Gratitude is many things to many people. It is wonder; it is appreciation; it is looking at the bright side of a setback; it is fathoming abundance; it is thanking someone in your life; it is God; it is counting blessings. It is savoring; it is not taking things for granted; it is coping; it is present-oriented. Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutralizer of envy, avarice, hostility, worry and irritation.”
Given this definition, I would say that someone with this mindset has “an attitude of gratitude.” As such, gratitude has the power of enhancing and transforming our relationships, health, success, and longevity. From this point of view, I elevate the typical gratitude responses and thus turbocharging the benefits of gratitude for the recipient and me.
I enjoy turbocharging my gratitude to others to express an added level of appreciation of other's time, talents, and giving. Turbocharging how we express our gratitude can also mean many things to many people. The power of gratitude can be enhanced or “turbocharged” for lasting benefits that will positively affect you and your intended recipients. How we relay our thanks to others can move past the ordinary verbal and visual pleasantries toward acts of more meaningful impact. The act of writing a gratitude journal and gratitude letter can be considered a treasure or even a goldmine. Listed below are two ways to turbocharge the power of gratitude.
1. Keep a Gratitude Journal
The first idea involves keeping a personal gratitude journal. Now before you say, “I don’t have time for that,” hear me out. Creating and maintaining a gratitude journal is not complicated. Examples of gratitude journals can be found online. The simplest way to start a gratitude journal is to grab a note pad, journal book, or use a phone app to document your appreciation of something or someone. You can see and feel the benefits by just once a week, taking a few minutes to write down three or four things that happened during the past seven days for which you are grateful. Of course, if you wish to write more often, you certainly may. However, according to Dr. Lyubomirsky, research shows that writing more often than three days a week may become counterproductive. Beyond three times a week of writing in your gratitude journal may become a chore and feel like a negative practice. Therefore, writing in your gratitude journal one to three times per week is highly recommended to reap maximum benefits.
After you have written in your gratitude journal, you may consider sharing some of these gratitude items. You will receive positive benefits if you share your thoughts, ideally in a discussion, with a significant other, close family member, or friend. It seems that verbalizing and sharing your gratitude enhances the impact of appreciation on your wellbeing. In multiple well-replicated experiments cited in Dr. Lyubomirsky’s book, the benefits of a gratitude journal include:
Improved quality of sleep,
Enhanced immune system functioning,
Reduced stress, improved mood,
Decreased depression, and
Increased life satisfaction by 10 percent or more.
2. Write a Gratitude Letter
For turbocharging your gratitude, the second idea is to write a gratitude letter for other people in your life who have positively impacted you. Begin by thinking of three or four reasons you’re grateful for a friend, family member, for someone who’s made a positive impact on how you view the world or supported you and assisted you when you didn’t know you needed it, etc. Write down all the ways they’ve helped you and the resulting positive benefits you realized through their help. Then read the letter to them face to face! You will be amazed at how uplifting this exercise is to you and the person who helped you.
Write down all the ways they’ve helped you and the resulting positive benefits you realized through their help.
I recall an opportunity where I was asked to write a gratitude letter after completing my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the Graduate School of Psychology at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, CA. My professor, mentor, and dissertation chairman, H. Newton Malony, Ph.D., was retiring, and the Fuller Psychology alums were asked to write letters of appreciation, which were to be bound and given to him.
As I wrote my letter of gratitude to Dr. Malony, I realized how many reasons I had to be thankful for his help and support. These included his encouragement to present my research at the California State Psychological Convention and his offering me my first paid position in the field of psychology.
After Dr. Malony read all these letters, I had a chance to speak with him, and he expressed his great appreciation for my message and feedback. He also told me that my letter was one of the most meaningful he received out of over 300! Of course, this uplifted my heart, mind, and soul. The result was that we both felt appreciated, validated, and incredibly empowered by this experience. I therefore highly recommend sharing a gratitude letter with someone who has touched your life.
The result was that we both felt appreciated, validated, and incredibly empowered by this experience.
Expressing gratitude to others takes on a personal meaning for everyone. Take a look at the ways you show appreciation to others in your life. How often do you show gratitude? Do you have a unique way of turbocharging the power of gratitude? Contact me and let me know how it benefited you after trying it out. Thanks!
