A tool: gratitude lists & the art of noticing
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust
A consistent and simple gratitude practice has been a powerful tool for me in seeing new things and seeing old things in new ways. At its essence it’s about noticing. Noticing beauty, noticing kindness, noticing where even for a moment all was well. I think of this practice as collecting seeds. Hundreds, at this point, thousands of seeds, each with a life force of beauty, kindness, wellness. Can you feel that power?
The act of noticing, and taking physical note, moves us from autopilot to awareness. Instead of going through the motions, of thinking that things just are what they are -- we can find space, and in finding space, we have choice. Choice is freedom.
Over time, these seeds have nourished my spirit, shown me patterns I wasn’t able to see in real time, reminded me of just how much beauty there is in the world, and helped me define my own take on a life well lived. The list offers clarity without so much thinking, so much trying.
Below are some notes on what works well for me. Find what works for you – build your list, collect the seeds – and see what you see!
Bring it along.
I keep a running gratitude list in the Notes app of my phone. The picture above is an unedited shot of a random selection of my list. By keeping it on my phone (rather than in a notebook), I always have access to it.
Read and re-read often.
There is huge satisfaction in scrolling through what is by now a very long list. That’s a lot of gratitude. When I look at it, I’m reminded of so many things. Moments where everything felt dark, and I found light. Moments where everything felt hard, and I found humor.
Keep it simple.
I usually add a few things in the morning, reflecting on the day before. I’m a morning person but this can work equally well at night. The point is not to make it complicated. You can see my list is not detailed, but rather a reminder of a moment that often has more texture to it in my memory. On hard days it can feel difficult to find moments to be grateful for. They exist. Search for them.