There’s a show on National Public Radio that I enjoy each week, called “The Infinite Mind.”  It covers issues related to psychology, spirituality, and consciousness – mostly psychology – and often has programs that inspire, move, and inform me.  One recent morning, I listened to a show on the subject of satisfaction.  Along the way, a psychologist reported that a recent study revealed that people who spend three minutes a day focusing on gratitude reported being happier.  The people involved in the study also reported that they helped others more after doing this exercise.

The research on gratitude reminded me of the importance of the practice of taking time – according to this study, three minutes will do – either at the beginning or end of the day – or whenever during the day, to list things for which we are grateful.  These may be things that occurred during this particular day, or things that we have in our lives – or things that are in the world – whatever comes to mind.  And, these don’t need to be big or significant things . . .

. . . walking through Central Park the other day, I noticed I had a feeling of sadness after hearing a disturbing story on the news earlier that morning.  I thought to myself, “I really could use something to bring me a moment of delight right now, to help me shift gears as I get ready to begin a long day.”  A moment later, I looked down in the snow around me and noticed the usual footprints of dogs and people but, then, I saw little, tiny footprints.  A few steps later, there were more.  For some reason, I these little footprints brought a smile to my face.  A few moments later, I realized the footprints belonged to squirrels who had scampered from the trees to the right of the trail to the trees on the left sometime after the snow had stopped falling.  The footprints weren’t a big deal – just some tiny points in the snow – but they became an important part of my gratitude list for that day.

For this week’s experiment, I invite you to spend three minutes a day focusing on gratitude in whatever ways work for you.  You might spend your three minutes when you’re walking somewhere, or driving, or just sitting still.  You might decide to give yourself these three minutes before bed, or before starting your day – or they might work best for you when you’re right in the middle of things and need a lift.  Keep in the mind the outcome reflected in the study – that three minutes a day seemed to generate a greater sense of happiness and satisfaction for those involved – and notice whatever shifts you experience in your felt-experience of happiness and/or satisfaction.

As with all the experiments, be sure not to put any demands on yourself for a specific outcome.  Remember to have curiosity as your constant companion, and enjoy whatever you may discover along the way.