The Value of Practicing Gratitude

Guest blogger: Rita Schiano

Psychological research finds that people's happiness levels are remarkably stable over the long term. A possible explanation comes from studies in the psychology of gratitude. Yes, you read that correctly—being thankful just may be the secret to happiness.

The study* cited that people who were in the gratitude condition felt fully 25% happier—they were more optimistic about the future, they felt better about their lives.

The words "gratitude" and "grace" share a common Latin origin, gratus, meaning "pleasing" or "thankful." When you are in a deep state of gratitude, you may feel the presence of grace. Reflect on this. As we become more mindful of the present moment, we begin to recognize the things around us that we may have taken for granted.

Learning to practice gratitude is one of life's most valuable lessons. As Aristotle taught us, all virtues have value and the virtue of gratitude helps to increase feelings of satisfaction with our lives and keeps us from falling into the excess of a greedy or entitled frame of mind.

There are many simple, yet powerful ways to practice gratitude on a daily basis.

• Thank, separately, both the cashier and the bagger at the grocery store.
• Send a hand-written thank you note when you receive a gift, however small.
• Make "thank you" a common phrase in your vocabulary.
• Keep a gratitude journal. Each night, write one to three things for which you were grateful during the day.

Have a joyful Thanksgiving, everyone. And remember to live a gracious and flourishing life.

Rita Schiano is a resilience strategist and coach, speaker, and founder of Rita Schiano ~ Live A Flourishing Life. As a personal strategic coach, Rita helps clients focus specifically on their most important goals, interests, challenges, and needs. She is the author of several books, including Live A Flourishing Life, a stress management and resilience-building process workbook; the critically-acclaimed, semi-autobiographical novel Painting The Invisible Man, and Sweet Bitter Love and articles for The Huffington Post/AOL Healthy Living.