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Better Than a Gratitude List Template – What Matters, Who Matters, & Why
Gratitude lists can be wonderful, or they can be automatic, robotic, and empty.
Gratitude lists that look like this:
I’m grateful for:
- my family
- my health
- my home
- hot coffee that tastes like Christmas in a cup
- my dog
are too vague.
It’s almost like we robotically respond to “what are you grateful for?” with a short list of things we believe we should feel grateful for.
This kind of a list lacks feeling and treating gratitude in this manner doesn’t serve you.
How to do gratitude better:
Gratitude lists breathe actual gratitude that you can feel in your heart & bones when you go to the root of what all of those list items mean.
You know what you’re thankful for and who you’re thankful for…
but think about it…
When was the last time you sat with WHY those things & people matter?
That layer deeper is where the emotion lives. That’s what makes gratitude lists work. You’re doing a disservice if you don’t go that deep.
Example:
So, say you want to write “mom” on your gratitude list. What is it about your mom that makes you grateful for her?
Get specific. See how that specificity feels.
Gratitude lists get even better when you respond to the tiny stories
Making your hyper-specific gratitude list will feel amazing. True.
You know what feels more amazing? Responding to what comes up.
Use one of the tiny stories on your list to…
- give a compliment
- make someone feel seen and valued by saying thank you
- make a highly meaningful photograph so you can always connect to that list item
…and many more things you will DO inside my program, The Tiny Story Society.
A better gratitude list template for you:
Click here to download (no need to opt-in or anything).
Print the page out.
Write one thing or person you’re grateful for + at least one reason WHY you’re grateful for that list item / person.
Think about how you see that thing or place or person.
Think about how that thing or place or person has changed you.
Enjoy!
