Gratitude Made Easy: How to Start Your Own Gratitude Jar Today

“When the student is ready, the teacher appears. Mine found me during a snowy Minnesota February when I was a disenchanted housewife with a big drinking problem. So it was a good thing she found me when she did. My teacher introduced me to the Gratitude Jar—the thing that ultimately turned my life into a miracle.”

—The Gratitude Jar: A Simple Guide to Creating Miracles

Focusing on what you have to be grateful for forces you to not only become a more positive person—but also lowers your stress, gives you more energy and helps you sleep better.

Gratitude is like a miracle vitamin for your mind, body, and soul and is one of the easiest self-care habits to practice each day.

I created a formula called Give THANKS based on my own life changing experience using a gratitude jar so you can gain the maximum benefits from this practice.

This practice is from my book, The Gratitude Jar: A Simple Guide to Creating Miracles:

Give THANKS Instructions

From, The Gratitude Jar: A Simple Guide to Creating Miracles

Think about what you're grateful for.

Have an open mind.

Allow yourself to feel gratitude.

Note your gratitude.

Keep it in a jar, or other special place.

Share it with someone else.

1.    THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE GRATEFUL FOR

The first step is as simple as it sounds: think about everything in your life and choose what comes to mind as your gratitude.

Reflect on the people you know, your day-to-day life, where you live and work...is something special standing out?

That's your gratitude.

2.    HAVE AN OPEN MIND

Don’t judge whatever comes up.

Giving gratitude for anything, no matter how silly or small you think it may be, is powerful. 

3.    ALLOW YOURSELF TO FEEL GRATITUDE

Once you’ve come up with your main gratitude for the day, go a bit deeper into why you chose it.

Feel the emotion of gratitude come into your heart, and let it nourish your mind, body, and soul.

Gratitude is a powerful emotion that instantly washes away stress and tension. Allow yourself to be healed by it.

4.    NOTE YOUR GRATITUDE

Write down on a slip of paper what you’re grateful for and why.

Write “I’m thankful for ______ today because…” and fill it in as completely as possible.

There’s power from writing something down and making it physical. 

5.    KEEP IT IN YOUR JAR, OR OTHER SPECIAL PLACE.

Your jar can be whatever container you happen to have lying around your house.

You could also buy a special container from an antique shop or home décor store if you want something a little more special. If you’re crafty, you could make your own decorative jar.

Seeing your gratitude jar with all your slips of gratitude in it is a great visual reminder of all the good things you have in your life. 

6.    SHARE IT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

Sharing your gratitude practice with another person is amazingly powerful and I sincerely believe it will greatly enhance your results. 

Will Give THANKS still be effective if you do it on your own?

Of course.

You’ll definitely see transformation if you Give THANKS every day for the next thirty days by yourself.

But, if you really want to move mountains—share your gratitude practice with someone else.

I shared this practice with my four year old son and it changed BOTH of our lives for the better.

Plus, it deepened our relationship by providing a positive way to connect with each other every day.

There's all kinds of variations on how to use a gratitude jar, but it really all boils down to this simple formula.

Practicing gratitude is one of those tiny little changes that will bring incredible gifts time and again: happiness, inner peace, better relationships, prosperity, good health.

Gratitude is the ultimate form of self-care, and something that will transform your life when you use it daily. ❤