Find a gratitude partner

Count your blessings more effectively

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to find a gratitude partner. Share what
you're grateful for with a friend or family member who
in turn shares what he's grateful for with you. By

(00:26):
doing so, you'll help each other notice and appreciate what's
good in your lives. Today's tip, like several others this week,
comes from Sonya Luba Mirsky's book The How of Happiness,
a scientific approach to getting the life you want. According
to Luba Mirski, gratitude contributes to happiness for a few reasons. First,

(00:47):
she writes, grateful thinking promotes the savoring of positive life experiences.
By relishing and taking pleasure in some of the gifts
of your life, you will be able to extract maximum
possible sat faction and enjoyment from your current circumstances. In addition,
she notes, gratitude boosts self worth we realize how much

(01:09):
we have accomplished and how much others have done for us. Further,
gratitude nurtures relationships because it helps us feel appreciative of
each other. Gratitude also helps us avoid downwards social comparison.
We're less worried that someone else is better off than
we are because we're grateful for our own circumstances. Having

(01:31):
a gratitude partner is one method for boosting your gratitude
and in turn, boosting your happiness. Here's how it works. First,
as your grandmother probably encouraged you to do, count your blessings.
Perhaps every morning or every Saturday afternoon, you identify good
things in your life that you're grateful for. Maybe it's
the relative harmony in your household despite being in each

(01:53):
other's company. Maybe it's having a stable job that you
can do remotely. Maybe it's having enough food or the
mild weather that lets you enjoy exercising outside, or video
calls with your best friends from college. Name your blessings,
savor them, and then Lubamerski encourages finding what she calls

(02:14):
a gratitude partner with whom you can share your blessings list.
You might text your gratitude partner a simple list, such
as one sunny day means I can walk outside, two
job security. Three Amy asked me to teach her to
use the sewing machine. My twelve year old wants to
spend time with me. Or maybe you create a shared

(02:36):
Google doc that you each have access to and you
log your blessings there. Or perhaps you have a grandchild
or another special child in your life who is learning
to write. Each week you send him a postcard with
what you're grateful for and invite him to write you
back with what he's grateful for. What a fun way
to nurture your relationship and his writing skills all at once.

(02:59):
Of course, you could record what you're grateful for independently,
but having a gratitude partner creates accountability. A partner also
doubles your exposure to good things because you become aware
of what your partner is grateful for. If she's thankful
that the honeysuckle vines are about to bloom, you can
keep your eyes and nose open so that you're ready

(03:21):
to save for them as well. If she has fallen
in love with a new podcast, well maybe you should
check it out too. So today think about who might
become your gratitude partner, and then let me know how
it goes. You can reach me at Before Breakfast podcast
at ihart media dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura,

(03:44):
Thanks for listening and here's to making the most of
our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.
You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Before Breakfast pod. That's b the number four, then Breakfast

(04:10):
p o D. You can also shoot me an email
at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media dot com
that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch.
Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For

(04:31):
more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.