A few years ago – during COVID – I challenged myself to read all my unread books at home. A good portion of these were books on Early Childhood Development – my background – and journals I was subscribed to for my work. One day I was reading a book teaching children appreciation and gratitude. I realized this was something I was lacking in my own day to day routines. I needed to express gratitude and show appreciation – especially if I was going to ask the same thing from my kids.

So I started out simply – one thing I was grateful for, and I wrote it down in my planner everyday. Slowly, I started to see the benefits – not taking things for granted, slowing down and realizing the world around me. So I expanded the space in my planner, and started to reflect on a few more items daily.

1. One thing I’m grateful for…
2. A compliment to myself (to combat the self-deprecating)…
3. A compliment or apology I made to someone else…
4. One interesting or thought-provoking idea/ thought…
5. One thing I did not give up on or something I forgave…

Over the years, this has evolved and changed to the current list – but it has always provided me a chance to reflect on my day, and really examine how I am treating myself and the people around me. For a while I made the kids do this with me – they were not fans of being forced. So now we just talk about their days. As school gets ready to start back up, we will go back to eating dinner around the dining room table, and talking together as a family about our days. Asking similar questions to the kids, will hopefully get them on a similar path, and help them reflect on their days and appreciate what life has given us.

What are the different ways you express gratitude and appreciation in your daily life?