Living in the moment increases your gratitude

Today is Thanksgiving. It is a day we stop and take stock of the many aspects of our lives we have to be grateful for. People make gratitude lists all month long. Sometimes they put their items on paper chains, sometimes they write their items on paper leaves and hang them on the walls, sometimes they announce their items daily on social media. But most Americans spend the month of November trying to focus on the good in their lives. 

Nordics do this a little differently. Instead of choosing one day a year to focus on gratitude, they seem to relish life every day. Logom, hygge, kos, fika… All of these habits help those living in the Nordics to slow down and focus on what is important on a more daily basis. They seem to count their blessings during everyday moments; stopping to appreciate the beauty that surrounds them in even the most mundane circumstances.

Benjamin Franklin said: “Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.” (Quoted from Meik Vikings’s The Little Book of Hygge) 

This quote explains why going on vacation once a year, or being grateful once a year, tends to have less of an impact on us than our everyday experiences. Americans like to save it all up for a big once-a-year celebration. The big event passes, and we are left despondent the rest of the year. Because Nordics practice gratitude on a smaller but more regular basis, they are constantly looking at the positive things in their lives. This creates a pattern of continued happiness as they focus on and appreciate all the good around them. 

Researchers have found that people who express gratitude for the things around them have a higher sense of well-being. When you stop to list even a few positive things each day, you’ve changed your focus from things that trouble you to things that inspire you. Small problems fade away and you have more energy to tackle bigger issues if you’re focused on the good.

To keep our focus on the joy in our lives, we only need to count our blessings. Look for something that makes you happy each day and give it a few minutes of attention. Immerse yourself in the experience while it is happening. Write it down in a gratitude journal. You’ll find you feel happier in no time.

What did I learn from this?

An everyday attitude of gratitude increases our happiness.