The 6 Questions I ask Myself to find Gratitude.
By: Geoffrey Blake
Tags: Tacos, Thankfulness, Gratitude, Community, Mindfulness

How was your 2020? Can you say that you are grateful for this year or did you struggle to find gratitude in the midst of all this 2020 madness? No judgment either way. Some of us remained stoic and kept on carrying on. Some of us crumpled like a loved cozy sweater when it’s been dropped on the cold hard floor. I crumpled.

I lost a sister, lost a job, and temporarily lost purpose. I regained a greater sense of purpose, stronger connections to my friends and loved ones, and a system for finding gratitude in the hardest moments.

Part of what kept me going, even when I felt most challenged, was being a part of the Global Gratitude Jar. (You’re invited, btw!) Being in an inclusive community with other humans who can admit they are having a hard time finding gratitude makes a world of difference because we find it easier to think of J.O.L.T. or Just One Little Thing when we see others finding their silver linings in dark clouds.

Another element of the group that helped me process grief, a global pandemic, and joblessness was that I started the community! Having something to show up for other than ourselves can really help us through a hard time with grace. In fact, many of the times in my life where I’ve felt stuck or unfulfilled I change my goal to helping others, and miraculously my problems fix themselves!

If it’s ok with you, I’d like to show you how some introspective questions can help you discover gratitude in any noun: person, animal, place, thing, quality, idea, or action. Let’s start with the questions first.

How does/do _____ make me feel? How would I feel without _____? Do I have any special memories with _____? Does someone I love, love _____? Does everybody has access to _____? Could I lose _____?

Simple enough, right? Now let’s put it into action! I will use a really easy example to show how this could work. Tacos!

Photo by Amie Watson on Unsplash

How do Tacos make me feel? Happy, content, satisfied, and I usually eat them with other good people. I can feel grateful for the way they make me feel. How would I feel without Tacos? If I knew that I could never have tacos again I’d be pretty bummed. In this example, I can feel gratitude for having eaten tacos in the past, as well as the fact that I can go on eating as many tacos as I’d like in the foreseeable future. Do I have any special memories with Tacos? I do! When I lived in Baltimore, many a celebratory meal was eaten at Clavel, a family-run mezcaleria and taqueria in the heart of the city. I can fondly look back to those meals and feel grateful. Does someone I love, love Tacos? Um, yeah! My wife and my dearest friends. Thinking about the joy that Tacos bring the ones I love definitely brings feelings of gratitude. Does everybody have access to Tacos? Sadly, no. There are some beautiful humans that will survive with very little food today, and they definitely won’t have access to Tacos. I can be grateful that I have had the great fortune and privilege of growing up in a part of the world where Tacos are easily accessible and affordable. Could I lose Tacos? This is an expansion on question #2. I could certainly lose my access to Tacos. I could lose my ability to eat solid foods. I could lose the financial stability that lets me afford Tacos. There could be a 10-year drought that affects the harvesting and raising of delicious taco ingredients. My favorite taco spots could go out of business (1 already did, wah!) I can be grateful that these events have not happened and that they are relatively unlikely to happen.

Easy as that! For context, even I don’t run through the entire 6 questions on a frequent basis. Heck, I came up with the list and I can barely remember it all.

The way these questions are best used is to run through a couple of examples on your own right now. Maybe share the questions with a loved one and answer them together. Use them as a teaching opportunity with your children when you see an opening, just make sure you go first, leading by example.

If you can’t imagine fitting in all these questions regularly into your life, but still want all the benefits, just join us at Global Gratitude Jar! It’s a beautiful welcoming community, based on the daily habit of practicing Gratitude. We even tally your consistent run streaks for you! I hope to see you in “the Jar”.