🎉 Save $1,000 — Annual sale ending soon

    Cultivating and Sharing Gratitude

    SF
    Sean FargoPublished November 13, 2015 · Updated March 28, 2024 · 2 min read

    Guided Script

    Sharing Gratitude

    PDF·187 KB

    Preview will load as you scroll…
    Previewing page 1Open full PDF in new tab

    Printable Worksheet

    Cultivating and Sharing Gratitude

    PDF·215 KB

    A mindful companion to this worksheet

    A mindful approach to cultivating and sharing gratitude

    “Cultivating and Sharing Gratitude” is an invitation to slow down and meet your experience with curiosity, honesty, and kindness — three qualities that quietly transform everything they touch.

    How mindfulness can help

    Mindfulness offers a steady inner ground from which to engage any topic. Instead of being swept along by reaction, we learn to notice what is here — sensations, thoughts, feelings — and respond from a place of presence rather than pressure.

    Gentle steps to try

    1. Begin with the breath. Take three slow breaths before opening the worksheet. Let your body remember it is here.
    2. Read with curiosity. Move through each prompt slowly. Notice which questions soften you, and which ones tighten you.
    3. Write what is true now. There are no right answers — only honest ones. The truth at this moment is what the worksheet is asking for.
    4. Close with one breath. When you finish, pause. Place a hand on your heart and acknowledge yourself for showing up.

    Insight does not arrive on a schedule. Trust the practice of returning, the courage of honesty, and the slow unfolding of your own becoming.

    Gratitude Meditation 

    Many mindfulness exercises are focused on simply being present in each and every moment of our lives. With basic techniques such as breath awareness, we can bring our attention to our lived experience. This is in direct opposition to our tendency to constantly attempt to escape the present, be it with thoughts of the past or a preoccupation with a future that’s yet to arrive.

    These sorts of daily meditative exercises can do a lot to improve your sense of well-being and overall satisfaction with your life. However, there’s another powerful technique for dramatically increasing your overall level of fulfillment. This applies to every area of your daily life: your job, your relationships, your health, your financial picture, and virtually everything else. We’re talking about adopting a so-called gratitude practice.

    Sharing Gratitude and Meditating On Gratitude

    Take a moment to consider: have you experienced feelings of gratitude today?

    Gratitude is a truly remarkable thing. It brings all sorts of beneficial and positive emotions to the forefront of our minds: feelings of altruism, loving-kindness, appreciation, acceptance, and peace.

    If you’re convinced that experiencing gratitude will be complicated or difficult, you can let go of those concerns. It’s actually quite simple, and we’ll walk you through the process in this free mindfulness exercise.

    First, you’ll take a moment to consider all of the things you’re grateful for. This is a practice that’s worth adopting on an ongoing basis. Think about the things for which you feel gratitude, but which you tend to take for granted. For example, you might reflect on the fact that you’re fortunate enough to have a car that runs, a home to live in, good health that allows you to experience life, friends and family who love you, a dog or cat who greets you when you walk in the door, or any number of life’s other simple pleasures.

    Next, we’ll teach you how to record and share these feelings. Take a look at the online worksheet on this page to learn more.

    Want to take this practice with you?

    Save the script as a PDF or print it for class — your browser's print dialog has a “Save as PDF” option on every device.

    Share

    Continue reading

    • Growing Happiness in the Mind

      Mudita Guided Meditation for Happiness

      Read
    • A girl in front of a blossomed tree

      A Body Gratitude Meditation Script

      Read
    • Pregnant woman with her hands on ther belly in a heart shape

      A Pregnancy Meditation Script for Gratitude

      Read