Why & How to Develop a Daily Gratitude Practice
Updated: Feb 24
Did you know that gratitude is the foundation of nearly every religion & philosophy? As a Christian, I believe that every good thing comes from God. So, when practicing gratitude, I am thanking & praising Him. Another fun fact: Our hearts can’t experience negative emotions (like, grumbling/complaining or feeling sorry for ourselves) and fully experience gratitude at the same time… It’s that powerful!
Because of this, I believe gratitude is an especially important practice for mothers, because motherhood is arguably the most challenging job/role there is! And so, us mamas (but really everyone) need all the gratitude tools there are. More on motherhood & gratitude later.***
If you’ve never had a gratitude practice, I’d love to share one of my favorite tools: the book, The Magic by Rhonda Byrne. This secular publication has something pretty special about it, in the 28 daily gratitude practices the author shares. The Magic is available on Audible too, if you’re a busy mom like me!
I’ve listened to the 28-day gratitude practice of The Magic many, many... many times. Doing so, helps me more automatically keep gratitude top of mind, which to me, means I’m constantly finding ways to praise God, while also improving my overall wellness through the ins & outs of motherhood, entrepreneurship, and in & through all my important relationships & goals in life. Regularly practicing gratitude can be life-changing. So, what are the 28 practices of gratitude outlined in this book? With an open mind & an open heart, I invite you to read on.
28-Day Gratitude Practice of The Magic
Practice 1: Count Your Blessings.
1. Write out 10 things you’re grateful for and why.
2. Read each item and say: Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you after each one. Truly feel gratitude for them.
(This practice is done daily for the 28 days. You’ll want to find somewhere consistent to write your daily list down so you can access it easily. A simple gratitude journal will do.)
Practice 2: What are you most grateful for at the end of your day? (“The Magic Rock”)
1. Find a rock that’s nice to hold in your hand (smooth, not too big).
2. Put it by your bedside.
3. Before going to bed, hold your rock and think about the best thing that happened that day.
4. Say thank-you for that thing.
(This practice is done nightly for the 28 days.)
Practice/Day 3: Gratitude for relationships (“Magical Relationships”)
Practice/Day 4: Gratitude for health (“Magical Health”)
Practice/Day 5: Gratitude for money (“Magic Money”)
Practice/Day 6: Gratitude for career/work/gig/side hustle (“Works Like Magic”)
Practice/Day 7: Gratitude for the way out of negativity (“The Magical Way out of Negativity”)
Practice/Day 8: Gratitude for food & water (“The Magic Ingredient”)
Practice/Day 9: Gratitude for bills (“The Money Magnet”)
Practice/Day 10: Gratitude for people who offer you services (“Magic Dust Everyone”)
Practice/Day 11: Gratitude for your daily routine (“A Magic Morning”)
Practice/Day 12: Gratitude for the people who changed your life (“Magical People Who Made a Difference”)
Practice/Day 13: Gratitude for your Top 10 Desires, I (“Make All Your Wishes Come True”)
Practice/Day 14: Gratitude for your day ahead (“Have a Magical Day”)
Practice/Day 15: Gratitude for difficult/healed relationships (“Magically Heal Your Relationships”)
Practice/Day 16: Gratitude for miracles in health (“Magic and Miracles in Health”)
Practice/Day 17: Gratitude for things that cost money (“The Magic Check”)
Practice/Day 18: Gratitude for your to-do list (“The Magical To-Do List”)
Practice/Day 19: Gratitude for every step you take (“Magic Footsteps”)
Practice/Day 20: Gratitude from the heart (“Heart Magic”)
Practice/Day 21: Gratitude for magnificent outcomes (“Magnificent Outcomes”)
Practice/Day 22: Gratitude for your Top 10 Desires, II (“Before Your Very Eyes”)
Practice/Day 23: Gratitude for the air you breathe (“The Magical Air That You Breathe”)
Practice/Day 24: Gratitude for the health, wealth & happiness of others (“The Magic Wand”)
Practice/Day 25: Gratitude cues (“Cue the Magic”)
Practice/Day 26: Gratitude for your mistakes turned into blessings (“Magically Transform Mistakes into Blessings”)
Practice/Day 27: Gratitude for yourself (“The Magic Mirror”)
Practice/Day 28: “Remember the Magic!” Continue to practice gratitude for the rest of your life! You can continue doing many of these practices on a habitual basis, especially practices 1 & 2, or you can randomly choose one and do it on any given day.
I’ve learned a lot about gratitude over the years. Namely, the more consistently grateful I am, the more affective my gratitude practice is. Feeling grateful is a habit. The Magic is a tool to help establish that habit. Another thing about gratitude is its connection to the heart. The more we really feel and truly experience how grateful we are, the greater the difference it makes in our lives. Part of this is attaching a reason as to why we’re grateful for something, like practice 1 in the book suggests. And with practice 2, ending our day in gratitude is a habit that supports overall wellness, too. Less stress, better sleep, more energy, better cognitive function, better mood… The list of wellness benefits are endless when we close each day in a state of gratitude. Doing so also prompts us to start our day the same way, solidifying these impactful aspects of well-being, and more.
***In my weekly devotional book for moms, Her Prayer for Peace, I’ve devoted an entire chapter/week aptly called, Gratitude in Motherhood. As in each chapter of the book, mothers of different ages & stages of motherhood share testimonies of peace (& gratitude) in challenging times of being a mom. The key Bible verse I share in this chapter is Ephesians: 5:19-20 NIV: “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And as part of this week’s reflective questions, I encourage moms to prayerfully thank God for their children. Even when – especially when – they’re testing our last limits! The chapter ends with an invitation to prayerfully write a list of 10 things about motherhood for which a mama is grateful. Gratitude is such a special & life-giving lens through which to experience important, but often challenging, aspects of our lives such as motherhood.
So, whether as part of a New Year’s Resolution, in conjunction with a birthday or other important life event/phase, or if you’ve just found yourself in a rut of negativity (the opposite of gratitude), through The Magic or another tool, developing a daily gratitude practice that speaks to you, that you enjoy, and one with which you can be consistent, will undoubtedly enrich your life and everything that’s important to you!
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