Beautiful Moments Practice: A Tool to Cultivate Gratitude
Why We Cultivate Gratitude
Every day, we have micro-moments of joy that could be easily missed: the nutty smell and warm steam rising from a cup of morning coffee, the way the snow glistens on the branches of trees after a fresh snow. We sometimes miss these moments because we are not entirely present for them; we are lost in our own minds.
Beautiful moments practice sets aside a little time each day to reflect and capture these experiences in writing (or drawing). Unlike a gratitude journal, which can end up being a repetitive list, this practice encourages choosing specific, recent moments and recording all of the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations.
As you continue to notice the Beautiful Moments in daily life, science shows you will have them more often. In addition, writing them down creates a guide map — a better understanding of what brings you joy and what doesn’t matter after all.
Practices for Cultivating Gratitude
1.) Take five minutes and reimagine the moments that brought you a little sliver of joy each day.
2.) Record your reflections in a journal. Feel free to be creative about how you record them, but make sure to capture all of the specifics of the experience.
Here’s a one-page downloadable handout with directions for the practicing Gratitude.
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