5×5 Habit: Gratitude

INTRODUCING THIS WEEK’S 5X5 HABIT – GRATITUDE

Concept: Sleekgeek 5×5 Habit = a new habit each week to do for 5 minutes or less, 5 times a week.

This week’s habit is gratitude 👇

MISSION:

Write down 3 things that you’re grateful for today (and every day for at least 5 days).

Share with us in the comments of this post on Facebook DAILY to be eligible for the R500 prize!

The winner will be announced on Monday along with the next 5×5 Habit.

P.S. If you’re grateful for SOMEONE specific in Sleekgeek then feel free to tag them in the comments too 🙂

MORE INFO:

Some people view the concept of gratitude as a new age hoo-ha reserved for hippy yoga types… WRONG! Science has proven that gratitude can have a POWERFUL impact on how happy and well you feel.

Don’t believe me?

Researchers found that those who kept a list of things that they were grateful for:

• ✅ Felt better about their lives as a whole.
• ✅ Were more optimistic regarding their expectations for the future.
• ✅ Reported fewer physical complaints.
• ✅ Spent significantly more time exercising.

These participants didn’t happen to have anything to be more to be grateful for than others.

They simply took the time to deliberately focus on and identify things that they were grateful for, even if it was extremely mundane and common.

It’s also rather interesting that those focused on gratitude had fewer physical complaints and spent more time exercising, which in turn can boost mood and create a positive upward spiral.

WHAT ARE YOU FOCUSING ON?

Every single day, you get to wake up and decide what you’re going to focus on.

This is not necessarily about whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist – rather, it’s about what are you deliberately seeking out.

Are you keeping physical or mental lists of all the things that go well?

Or are you keeping lists of all the things that go badly?

Those who live the wealthiest and most luxurious lives can still be miserable and discontent. Those who live the poorest and most basic lives can still be happy and appreciative.

This is the art of gratitude.

The idea behind this 5×5 Habit is to get you spending more time focusing on the good rather than on the bad. Do it often enough and it becomes a habit.

A SIMPLE WAY TO GET STARTED:

Although many people make gratitude sound like you have to walk around as an eternal optimist being all happy and grateful about every single little thing… This is not necessary.

Simply starting with a quick daily or weekly exercise, as described in the study above, is enough to provide benefit.

We recommend doing it first thing in the morning so that you can put a positive start on the day, but the best time for you will be whenever you can do it most consistently.

• Grab a pen and a piece of paper, or the notes app on your phone.
• Find a quiet spot where you can think.
• Take a couple of deep breathes.
• Smile. Even if it’s a fake one.
• Write down 3 things that you are grateful for.

You can make this as simple or as complex as you want.

You can write just keywords or go into more detail. It’s up to you.

Don’t forget to come back each day and comment about 3 things that you’re grateful for to be in the running for the R500 cash prize 🙂