The Art of Gratitude

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by: Alanna Ford

Gratitude is at the heart of living a happy and fulfilling life. When we regularly take time to give thanks and share a sense of abundance with others around us, we attract even more goodness. It's a beautiful cycle, and practicing gratitude is like planting the first seed.

Here are some ways to embed a gratitude practice into each day, inspired by Claritas Collection’s “Cultivating Gratitude” kit. The only things you’ll need are some paper, a pen, a journal if you have one, and some string.

Notice with Wonder

The entry point of gratitude is slowing down enough so that we can deliberately acknowledge the goodness that already surrounds us.

Take a moment to notice something near you right now. Perhaps it’s something unexpected, even something you might typically think of as mundane. Absorb the details of that object. Allow yourself to be surprised.

If you’d like, describe your new appreciation for the object in your journal. Write or draw what you noticed when you saw the mundane with a sense of wonder.

Meditate

Close your eyes. As you breathe in, create a sense of filling yourself up. As you breathe out, visualize sending gratitude and light to one person in your life. See them clearly, and watch the light move toward them. Breathe in again, creating a loop, visualizing the light coming back into you. Breathe out and visualize another person for whom you are grateful. With each breath, continue seeing the light of gratitude flow between you and the people in you care about most. Repeat this for several breaths.

Tie a Bracelet

The key to deepening your gratitude practice is consistency. When we practice gratitude regularly, it becomes an integral part of our worldview. To acknowledge this practice today, and to help you carve out more time for gratitude everyday, tie a simple charm with some string around your wrist. This is now your gratitude bracelet.

May this serve as a visual reminder of your gratitude. When it falls off, may it inspire you to continue cultivating gratitude as a regular practice.

About Claritas Collection

Claritas kits are like your own personal guide walking you through a process of reflecting through ritual. With topics such as Cultivating Gratitude, Letting Go, and Igniting Creativity, each kit comes with a deck of cards that walks you through the experience, along with treasures from around the world to help bring it to life.

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