The first degree of gratitude:

This is when you say: “thanks,” “thank you,” or “I appreciate it,” and you really mean it. It can be a habit. And honestly, we can’t say thank you enough. It’s so easy and yet so powerful. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

The second degree of gratitude:

You say thank you, thank you, thank you—and you show it by adding a gesture: you gently bow, you offer a hand shake, you genuinely smile, or you hug. The second degree is all about expressing your gratitude. Expressing gratitude is a state of being, a manifest of appreciation. It has no strings attached, and it doesn’t keep score.

The third degree of gratitude:

The third degree is about finding gratitude. Here you reach a level of conscientiousness to find gratitude where you no longer look or where is tough. Ask yourself: What amazing aspects of my life can I be grateful for? This degree of gratitude requires effort. Appreciating the hard things requires creativity to find the bright spots in your life (there are plenty of them).

What problems can you be grateful for?

Which challenges can you appreciate more of?

What setbacks have made you grow stronger?

Gratitude brings joy to our life because it teaches us to appreciate (and find) the kindness, the love, the support that is all around us. Being grateful may feel vulnerable because it requires that we open to the world around us, but it also feels refreshing. Gratitude attunes our ability to appreciate abundance, it allows us to see opportunities, and it invites us to live simply and gratefully.