essay on gratitude to school

Gratitude Essay

500 words essay on gratitude.

Gratitude is a beautiful way of enriching our lives. It refers to the feeling and attitude of appreciation and thankfulness for the good which we receive in life. It has been proven scientifically that when we express our gratefulness to other people, we feel happier and calmer. Thus, it allows goodness to enter our lives. For instance, when a stranger holds the door for you or greets you, it makes you feel happy. Thus, a gratitude essay will teach us how advantageous gratitude is.

Advantages of Gratitude

Gratitude can have a lot of advantages to our personal as well as social life. First of all, it strengthens our relationship with others. When you have a thankful feeling, it will strengthen the bond with the other party and enhance the trust factor and feeling of respect and love .

Moreover, it also makes us happy. When we express gratitude or receive it, we feel happy either way. As a result, people who have gratitude do not stress out a lot. Similarly, being full of gratitude makes society sensible.

In other words, people become considerate and never leave a chance to say thank you to others. Thus, it helps society to progress in the right direction with the right tools needed for the development of it.

Most importantly, gratitude reduces comparisons and promotes acknowledgement. When we become thankful, we do not compare ourselves to others. Thus, it helps us acknowledge our own achievements and blessings and remain content.

How to Practice Gratitude

There are a lot of ways through which we can practice gratitude. Some of the most effective ones include making a note of every good thing which happens to us every day. Moreover, also note the people behind it.

This will help you to return the favour at an appropriate time. Never forget to return this favour as they deserve it too. Moreover, always make sure to appreciate everything in life ranging from nature to animals .

We are lucky enough to have animals, green plants, fresh air and much more. Thus, never stop acknowledging the importance of these essential things. Moreover, always remember to say thank you to different community helpers.

It can be anyone, whether your gardener or sweeper or even the police officers. Make sure you thank them for their service whenever it is possible for you. Remember that to wake up every day is no less than a blessing itself.

So, make sure to be grateful for a new day and thank the almighty for making you wiser and stronger with each passing day. Most importantly, try to avoid complaining about things when they don’t go your way. You don’t know about the blessing behind it.

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Conclusion of Gratitude Essay

All in all, gratitude is the most essential human expression which proves that humans are sensible and have emotions. Moreover, this emotion does not just limit to humans but also animals. Often, we see then express their gratitude and return the favour. Thus, we must always express our gratitude.

FAQ of Gratitude Essay

Question 1: Why is gratitude important?

Answer 1: Gratitude is strongly and constantly connected with greater happiness. It is what helps people feel more positive emotions, appreciate good experiences, advance their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.

Question 2: How can gratitude change your life?

Answer 2: Gratitude can change your life as it makes you appreciate what you have rather than what you don’t have. It can change your life  because it is the single most powerful source of inspiration that any individual can tap into if they simply stop and pay attention to the simplistic beauty and miracle of life.

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Essay on Gratitude

Students are often asked to write an essay on Gratitude in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Gratitude

Understanding gratitude.

Gratitude is the feeling of being thankful. It is an emotion we express when we appreciate the good things in our lives. This could be anything from a kind gesture, a gift, or even the love we receive from our family and friends.

Importance of Gratitude

Gratitude is important because it helps us focus on the positive aspects of our lives. It makes us happier and more content. When we are grateful, we tend to be more positive and optimistic, which is good for our overall well-being.

Practicing Gratitude

We can practice gratitude by thanking people who help us, by appreciating the good things in our lives and by being mindful of our blessings. This can make us more positive and happier.

Also check:

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250 Words Essay on Gratitude

The essence of gratitude.

Gratitude, a human emotion that signifies acknowledgment and appreciation, is a fundamental aspect of our lives. It is not merely a reactionary response to kindness but a proactive approach to perceive the world positively.

Gratitude and Well-being

Scientific studies have established a strong correlation between gratitude and an individual’s well-being. Gratitude encourages positive emotions, fosters resilience, and enhances relationships. When we express gratitude, we acknowledge the goodness in our lives, which often stems from outside ourselves. This recognition establishes a connection with something larger than our individual experiences—whether other people, nature, or a higher power—thus broadening our perspective and enhancing our overall life satisfaction.

Gratitude as a Virtue

Gratitude is a virtue that transcends cultural, religious, and philosophical boundaries. It is a universal human experience that can be cultivated and enhanced. The practice of gratitude can have profound effects on our lives, from boosting our mental health to improving our relationships. It inspires us to focus on the positive aspects of our lives, fostering an attitude of optimism and contentment.

In conclusion, gratitude is not just an emotion but a practice that can significantly improve our lives. By consciously cultivating gratitude, we can shift our focus from what our lives lack to the abundance that’s already present. This shift can lead to greater emotional well-being, improved relationships, and a more fulfilling life. Therefore, gratitude is not just a courtesy or an act of good manners, but a key to a happier and healthier life.

500 Words Essay on Gratitude

The power of gratitude.

Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can significantly shape our lives. It’s not just about saying ‘thank you’; it’s a deeper appreciation that generates positive energy within us and around us. In essence, gratitude is a way of seeing that alters our gaze.

The Science of Gratitude

Scientific studies have shown that gratitude can have profound and positive effects on our health, our moods, and even the survival of our marriages. Gratitude activates the hypothalamus, a part of the brain responsible for several crucial tasks, and triggers the release of dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter. This makes us feel happier, less stressed, and more connected to others.

The practice of gratitude can improve our psychological well-being by redirecting our attention to the positive aspects of life. It can help us to appreciate the small things that often go unnoticed, but are nonetheless essential for our happiness. Gratitude can even act as an antidote to negative emotions such as envy, resentment, and regret.

Gratitude and Relationships

Gratitude can also strengthen relationships. Expressing gratitude to others can increase our social support, deepen our relationships, and make us feel more connected to the people around us. It can also help to build trust and encourage reciprocal kindness.

Gratitude and Resilience

In the face of adversity, gratitude has the power to heal, to be resilient, and to move us forward. It allows us to find meaning in our suffering and to see the bigger picture, which can help us to overcome difficulties and build resilience for future challenges.

Practicing gratitude can be as simple as keeping a gratitude journal, where we write down things for which we are grateful. This simple act can help us to focus on the positive aspects of our life, to appreciate what we have, and to not take things for granted.

In conclusion, gratitude is more than just a polite thank you. It is a powerful tool that can transform our lives, improve our health, enhance our relationships, and build resilience. By practicing gratitude, we can shift our focus from what we lack to the abundance that is already present in our lives. The power of gratitude lies in its ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, to turn what we have into enough, and to remind us that the best gifts in life are often the ones we already have.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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Be Grateful Essay

Gratitude can change your life by teaching you to appreciate what you have rather than what you don't. Experiencing gratitude is a wonderful way to improve our lives. It describes the attitude of being grateful and showing appreciation for all the good things in life. Here are a few sample essays on ‘Gratitude’ for students of all classes can refer while writing their school assignments and projects.

100 Words Essay On Gratitude

200 words essay on gratitude, 500 words essay on gratitude.

In today’s uncertain times, being grateful for one’s surroundings is imperative. In the pursuit to move ahead in life, we often forget to express gratitude. This leads to a degree of dissatisfaction in one’s life. Being grateful can mean different things to different people; for some, it may involve expressing gratitude and for others, it may include writing their feelings or verbalising their feelings. Gratefulness allows a person to have a free mind and operate from a position of abundance, it changes the frame of mind. Greater happiness is consistently and firmly linked to gratitude. It is what enables people to appreciate experiences, feel more positive emotions, improve their health, and build solid relationships.

Practising gratitude can be a life changing experience if practised actively. Operating from a mindset of being grateful and counting your blessings puts you in a position of power in any interaction you might have. When you are experiencing gratitude, you express your appreciation for something or someone in your life by being kind, pleasant, and generous in various ways. Being grateful in life is essential because it helps people to appreciate and balance the good and bad while working to improve each day over the last one.

How To Feel Grateful | The first step to being grateful is to realise how we are a product of our surroundings, we are a product of our work and the work we actively put into developing ourselves. It is difficult to be grateful for your own actions and yourself. Once you develop the habit of gratitude consciously within yourself, you shift your world view and allow yourself to be aware of the progress you are making. As with everything, this practice needs time to be cultivated to your being. One of the most effective ways of developing this habit is by journaling your thoughts and identifying times where you are grateful to yourself and to others. As time passes, this will become second nature to you which will allow you to be at peace with yourself.

The key to leading a happy, fulfilling life is to practise gratitude. Even when you feel like nothing positive has occurred, consider the less complicated aspects of life, such as having a meal, a bed to sleep in, or even waking up to a new day. When life becomes too difficult, being grateful might help you direct your attention toward something more uplifting and lighten your load.

How To Practise Gratitude

There are many approaches for us to express our gratitude. Making a list of every positive thing that occurs to us each day is among the most beneficial ones. Also, it's important to take note of who is responsible for it. This will make it easier for you to repay the favour at the proper moment. Don't forget to reciprocate the favour since they deserve it as well.

3 Things Each Day | Every day, make it a habit of writing down 3 things that you are grateful for. It could be anything small or big. You don't have to elaborate but just recall at the end of the day any 3 things that made you happy. For instance—friends, family and nature.

Appreciate Daily Comforts | We don’t realise what we have until we lose it. We often take our everyday comforts for granted and that is why it’s important to recognise and appreciate what you have— a warm bed to sleep in, a healthy body, family to come home to. It's remarkable what you notice when you give gratitude your full attention.

Create A Journal Of Gratitude | It is more probable that we will notice nice things as they happen if we make a commitment to write down pleasant things every day. So, make a ritual of writing down in your gratitude journal weekly or bi-weekly.

Advantages Of Gratitude

Gratitude frees us from toxic, unfavourable feelings and the rumination that frequently goes along with them. Our attention is "shifted" when we write a letter, enabling us to concentrate on pleasant feelings.

Writing a gratitude letter has advantages that get stronger over time. Daily or weekly practices may not immediately yield results, but after a few weeks and months, it will.

Gratitude encourages appreciation and lessens comparisons. We stop comparing ourselves to others when we are grateful. As a result, it assists in our acceptance of our own successes and blessings and promotes contentment.

Things I Am Grateful For

It was only during the time of COVID-19 pandemic that I came to realise what it felt like to be grateful. I expressed my appreciation for my family and friends for being there every step of the way. I contracted COVID-19 and it took me quite some time to recover. My family, even though, could not be in close proximity, took care of me and made sure I was feeling better at the end of the day. My friends video called me every day and spent time with me virtually. I also realised how I took everyday comforts for granted—such as shelter, good food, clothes. People were struggling to make their ends meet during the pandemic and I had the comfort of staying at home and also earning a living. It was after 2020 that I started maintaining a gratitude journal and also contributed to society through social work.

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A Conservation Architect is a professional responsible for conserving and restoring buildings or monuments having a historic value. He or she applies techniques to document and stabilise the object’s state without any further damage. A Conservation Architect restores the monuments and heritage buildings to bring them back to their original state.

Structural Engineer

A Structural Engineer designs buildings, bridges, and other related structures. He or she analyzes the structures and makes sure the structures are strong enough to be used by the people. A career as a Structural Engineer requires working in the construction process. It comes under the civil engineering discipline. A Structure Engineer creates structural models with the help of computer-aided design software. 

Highway Engineer

Highway Engineer Job Description:  A Highway Engineer is a civil engineer who specialises in planning and building thousands of miles of roads that support connectivity and allow transportation across the country. He or she ensures that traffic management schemes are effectively planned concerning economic sustainability and successful implementation.

Field Surveyor

Are you searching for a Field Surveyor Job Description? A Field Surveyor is a professional responsible for conducting field surveys for various places or geographical conditions. He or she collects the required data and information as per the instructions given by senior officials. 

Orthotist and Prosthetist

Orthotists and Prosthetists are professionals who provide aid to patients with disabilities. They fix them to artificial limbs (prosthetics) and help them to regain stability. There are times when people lose their limbs in an accident. In some other occasions, they are born without a limb or orthopaedic impairment. Orthotists and prosthetists play a crucial role in their lives with fixing them to assistive devices and provide mobility.

Pathologist

A career in pathology in India is filled with several responsibilities as it is a medical branch and affects human lives. The demand for pathologists has been increasing over the past few years as people are getting more aware of different diseases. Not only that, but an increase in population and lifestyle changes have also contributed to the increase in a pathologist’s demand. The pathology careers provide an extremely huge number of opportunities and if you want to be a part of the medical field you can consider being a pathologist. If you want to know more about a career in pathology in India then continue reading this article.

Veterinary Doctor

Speech therapist, gynaecologist.

Gynaecology can be defined as the study of the female body. The job outlook for gynaecology is excellent since there is evergreen demand for one because of their responsibility of dealing with not only women’s health but also fertility and pregnancy issues. Although most women prefer to have a women obstetrician gynaecologist as their doctor, men also explore a career as a gynaecologist and there are ample amounts of male doctors in the field who are gynaecologists and aid women during delivery and childbirth. 

Audiologist

The audiologist career involves audiology professionals who are responsible to treat hearing loss and proactively preventing the relevant damage. Individuals who opt for a career as an audiologist use various testing strategies with the aim to determine if someone has a normal sensitivity to sounds or not. After the identification of hearing loss, a hearing doctor is required to determine which sections of the hearing are affected, to what extent they are affected, and where the wound causing the hearing loss is found. As soon as the hearing loss is identified, the patients are provided with recommendations for interventions and rehabilitation such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and appropriate medical referrals. While audiology is a branch of science that studies and researches hearing, balance, and related disorders.

An oncologist is a specialised doctor responsible for providing medical care to patients diagnosed with cancer. He or she uses several therapies to control the cancer and its effect on the human body such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy and biopsy. An oncologist designs a treatment plan based on a pathology report after diagnosing the type of cancer and where it is spreading inside the body.

Are you searching for an ‘Anatomist job description’? An Anatomist is a research professional who applies the laws of biological science to determine the ability of bodies of various living organisms including animals and humans to regenerate the damaged or destroyed organs. If you want to know what does an anatomist do, then read the entire article, where we will answer all your questions.

For an individual who opts for a career as an actor, the primary responsibility is to completely speak to the character he or she is playing and to persuade the crowd that the character is genuine by connecting with them and bringing them into the story. This applies to significant roles and littler parts, as all roles join to make an effective creation. Here in this article, we will discuss how to become an actor in India, actor exams, actor salary in India, and actor jobs. 

Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats create and direct original routines for themselves, in addition to developing interpretations of existing routines. The work of circus acrobats can be seen in a variety of performance settings, including circus, reality shows, sports events like the Olympics, movies and commercials. Individuals who opt for a career as acrobats must be prepared to face rejections and intermittent periods of work. The creativity of acrobats may extend to other aspects of the performance. For example, acrobats in the circus may work with gym trainers, celebrities or collaborate with other professionals to enhance such performance elements as costume and or maybe at the teaching end of the career.

Video Game Designer

Career as a video game designer is filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. A video game designer is someone who is involved in the process of creating a game from day one. He or she is responsible for fulfilling duties like designing the character of the game, the several levels involved, plot, art and similar other elements. Individuals who opt for a career as a video game designer may also write the codes for the game using different programming languages.

Depending on the video game designer job description and experience they may also have to lead a team and do the early testing of the game in order to suggest changes and find loopholes.

Radio Jockey

Radio Jockey is an exciting, promising career and a great challenge for music lovers. If you are really interested in a career as radio jockey, then it is very important for an RJ to have an automatic, fun, and friendly personality. If you want to get a job done in this field, a strong command of the language and a good voice are always good things. Apart from this, in order to be a good radio jockey, you will also listen to good radio jockeys so that you can understand their style and later make your own by practicing.

A career as radio jockey has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. If you want to know more about a career as radio jockey, and how to become a radio jockey then continue reading the article.

Choreographer

The word “choreography" actually comes from Greek words that mean “dance writing." Individuals who opt for a career as a choreographer create and direct original dances, in addition to developing interpretations of existing dances. A Choreographer dances and utilises his or her creativity in other aspects of dance performance. For example, he or she may work with the music director to select music or collaborate with other famous choreographers to enhance such performance elements as lighting, costume and set design.

Social Media Manager

A career as social media manager involves implementing the company’s or brand’s marketing plan across all social media channels. Social media managers help in building or improving a brand’s or a company’s website traffic, build brand awareness, create and implement marketing and brand strategy. Social media managers are key to important social communication as well.

Photographer

Photography is considered both a science and an art, an artistic means of expression in which the camera replaces the pen. In a career as a photographer, an individual is hired to capture the moments of public and private events, such as press conferences or weddings, or may also work inside a studio, where people go to get their picture clicked. Photography is divided into many streams each generating numerous career opportunities in photography. With the boom in advertising, media, and the fashion industry, photography has emerged as a lucrative and thrilling career option for many Indian youths.

An individual who is pursuing a career as a producer is responsible for managing the business aspects of production. They are involved in each aspect of production from its inception to deception. Famous movie producers review the script, recommend changes and visualise the story. 

They are responsible for overseeing the finance involved in the project and distributing the film for broadcasting on various platforms. A career as a producer is quite fulfilling as well as exhaustive in terms of playing different roles in order for a production to be successful. Famous movie producers are responsible for hiring creative and technical personnel on contract basis.

Copy Writer

In a career as a copywriter, one has to consult with the client and understand the brief well. A career as a copywriter has a lot to offer to deserving candidates. Several new mediums of advertising are opening therefore making it a lucrative career choice. Students can pursue various copywriter courses such as Journalism , Advertising , Marketing Management . Here, we have discussed how to become a freelance copywriter, copywriter career path, how to become a copywriter in India, and copywriting career outlook. 

In a career as a vlogger, one generally works for himself or herself. However, once an individual has gained viewership there are several brands and companies that approach them for paid collaboration. It is one of those fields where an individual can earn well while following his or her passion. 

Ever since internet costs got reduced the viewership for these types of content has increased on a large scale. Therefore, a career as a vlogger has a lot to offer. If you want to know more about the Vlogger eligibility, roles and responsibilities then continue reading the article. 

For publishing books, newspapers, magazines and digital material, editorial and commercial strategies are set by publishers. Individuals in publishing career paths make choices about the markets their businesses will reach and the type of content that their audience will be served. Individuals in book publisher careers collaborate with editorial staff, designers, authors, and freelance contributors who develop and manage the creation of content.

Careers in journalism are filled with excitement as well as responsibilities. One cannot afford to miss out on the details. As it is the small details that provide insights into a story. Depending on those insights a journalist goes about writing a news article. A journalism career can be stressful at times but if you are someone who is passionate about it then it is the right choice for you. If you want to know more about the media field and journalist career then continue reading this article.

Individuals in the editor career path is an unsung hero of the news industry who polishes the language of the news stories provided by stringers, reporters, copywriters and content writers and also news agencies. Individuals who opt for a career as an editor make it more persuasive, concise and clear for readers. In this article, we will discuss the details of the editor's career path such as how to become an editor in India, editor salary in India and editor skills and qualities.

Individuals who opt for a career as a reporter may often be at work on national holidays and festivities. He or she pitches various story ideas and covers news stories in risky situations. Students can pursue a BMC (Bachelor of Mass Communication) , B.M.M. (Bachelor of Mass Media) , or  MAJMC (MA in Journalism and Mass Communication) to become a reporter. While we sit at home reporters travel to locations to collect information that carries a news value.  

Corporate Executive

Are you searching for a Corporate Executive job description? A Corporate Executive role comes with administrative duties. He or she provides support to the leadership of the organisation. A Corporate Executive fulfils the business purpose and ensures its financial stability. In this article, we are going to discuss how to become corporate executive.

Multimedia Specialist

A multimedia specialist is a media professional who creates, audio, videos, graphic image files, computer animations for multimedia applications. He or she is responsible for planning, producing, and maintaining websites and applications. 

Quality Controller

A quality controller plays a crucial role in an organisation. He or she is responsible for performing quality checks on manufactured products. He or she identifies the defects in a product and rejects the product. 

A quality controller records detailed information about products with defects and sends it to the supervisor or plant manager to take necessary actions to improve the production process.

Production Manager

A QA Lead is in charge of the QA Team. The role of QA Lead comes with the responsibility of assessing services and products in order to determine that he or she meets the quality standards. He or she develops, implements and manages test plans. 

Process Development Engineer

The Process Development Engineers design, implement, manufacture, mine, and other production systems using technical knowledge and expertise in the industry. They use computer modeling software to test technologies and machinery. An individual who is opting career as Process Development Engineer is responsible for developing cost-effective and efficient processes. They also monitor the production process and ensure it functions smoothly and efficiently.

AWS Solution Architect

An AWS Solution Architect is someone who specializes in developing and implementing cloud computing systems. He or she has a good understanding of the various aspects of cloud computing and can confidently deploy and manage their systems. He or she troubleshoots the issues and evaluates the risk from the third party. 

Azure Administrator

An Azure Administrator is a professional responsible for implementing, monitoring, and maintaining Azure Solutions. He or she manages cloud infrastructure service instances and various cloud servers as well as sets up public and private cloud systems. 

Computer Programmer

Careers in computer programming primarily refer to the systematic act of writing code and moreover include wider computer science areas. The word 'programmer' or 'coder' has entered into practice with the growing number of newly self-taught tech enthusiasts. Computer programming careers involve the use of designs created by software developers and engineers and transforming them into commands that can be implemented by computers. These commands result in regular usage of social media sites, word-processing applications and browsers.

Information Security Manager

Individuals in the information security manager career path involves in overseeing and controlling all aspects of computer security. The IT security manager job description includes planning and carrying out security measures to protect the business data and information from corruption, theft, unauthorised access, and deliberate attack 

ITSM Manager

Automation test engineer.

An Automation Test Engineer job involves executing automated test scripts. He or she identifies the project’s problems and troubleshoots them. The role involves documenting the defect using management tools. He or she works with the application team in order to resolve any issues arising during the testing process. 

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STUDENT BLOG

6 Reasons Why I'm Grateful for My School

Mai Bucheeri

14 December, 2021

From extracurricular to academics, my school has assisted me in exploring a multitude of skills and activities. As a result, I am thankful for school since it has helped me discover my passions, pushed me to seek new experiences, and altered my personality. I am grateful for:

1 - MY GROWTH IN CONFIDENCE

As a child, I struggled with confidence and social awkwardness. On the other hand, participating in activities in school provided me with the opportunity to meet other students who shared my hobbies and interests. I gradually transitioned from an introverted position to a more social one through increasing interaction, making new acquaintances and gaining confidence. I can’t thank my school enough for having such a positive impact on my personality.

Furthermore, the activities I have participated in at school have provided me with leadership opportunities, competitions, and partnerships. For example, serving as vice president of the Student Council taught me to be a leader and take command.

2 - MY TEACHERS

The education process, which we started by learning to read and write, continues throughout life. We complete these processes with our teachers. As a result, I would like to thank everyone, especially my teachers, whose efforts I can not ignore. The people who have built me into the person I am. As a school teacher and as an educator who had the power to influence my mind to a great extent. Thank you to all teachers that created an environment of enthusiasm for learning, appreciation for growing and room for making mistakes along the way.

3 - MY FRIENDS

I am grateful to my friends for being there for me in my happy and challenging times. The ones that stood by my side and supported me in every decision I made. I am grateful for being able to cry with them over an exam we didn’t do well on. I am thankful to them for making my school experience memorable and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

4 - MY EXPOSURE TO DIVERSITY

My school had an incredibly diverse community which taught me about acceptance. I discovered that not everyone speaks the same language, dresses the same way, or eats the same foods at break time. I graduated from high school as a global citizen, interacting with people from many backgrounds and perspectives.

5 - MY LIFE LESSONS

My school did more than just teach me the academic curriculum. It gave me lessons in life that I would not have learned at home. But, it aided in my development as a responsible global citizen. For example, you can become or achieve anything if you work extremely hard and put all of your efforts into it.

6 - MY IBDP CURRICULUM

I never anticipated feeling grateful for my IBDP curriculum because it is a lot of work and sometimes more than a student can handle. But, I am aware that the quantity of work I had to complete during the last two years of school cannot be compared to the amount of work I would be assigned during college. Even though it required me to pull all-nighters, I am grateful for the knowledge and abilities I received from my subjects.

It is painful to know that my school life is coming to an end and that a new chapter of my life will begin. However, I believe that school truly prepared me for my future chapters. As a result, I am prepared to embark on my new journey.

Are you passionate about creative writing? Are you interested in being a Springring Student guest blogger? Reach out to us at  [email protected] . We'd love to have you on board!

Do you know someone who loves to write? Refer a friend who has a way with words! Their voice deserves to be heard.

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A student at Naseem International School. Independent and determined. I am curious and love to explore and discover new things. My curiosity, helped me gain new knowledge, and is the main factor in building my personality. As an extrovert, I love communicating & meeting new people.

Common Application Essay Option 4—Gratitude

Tips and Strategies for the 2021-22 Common App

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• Ph.D., English, University of Pennsylvania
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• B.S., Materials Science & Engineering and Literature, MIT

One major change to the Common Application in the 2021-22 admissions cycle is the addition of a new essay prompt. Option #4 now reads, "Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?"

This new prompt replaces the earlier question about solving a problem : "Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma--anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution." Keep in mind that colleges and universities still want to learn about students interested in solving significant problems, and you still have the "Topic of Your Choice" option if you feel your essay would fit well under the former option #4.

According to Common App , the new prompt serves a couple purposes. First, it replaces a prompt that wasn't very popular among college applicants. More importantly, it gives applicants the opportunity to write about something positive at a difficult time in world history. Rather than write about significant problems, challenges, and anxieties, the new prompt #4 invites you to share something heartfelt and uplifting.

The Importance of Gratitude and Kindness

During the college application process, it's easy and tempting to focus entirely on your personal accomplishments: good grades, challenging AP courses, leadership experiences, athletic ability, musical talent, and so on. Even community service can sometimes come across as focused on your self—hours spent to bolster your application credentials.

Gratitude, however, is a largely selfless feeling. It's about your appreciation for someone else. It's recognizing that your growth and success wouldn't be possible without others. When you express gratitude, you aren't saying "look at me!" Rather, you are appreciating those who have helped you become you.

The folks at Common App have expressed that the new prompt allows students to write about something positive. This is true, but the prompt serves a bigger purpose in the admissions selection process. Highly selective schools end up rejecting thousands of well-qualified applicants, and those decisions will often come down to questions of character rather than GPA and SAT scores.

Think of it this way: when a college is choosing between two students who are academically strong and impressive on the extracurricular front, they will choose the student who seems to be the most kind and generous. Admissions officers are building a campus community with their admissions decisions, and they want to create a community filled with students who appreciate others, build each other up, and recognize the contributions of peers, staff, and professors. They want to admit students who will be kind roommates, collaborative lab partners, and supportive team members.

Chris Peterson, an assistant director of admissions at MIT, wrote a blog post in which he identified three essential qualities for getting into one of the world's most selective schools: do well in school, pursue your passion, and be nice. He notes that this last quality "cannot be overstated." MIT is not a Common Application member, but the point applies perfectly to the value of prompt #4. A winning essay doesn't say "me, me, me!" It shows that you are not only an accomplished person, but also someone who knows how to say "thank you."

Breaking Down the Essay Prompt

Before crafting your essay on prompt #4, it's essential to understand everything that the prompt is asking you to do as well as what it is not asking. The prompt is just 28 words long:

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

The prompt has several important elements to consider.

"Reflect"

The very first word in the prompt is one of the most significant. "Reflect" means much more than "write about" or "describe." When you reflect on something, you look inward and reveal self-awareness. You employ critical thinking skills to explain why something is important. Reflection is an act of self-discovery as you examine what you have learned and why it was meaningful.

Here's a quick example:

Unreflective writing: Coach Strauss always taught the team the value of hard work. We practiced hours every day regardless of the weather. The coach's strategy paid off when we won the state championship. The effort we put in wasn't always enjoyable, but the team's success showed that the path to success requires sacrifices.

Reflective writing: I used to resent those miserable and seemingly endless soccer practices in the rain or even snow. Looking back, I now recognize the value of what Coach Strauss was teaching the team. To succeed, we need to work through small obstacles. We need to persevere even when motivation is hard to find. We need to recognize that we always have room for improvement, and we need to support each other as we work towards that goal. I can now see that her lessons were about much more than soccer, and thanks to her I am not just a better athlete, but a better student, peer, sister, and community member.

The first example describes the writer's soccer experience. Nothing in the passage looks inward to analyze the importance of Coach Strauss to the writer's personal awareness and development. The second passage succeeds on this front—it expresses gratitude for Coach Strauss and the way that her lessons helped the writer grow.

"Something" and "Someone"

A nice feature of the Common Application is that all of the essay prompts are designed to give you a lot of latitude in how you respond. The words "something" and "someone" in the new prompt #4 are deliberately vague. You can write about anyone and anything. Possible choices for the person you focus on include

• A teacher who helped you realize your potential or see the world in a new way.
• A coach who taught you valuable skills.
• A family member whose support, love, or guidance helped you become the person you are today.
• A peer who was always there for you in challenging times.
• A student you mentored or tutored who ended up teaching you something valuable in the process.
• A member of your church or community who had a meaningful and positive impact on your life.

The wording of the prompt implies that the "someone" is a living person, so you'll want to avoid writing about an author, God, a pet, or a historical figure (but feel free to use prompt #7 for these topics).

As you think about the "something" that the person did for you, make sure it is meaningful. It needs to be something that has changed you in a positive way.

"Surprising"

When the prompt states that you should write about something that has made you "happy or thankful in a surprising way," don't get too hung up on that word "surprising." This doesn't mean that you need to be shocked or overwhelmed by whatever it is that a person did for you. Don't think of the term "surprising" as something that made you speechless and caused an adrenalin rush. It does not need to be something earth-shattering or even unusual. Rather, the "surprise" can simply be something that expanded your world view, made you think about something you hadn't considered before, or caused you to appreciate something new. Some of the best essays focus on something small or subtle that changed you in a meaningful way.

"Gratitude"

The essay's focus on "gratitude" and thankfulness means that you absolutely must show appreciation for someone other than yourself. One main purpose of this essay, in fact, is to show that you recognize the contributions that others have made to your personal journey. Be generous. Be kind. Show that you value the people who have made you into the person you are.

"Affected" and "Motivated"

Here's the tricky part. Essay #4 is all about recognizing someone else and showing gratitude for the way in which that person has enriched your life. That said, every college application essay needs to be about you. The admissions folks aren't really interested in learning about someone else. They are interested in learning about the student they are considering for admission.

This means you have a careful balancing act to perform with essay option #4. You need to write about the person who contributed to your life in a meaningful and surprising way, but you also need to be introspective and present why that person was so important to you. What did you learn from the person? How did you grow? How did that person change your world view, strengthen your convictions, help you overcome an obstacle, or give you a new sense of direction?

When you answer questions like these, you are writing about yourself. The true goal of this essay is to show that you are a grateful, kind, thoughtful, introspective, and generous person. The focus isn't so much on the person you are writing about, but your ability to cherish that person.

Avoid These Mistakes

You can write about anyone who was important to you, and your gratitude can be for something large or small as long as it affected you in a meaningful way. There are, however, several mistakes you want to avoid when responding to the prompt:

Don't display ego . Prompt #4 is about acknowledging the important contributions others have made to your life, so a boastful or egotistical tone will be entirely out of place. If at its heart your essay says "Coach Strauss helped make me into the award-winning national champion I am today," you've missed the mark.

Do more than describe . Make sure you "reflect" and explore how the person "affected" and "motivated" you. A winning essay needs to be thoughtful and introspective. If you spend the entire essay describing the person who has made you grateful, the admissions folks won't get to know you better and your essay won't have done its job.

Don't be clever with the "someone." Write about a real living human being who has enriched your life in a direct way. Don't write about yourself, God, Abe Lincoln, or Harry Potter. You also don't want to write about a sports idol or musician—while they may have influenced you, they didn't actually do something specifically "for you."

Attend to the Writing

Never forget that your Common Application serves not just to help the admissions folks get to know you, but also to show that you are a capable writer. No matter what your major is, a significant part of your college GPA is going to stem from writing. Successful college students can write clear, engaging, error-free prose. You'll want to pay careful attention to your essay's style , tone, and mechanics. At a highly selective university with more qualified applicants than can be admitted, the difference between an acceptance and rejection can come down to some glaring grammatical errors in the essay.

If you aren't confident in your writing ability, seek help. Have multiple people read your essay. Get feedback from parents and peers, Even more valuable will probably be feedback from your high school counselor and English teacher, for they have more experience with personal essays.

A Final Note for Common Application Option #4

This essay prompt can be approached is so many different ways, but at its heart, the essay needs to accomplish one thing: it needs to show that you are the type of person the college wants to join their campus community. Make sure you come across as someone who is kind, generous, and thoughtful. Show that you care about good writing by crafting an engaging essay that is free of any significant errors. Finally, don't be afraid to let your personality shine. Don't hold back (within reason) if you are a quirky or humorous person. The essay needs to sound like you.

• The 2021-22 Common Application Essay Prompts
• Tips for Writing an Essay on an Event That Led to Personal Growth
• 2020-21 Common Application Essay Option 4—Solving a Problem
• Common Application Essay Option 6: Losing Track of Time
• Common Application Essay Option 3 Tips: Challenging a Belief
• Common Application Essay on a Meaningful Place
• Common Application Essay Option 2 Tips: Learning from Failure
• "Grandpa's Rubik's Cube"—Sample Common Application Essay, Option #4
• Common Application Essay, Option 1: Share Your Story
• Topic of Your Choice: Common Application Essay Tips
• Tips for an Admissions Essay on an Influential Person
• How to Ace Your University of Wisconsin Personal Statements
• Ideal College Application Essay Length
• 5 Tips for a College Admissions Essay on an Important Issue
• Tips for the Pre-2013 Personal Essay Options on the Common Application
• A Sample Essay for Common Application Option #7: Topic of Your Choice

Gratitude Essay

500+ words essay on be grateful.

During difficult times, it’s easy to feel frustrated or drained by life. Negative feelings and thoughts can creep in, which can make it difficult to see the positive things in life. However, one simple practice of gratitude can help to eliminate these feelings. We take a look at the importance of being grateful through this being grateful essay. Students can also use this essay to practise more essays on similar topics like gratitude, being grateful, being grateful etc. Doing so will improve their writing section and increase their scores in the English exam.

What is Gratitude?

The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. The word gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation or thanks. It is defined as “a sense of thankfulness and joy in response to receiving a gift, whether the gift is a tangible benefit from a specific other or a moment of peaceful bliss evoked by natural beauty”. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives.

There are different ways of expressing one’s thanks. Gratitude is one such emotion. People feel and express gratitude in multiple ways. Some of them apply it to the past by retrieving positive memories and being thankful for elements of childhood or past blessings. Some people are grateful for the present as they do not take good fortune for granted. Some people show gratitude for the future as they hope for a better future and maintain an optimistic attitude.

Importance of Gratitude

Gratitude enhances the quality of life and makes existence more worth living. It opens the human heart and carries the urge to give back-to do something good in return, either for the person who helped us or for someone else. It establishes social harmony and creates an environment where everyone is appreciating and providing support to each other. It also improves the quality of personal lives and strengthens the bond with family and friends. Expressing gratitude keeps us happy, healthy and stress-free.

Feeling grateful reminds people of a joyous event, and expressing gratitude to others often strengthens relationships. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. When we are grateful for others, we do not compare ourselves with others based on their financial situation or other factors, we simply appreciate their achievements. Thus, it helps in elevating the feeling of comparison, jealousy and hate. Being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or supreme power.

How to Practise Gratitude

Everyone can benefit from making an effort to practise gratitude in day-to-day life. It can be achieved simply by paying attention to the good things that happen to us. We must appreciate and accept the importance of everything in nature and our surroundings. Also, we should not forget to return the favour at an appropriate time. Whenever possible, we should thank the people around us, who make our lives comfortable, such as washermen, gardeners, security guards, sweepers, delivery men, etc. We should make a habit of thanking God when we wake up in the morning and before sleeping at night.

Gratitude is the best way to return the favour to God, nature, society, friends and relatives for the thousands of good deeds that they do for us.

We hope students must have found this “Essay on Gratitude” useful for their studies. To access more study material and get the latest updates on CBSE/ICSE/State Board/Competitive exams, keep visiting BYJU’S. Also, download the BYJU’S App for interactive study videos.

Frequently asked Questions on Gratitude Essay

How to show gratitude towards others.

You can show gratitude by thanking people who help you and being courteous and friendly. You can iInvite people over for lunch/dinner to thank them for something they did for you. Always listen intently to what others are saying to show appreciation and care.

Why is showing gratitude so important?

Psychologists show that there is a positive impact on the brain and body of people who show gratitude.

What are the benefits of showing gratitude?

Showing gratitude helps in emotional regulation by reducing stress and burnout. It also increases your mental resilience because you are able to build meaningful relations with others.

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Home Essay Samples Life

Gratitude Essay Examples

An essay on gratitude can be an excellent opportunity to reflect on the things in life that we often take for granted. It’s a chance to acknowledge the people, experiences, and things that have made a positive impact on our lives. If you’re struggling to get started, here are some gratitude essay examples and tips to help you craft a perfect essay on gratitude.

One way to approach an essay on gratitude is to reflect on specific instances where you’ve experienced gratitude in your life. For example, you might write about a time when someone went out of their way to help you or when you received unexpected kindness from a stranger. These examples can help you illustrate the power of gratitude in our lives and show how it can change our perspective on the world.

Another approach is to write about the benefits of gratitude. Research has shown that practicing gratitude can improve mental health, boost happiness, and even enhance physical health. You can explore these benefits in your essay and provide examples of how you’ve experienced them in your own life.

If you’re a college student, consider writing a gratitude college essay. In this essay, you can reflect on how college has shaped you and the opportunities it has provided. You might write about a professor who inspired you or a project that challenged you in new ways. By expressing gratitude for your college experience, you’ll be able to showcase your growth and appreciation for the opportunities you’ve had.

Overall, an essay on gratitude can be a powerful tool for personal growth and reflection. By exploring gratitude in your life, you’ll be able to recognize the good things that are often overlooked and find ways to cultivate more gratitude in your daily life. Use the gratitude essay examples and tips above to craft a perfect essay on gratitude and let your gratitude shine through your words.

The Power Of Gratitude In Our Lives

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Being Thankful And Expressing Gratitude

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Gratitude: Knowledge of Giving Thanks in Life

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Gratitude and the Act of Giving on Valentine's Day

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Thank You Day: Remembering the Feeling of Gratitude

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How Can the Virtue of Gratitude Enchanse Your Career Growth

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What Practicing Gratitude Taught Me

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Best topics on Gratitude

1. The Power Of Gratitude In Our Lives

2. Being Thankful And Expressing Gratitude

3. Gratitude: Knowledge of Giving Thanks in Life

4. Gratitude and the Act of Giving on Valentine’s Day

5. Thank You Day: Remembering the Feeling of Gratitude

6. How Can the Virtue of Gratitude Enchanse Your Career Growth

7. What Practicing Gratitude Taught Me

8. How the Power of Gratitude Can Change Your Life

9. Living with Gratitude: Opening the Door for Self-Improvement

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Essence of Gratitude: The Power of Appreciation

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Published: Sep 7, 2023

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A season of gratitude

The grateful life

Harvard experts say gratitude is not only beneficial for individual health, but also for the wellbeing of society.

Saying thank you.

Members of the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine Class of 2023 took a moment to thank those who helped them most.

Read the Harvard Gazette article

To my father, whose left leg was afflicted with polio: Thank you for teaching me what it means to be a man and to walk with dignity.” William Mbongo

I want to thank my mom and my grandmothers, who have taught me that women are powerful." Logan Beyer

Mommy, I want you to know I have the privilege of putting on this white coat and feeling like a superhero because of you." LaShyra “Lash” Nolen

Living gratefully during a pandemic

Finding gratitude in challenging times

On the “Harvard EdCast” podcast, Kristi Nelson says we should determine what things are essential and stay connected to those, while figuring out how to let the rest go.

Kristi Nelson : The big challenge right now is how not to take anything for granted. Because I think this is what we’re learning is, there’s so much uncertain. There’s so much that we used to have that we don’t have anymore, so much is unpredictable. And I think this whole idea of returning to what really matters, remembering what matters the most to us. I think that’s how we live gratefully during a pandemic, is knowing what’s essential, being connected to those things and figuring out how to bless and release the rest of it. Just for now, knowing that we have to learn to adapt to changing circumstances and cultivate the interior approach to life, that will give us the gratification we’re looking for, not look for it from outside circumstances.

Jill Anderson : So I imagine a lot of people have been asking about, how you actually do that and put that into action during this year.

Kristi Nelson : Well, I really consider every moment a grateful living practice, right? So it’s not just gratitude as we’ve typically known it, which tends to be super fleeting and very conditional and transactional for the most part, right. So how do we get gratitude? It’s Oh, well I’ve got exactly what I want. So I feel grateful. I got what I needed, I feel grateful. And I think it’s something else which is really to appreciate the most basic things. And I’ve been talking a lot with people about if we can become rooted literally in being grateful for the breath, just our very basic ability to breathe and not take that for granted, because we know that it could be otherwise and around us, a lot of people who used to be able to breathe on their own can no longer breathe on their own, right?

So COVID is a huge teaching about what we can lose. And so how do we take the most basic simple things in our lives, and wrap those things in our gratitude, wrap those things. So having the ability to walk, having the ability to get outdoors at all, having technology, having electricity. Just seeing all of the ordinary things in our lives as extraordinary, that’s the sure-fire way to feeling grateful all the time, is see everything as an amazing gift that you didn’t use to have some people don’t have. You might never have at some point again, and we can’t count on things. So when we have them savor them, treasure them, relish them.

Jill Anderson : Why do people seem to have such a hard time doing that?

Kristi Nelson : That’s the million dollar question. I really honestly think it has to do with the culture that we live in and the messages that we get. And especially in economic systems that rely on commerce, we become consumers and we have this idea that if we only had more or better or different than we would be happier and we’d be more grateful. But the truth is, I think the people who are happiest if you travel around the world, it’s not always more that makes us happy. And yet we forget that. We get caught in the trance of consumption. We get caught in that hamster wheel of everything, more status, more degrees, more stuff. And I think it takes us away really from what matters. So I do think it’s quite culturally bound. And I also think that we can therefore unlearn it.

We can cultivate something different by being conscious of the ways that those messages are impacting us all the time, and the ways that we are being subjected to images and messages that make us envious covetous. And we want more and we want something different and there’s this new thing. And even in the pandemic that hasn’t shifted, having things is still pitched as something to aspire to. And yet what we know really matters is being close to the people we love, staying connected to our hearts. The things that really, really matter. Our values, those things are unconditional and those things we can access any time.

Jill Anderson : This may seem like a silly question to ask, but I keep thinking, are there people out there who are just good at gratitude other cultures? That type of thing. Is this something you really need to learn how to do?

Kristi Nelson : Some of us are raised by parents who have a much higher degree of being grateful for what they have. And so that’s inculcated in us, that’s a benefit to grow up that way. And to be taught that the simple things really matter. That it’s who you are, not what you have that matters and how you are that matters. Those are really beneficial. And then also of course, culturally, it’s something that we can learn and we can practice all the time, for sure. And lucky are the people who know that being grateful is the path to happiness. That happiness doesn’t make us grateful, right. So that’s something we say all the time, if you’re not grateful for what you have and you don’t learn that, and it really is learned to shift your orientation, to change your gaze, to experience things differently.

And that happens often with wake-up calls Jill, right? People… You can have things that happen that absolutely wake you up. So you’re more grateful for everything. And so it is learned, it’s learnable. And sometimes another cultures Buddhism is really about simple living and about appreciating what’s here and now in the moment, much more. We tend to be future-oriented, we kind of lose the moment for the future. I think there’s lots of ways to learn this, but I think being really awake to what matters, which is with COVID is offering us the opportunity to do for sure, this pandemic. Can we be awake all the time much more to what really matters, because we can’t count on anything so much right now. The old things that you could expect are no longer in play in the same way.

So it’s a good idea to be awake and not need a wake up call. I love saying that because wake up calls are scary and wake up calls can be hard, and we don’t want to have to lose or almost lose the things that matter most to us to know that they matter.

Jill Anderson : Right. But that often seems like what happens, right?

Kristi Nelson : It is.

Jill Anderson : I’m wondering if there’s a way to cultivate gratitude through education and what that might look like?

Kristi Nelson : Well, we have a lot of teachers who are really interested in teaching from a grateful place. And certainly if you’re a professor or a teacher, it helps to ground yourself in your own practice. So boy, there’s so much about education that we can appreciate. And it’s so easy to take it for granted. I think part of it is the mindset that we go into teaching with and that we go into learning with. And we can start classes and start our learning experiences, really registering what a privilege it is to have education, what an extraordinary gift it is. And how precious it is to have these moments where we’re learning and to create a construct around a learning experience, that really values learning and values teaching. And recognizes that in a relative frame of things, we’re incredibly lucky to have access to education period. And there’s lots of ways to help teach students about that.

Jill Anderson : How about teaching young children gratitude? Why is that important and how do you do that?

Kristi Nelson : The reason it’s important is because the absolutely most content joyful, generous people are the most grateful people. If you look around, it’s pretty verifiable that if you see people who are really grateful for everything that they have, grateful to be alive, grateful for a roof over their heads, grateful for food on their table, grateful for family, for friends, for love, grateful for every… you just see that all and wonder, and that’s the pathway to happiness. So it’s important to teach it because if you raise children from an early age, having that framework for happiness is really about being grateful for what you have and not being always caught by covetousness and consumption. You’re going to have happier kids and they’re going to be more generous. They’re going to be more… There’s so much research about gratitude now, more altruistic behaviors and more compassionate behaviors.

And how we do that, I think is as parents making sure that our way of going through our life is not taking what we have for granted. And watching our own behavior because of course, what do kids learn? They learn from what they see and hear not from what they’re told. So how do we, ourselves as parents model that contentment, that simplicity is enough rather than being run by scarcity and insatiability in some way. So we can teach a lot, taking moments to stop to really recognize the gift of a beautiful meal, to understand it, to deconstruct it a little bit, to talk about it, to start our days with gratitude, with kids, to end our days with gratitude with kids. And to punctuate moments throughout the day, where you really ask kids about what they’re grateful for and about what they could lift up in their awareness, that they could be more grateful for.

What do you want to be more grateful for? Teaching them about tending and appreciating what they have rather than wanting more. And I think that’s a really powerful lesson for all of us, honestly.

Jill Anderson : Yeah. I think a lot of adults, myself included struggle with this. I’m wondering what’s a simple, accessible exercise that people can do to help cultivate gratitude and gratefulness that is easy to stick with?

Kristi Nelson : Yeah, absolutely. So there’s this practice that our founder Brother David Steindl-Rast, he kind of came up with kids, it’s stop, look, go and which we do when we’re crossing the streets and all that stuff, so they kids know that. But it really is about stopping and learning to notice. So I’ll tell you a teeny bit about this and then I’ll tell you a very simple practice that I think really helps with perspective enhancement, but stop is really slowing down pausing awareness. So like literally so many families at Thanksgiving say grace before their meal, or just appreciate the food and talk about whether it’s an indigenous blessing or some kind of cultural blessing from your past or… It’s not about being religious. It’s about seeing the act of being able to eat and having food as sacred, as profound as a gift, not something to be taking for granted because a lot of people don’t have the food that we do. And we could have those moments of stopping and appreciating before we do things way more.

So stop look go is kind of stop, pause, become aware, notice, notice what you’re grateful for and notice the opportunity and then do something with it. So before you take a bath, before you brush your teeth, just take a second and pause and notice when you turn on the water that water comes out, notice that there’s hot water and cold water. Literally. I mean, these are not small things and it’s not just about saying, Oh, you know, some people somewhere don’t have it. It’s like if we lose power, we’re so grateful for electricity. The rest of the time we forget it, we completely forget it and we take it for granted. Lose power for four days and then get it back. You’ll appreciate electricity a lot more. And you won’t take it for granted for about a day. And then you can take it for granted again.

So here’s one little exercise that I think people of all ages can do. And this is I think a really important one and it’s about changing our language, and therefore changing our experience of our lives. And it’s something that we call seeing our responsibilities instead of burdensome as privileges and as opportunities. So when I’m doing workshops or I’m working with people, I have people write down, think of five things you have to do before you go to bed tonight. And I can usually write a list of 20 things. And I have lists all around me right now on my desk, all the things I have to do and it’s a Friday. So it’s all the things I want to do before the weekend I have to do, I have to do. And I feel that as a burden. And then cross those words I have to out and put, I get to.

So, I get to write this email. I get to go to this meeting. I get to have a conversation. I get to complete a project. I get to run an errand. I get to make dinner for my kids. And that one shift is so profound, it can change literally kind of everything, both in how you experience as a parent, the responsibilities of being a parent and how kids experience the responsibilities of being a kid. It’s really profound because then when you say, you know what? You get to do homework. Not everybody gets to do homework, not everybody… And it’s really just putting yourself in a larger frame of reference, a larger vantage point. A higher level perspective. It’s all about perspective enhancement. Everything I’m talking about to me is about perspective enhancement and learning that perspective is something that we are in charge of absolutely almost all the time.

And yet we lose it, we get it back. We lose it, we lose it. We get… So it’s a continual practice of gaining perspective and enriching our perspective. And that’s a very intentional practice.

Jill Anderson : I love that because it does, it automatically just makes you look at everything differently. Nothing feels like a burden and suddenly feels like a privilege, right? If you just start thinking, I get to.

Kristi Nelson : Yeah, it’s pretty stunning because when we really don’t take life for granted, then we know that there are a lot of people who would give anything for what we have. And they’re no longer here. And in COVID a lot of people are losing their lives. A lot of people are in hospitals. There’s people who would give anything to be able to get up out of a bed and walk into another room, but they can’t. So it’s like, how do we forget in our moments what huge privileges and opportunities these are that we have every single day of our lives. And we don’t want to wait for these wake up calls that are so serious, in order to really fully appreciate what’s immediately at our disposal, what’s available to us.

Jill Anderson : In your work, what have you discovered about people that makes it so challenging to kind of stick with this change perspective?

Kristi Nelson : I think one of the biggest things is dividing the world up into wrong and writing good and bad. It sounds so super simplistic, but those of us who are beleaguered by judging our emotional experiences and sorting them into, this is an okay feeling this is a bad feeling as opposed to kind of befriending and embracing whatever we feel, like trying to really create a bigger space for self-acceptance and self-compassion. And the people who have the hardest time, I think are people who are really driven. People who are… The more kind of opinionated we are, the more besieged we are by standards of kind of where we’ve bought into something outside ourselves. And we’re really subject to the external influences around us.

That makes it really harder because the more that we think that it’s all about our circumstances, that happiness is all about our circumstances or gratitude is all a better circumstances. Oh, I’ll be grateful when, or I’ll be happy when, I mean, I think the pursuit of happiness has really put us into some funny thing where it’s like, I’ve got to have that stuff and it’s all out there. And I think people think of gratitude really similarly. And I think of it as really much more of an inside job or an orientation. And so the more that we’ve put those things outside of us that are going to make us happy, the harder it’s going to be to really accept how profoundly it really is an interior orientation to how we go through life.

Jill Anderson : Do you think gratefulness builds resilience?

Kristi Nelson : Oh yeah. If we recognize that we can really cultivate that experience of being grateful in most, every moment of our lives. Not for everything that happens, but all of our moments, then it’s something to return to as a baseline it’s always there. And the truth is all kinds of really hard things can happen. But think about the people who say, wow, it could have been worse. I got a really terrible car accident, but it could have been worse. Or this is a really hard thing, but I’m luckier than a lot of people. Or, wow, I had a really hard day this too shall pass. There’s so much for me to be grateful for. Look, I’m still alive, even though I’m not connected to it. I can feel that there’s love in my life and there’s enough in my life. I can connect with things that are gifts and that I can experience wonder about and appreciation of.

When we have the ability to do those things and those are really learned and gratitude, I think is a deep reinforcement of them. Then resilience is that organic outcome. I think it makes us much more adaptable, much more flexible. We have a returning place. We have a place to keep returning, which is wow, life is a gift. It is precious and it is fleeting. I’m here right now. What am I going to do about that? It could be otherwise it could always be otherwise. And when we forget that it’s not morbid, it’s just really remembering that life is a femoral that it’s unpredictable, that it’s uncertain for all of us. And we’re reminded of that now, but it’s always been true. Always been true.

Jill Anderson : Oh, Kristi. Thank you so much for finding the time to talk to me.

Kristi Nelson : Oh joy. Thank you. It’s been a real pleasure Jill, thank you.

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Essay About Being Grateful: 5 Examples Plus Prompts

Looking at life in a more appreciative way is key to success and happiness. Read this guide if you want to write an essay about being grateful.

Keeping a positive outlook on life can be challenging in a world where we constantly hear bad news. However, it is important to stop focusing on the negative and become more grateful for what we have.

Being grateful is a principal practice to follow to live a healthy, productive life. Even when you feel like nothing good has happened, think of the simpler aspects of life, things as commonplace as having a meal, a bed to sleep on, and even waking up to another day. Being grateful can help you focus your energy on something more positive, lightening your load when life gets too heavy. 

If you want to write an essay about being grateful, here are some essay examples for inspiration. 

For help with your essay, check our round-up of best essay writing apps .

1. 7 Things That I Am Grateful For. What About You? by Steve Spring

2. how gratitude can help you through hard times by robert emmons, 3. feel and express gratitude by dr. hyder zahed, 4. the importance of being grateful by deborah jepsen, 5. choose to be grateful. it will make you happier. by arthur c. brooks, 1. what is gratitude to you, 2. what are you grateful for, 3. why should you be more grateful, 4. is gratitude still “good” even if you don’t mean it, 5. why has gratitude become such a hot topic.

“I have a lot to be grateful for. If I had been born in another time or place my life might have been very different. I might not have had been blessed with the life I have now. I have an amazing life. It is great to be focused on my goals and trying to improve my life…But, I need to make sure that I am taking some time to be grateful for everything and everyone that I have in my life. If you want to be happy you need to learn to be grateful. What are you grateful for today?”

Spring lists seven things he is grateful for and explains why he is thankful for each. These include his home, food, and, most significantly, the mistakes he has made in the past. He provides excellent insight into why he is grateful for these seemingly basic items and does an excellent job of justifying his points. Ultimately, the takeaway from this article is that while life is not perfect, we always have a lot to be grateful for. Gratitude is a choice.

“Being grateful is a choice, a prevailing attitude that endures and is relatively immune to the gains and losses that flow in and out of our lives. When disaster strikes, gratitude provides a perspective from which we can view life in its entirety and not be overwhelmed by temporary circumstances. Yes, this perspective is hard to achieve—but my research says it is worth the effort.”

This essay reflects on being grateful even when experiencing tough times. It is easy to be grateful when all is well in our lives.

Robert Emmons suggests performing a comparison between good times and bad times. You may then realize that your situation is better than you thought. He also says that rather than thinking about a difficult time or a particular challenge in a negative light, we can think about it in the sense that it has helped us grow, making it something to be grateful for. 

Embracing gratitude can be a challenge in itself, but it is ultimately self-serving. Being grateful makes you count your blessings and makes you feel good.

“For, whatever you genuinely feel grateful for, you will have multiply in your life. Think about it, if you gave a gift to another and that person told you, ‘I am so grateful for the gift. I can’t believe how kind you were to give it to me. You have made me so very happy,’ you’d want to give that person another gift. So you could be feeling genuinely appreciated while at the same time bring a little happiness to another.”

Zahed, in his essay, reminds us to be grateful for everything that contributes to our happiness and wellbeing, no matter how small. Similar to Emmons, he also discusses turning sorrow and disaster into something to be grateful for, in a sense. Being grateful is a commitment that we must choose to enhance our lives. It’s all about how you measure your success.

“Gratitude promotes optimism and helps us to develop a more positive outlook. It lets us pause for a moment to reflect on something we have in our life right now instead of always striving for more … the next goal, the new dress, the new toy, the new car, or the house renovation …Gratitude is simply cultivating a genuine appreciation for what we already have.”

From a more scientific perspective, Jepsen discusses the health benefits of gratitude, both psychological and physical. Gratitude makes us more optimistic and helps us reflect on what we have rather than constantly wanting more. She also encourages readers to share their appreciation with others, even through something as simple as a smile. 

“Be honest: When was the last time you were grateful for the spots on a trout? More seriously, think of the small, useless things you experience — the smell of fall in the air, the fragment of a song that reminds you of when you were a kid. Give thanks.”

This opinion piece by Arthur C is similar to the other works on this list. Brooks encourages readers to choose gratitude. He says that acting grateful can help you feel grateful and that being grateful can uplift the mood of those around us. Gratitude offers benefits for the individual and the collective. Finally, he says to find gratitude in everything, no matter how small it is. 

Essay Prompts About Being Grateful

Consider how you were introduced to the concept of gratitude as a child. Was it discussed with you, and were you encouraged to express gratitude, or is it something you have come to understand and appreciate in adulthood? How do you personally feel about being grateful? Are there any experiences in which you wish you acted more gratefully? Explore gratitude through your own experience.

As illustrated by Steve Spring, it can be beneficial to list the things you are grateful for and maybe discover a few more you had not considered along the way. Categorize aspects of your life and the parts for which you are grateful. You could then perform a comparison with someone from a different background or country and speculate on how your lists may differ. Finally, consider how quickly a person’s life can change. Should tragedy befall you, would you still be able to find things to be grateful for?

This angle allows you to showcase inspirational examples of the benefits of gratitude. Why is it important to be grateful and maintain a positive outlook on life? And what do people get out of it? The essay examples above offer excellent sources for this prompt. There are measurable benefits.

Some would say it is important to show gratitude even if you don’t mean it sincerely. Others argue that it would be worse to be insincere. What do you think? Does insincerity qualify as gratitude, even if you try to be polite or act kindly to spare someone’s feelings? Or is genuine gratitude something else altogether? If we cannot offer sincere thanks, are we actually being grateful?

In recent times people are talking more about the benefits of gratitude and researching to prove its merits. The popularity of gratitude journaling is vast; you can purchase bespoke gratitude journals to record your thoughts on the topic daily and even take a course to learn how to do it. Investigate where this trend originated and examine how it has been embraced throughout society.  

If you’d like to learn more, in this guide our writer explains how to write an argumentative essay .

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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Essay on Gratitude

#1 Essay on Gratitude Towards Parents

#2 essay on gratitude towards teachers, #3 essay on gratitude towards friends, #4 essay on gratitude towards god, #5 essay on gratitude towards school, #6 essay on gratitude day.

Gratitude is one of the most underestimated ways anyone can use to enrich their lives. It is the feeling and attitude of appreciation and thankfulness for the good that we receive in life.

Scientists have proven that when we express our gratefulness towards other people, we tend to feel happier, calmer and as a result, it opens up more channels for goodness to enter into our lives.

Imagine going through a day where strangers smile at you, greet you, and people hold the door open for you, and more importantly, you feel that this world is full of kindness and people are willing to help you without expecting any return. How would that make your day?

The best part about being grateful and to live a good life, you can do not have to wait for people to do good to you, instead, be the first one to act and express your thankfulness to them, especially your parents.

Why Do You Need To Show Gratitude Towards Parents

Robert Emmons, one of the world’s leading scientist and expert on the subject of gratitude reveals that feeling grateful have many benefits for your body, mind, and relationships, especially towards your parents.

You have to understand that your parents are the closest people you have when you were young and they are the ones that you spent the most time with. Well, this may not be true for everyone, but it is true for the majority of the people out there.

Kindness and success start from home. Another important point to remember is that you will someday become a parent too. And thus, how you treat your parents will somehow leave an impact on your relationship between you and your children.

If you are grateful for your parents and always be thankful for the good that they have brought into your life, you will feel the same when you become a parent.

What Are The Best Ways To Express Your Gratitude Towards Parents

There are plenty of ways how you can express your gratitude and thankfulness toward your parents. One of the easiest and most effective ways is to just say “Thank you”.

When your parents cook a meal for you, when they help you solve a problem, when they do something for you, when they guide you, when they buy you a new shoe, when they give you money to live, do not forget to say thank you.

Another good way to express your gratitude towards your parents is to spend more time with them and accompany them. You do not have to wait until when their hair turns gray or when they are 80 years old only to spend your time with them. Remember how your parents spend their time and life nurturing you, feeding you and making sure that you grow up becoming who you are today? Do the same and take good care of your parents, this is one of the best ways to express your thankfulness to them.

Some people express their gratitude through composing a song, some write thank you letters, some show it through hugs and kisses, and some bring their parents for vacation. What about you?

Regardless of what you do to show your gratefulness towards your parents, the key is to make sure that you do it before time runs out.

• huffingtonpost.com/dr-hyder-zahed/feel-and-express-gratitude_b_11304630.html
• sbnonline.com/article/why-it-is-so-important-to-express-gratitude-in-your-business/
• greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_gratitude_is_good
• philstar.com/sunday-life/506384/what-best-way-show-gratitude-your-parents

As you might already know, expressing your gratitude towards people is something that will not only enrich your life but also enrich the lives of the one you express your thanks to.

Studies have shown that expressing your gratefulness toward someone has many benefits including raising your self-esteem, making you happier, and also giving you a sense of fulfillment in life.

And when it comes to showing your appreciation, one of the most important figures you should be thankful for will be your teachers. Most people who practice writing gratitude lists often miss out their teachers in the list because they only interact with their teachers in school. And after they get into the working world, materials and people around them are their main focus.

Do you know that teachers are the people who you spend the most time with besides your parents and friends? More importantly, a teacher’s mission is to educate you and make sure that you learn what you are supposed to learn in school. Their mission also often intertwined with life and inspirational lessons to motivate you to succeed in life.

Take Les Brown, the motivational speaker as an example. In his motivational speech, he often quoted the person who inspired and changed his life, his teacher, Leroy Washington. Brown was born poor and was labeled as “educable mentally retarded”. Despite the fact that Brown was a slow learner, his teacher never abandoned him, instead, he inspired him by telling young Brown, “Never let someone’s opinion of you become your reality”.

As you can see, your teachers play an important role in shaping who you are today. You are where you are right now because of the influence of your teachers. Regardless of whether your teachers have positively impacted your life, you should feel grateful for them at all times.

There are plenty of ways how you can express your gratefulness toward your teachers, including:

1. Write a thank you essay to your teacher. Show your appreciation through words and this is not a test, hence, write with an open heart and sincerity.

2. Buy a best-selling book for your teacher. Somehow, teachers should love to read and always pursue for improvement, be it in career or at life, right?

3. Show your appreciation by doing homework and follow the advice from your teachers. This is one of the easiest ways to show your gratitude towards your teacher. Just do your best and excel in school.

4. Say a simple “Thank you”, after every class. This small and simple act will profoundly change your teacher’s life.

5. Remember your teacher’s birthday and buy him or her a gift as a token of appreciation. And your teacher will remember you for the rest of his or her life.

The above are just some of the ideas on how you can show your thankfulness towards your teacher. It is not the idea that matter, the key is that you do something that your teacher will remember and receive your appreciation. Even if it is as tiny as a simple “thank you”, your teacher will feel it.

As students, many teachers and educators will pass through your life without remembrance. Therefore, starting from now on, do something and to express your gratitude to the people have guided you in life.

There is an old saying, “A friend in need is a friend indeed”, and friends hold a special place in our heart as they are the ones who will always be by our side whenever we need them. We simply cannot live in this world all by ourselves without friends.

Thus, it is important to express our appreciation toward our friends, especially those who have helped us when we needed them. There are many types of friends, some you will want to keep no matter the situation, some you will want to leave or spend less time with, and some are good for social and sharing.

Writing an appreciation essay or letter to express your gratitude toward your friend is not something new. In fact, it has been around for ages and a lot of people are using this method to show their gratitude and build better and more intimate relationship with the people they spend their time with. You do not really have to follow any format when writing the essay to your friends. They are your best friends, they know you and they will accept whatever you good you are trying to tell them.

However, no matter how informal you are, you have to be sincere in writing it. You will lose the point of the gratitude letter if you sound fake and are not serious. All you need to do is to express how you feel about them. Tell your friends how much thankful you are and how much they meant to you in your life.

Besides that, to make your gratitude letter more powerful, you can include a small gift with it. It can be a keychain, a pen, a book, or even just a mint, your friend will appreciate your effort even more. You do not have to wait for the right and perfect moment to do this. If you seriously are grateful for your friends right now, take out a piece of paper, and write down your thoughts and thank them.

There are many blessings that come from being grateful for the good things we enjoy in life. And everyone has their own religion in their hearts. Deep within you, you believe in something, a higher power, a God, or something that has the power to create the world. Simply put, God wants us to learn to be grateful and thankful for all the gifts He has created for us.

This is not only about being spiritual, in fact, science has shown that people who are grateful for their Gods tend to be healthier and happier. You have probably heard the saying, “Count your blessings”, and do you know that when you literally count your blessings, you will increase your emotional and mental health? When people are not grateful, they tend to complain and blame everything and everyone. This is a negative act that will destroy your life. When you think something negative in your mind, you will feel stress, anxious, frustrated, and also angry. This will directly affect your health.

Therefore, learn to be grateful for everything in your life, especially God, the higher power that created you and everything else in the world. When you show your appreciation, you will access a calmer state, you will feel more peaceful and this makes you feel good about yourself, and your life.

One very simple act of showing your gratitude toward God through praying. Depending on what religion you believe in, everyone prays differently. The method how you pray does not really matter, the key is that you are sincere in showing your gratefulness. Furthermore, you can practice writing a gratitude list. Just write down whatever things that you want to be grateful for. It can be your cat, your dog, your house, your wife, your children, your boss, the air you are breathing, the computer you have, or whatever you can think of. Feel the appreciate and express the gratefulness deep within you.

School is one of the most important places in our lives because it is where almost everyone spends the most of their time there. It is a place that is meant to nurture us, guide us, and equip us with the necessary knowledge to prepare for the world. Everyone has their own unique memories about their school, some were meaningful and nostalgic, some were funny, and some were embarrassed.

Whatever thoughts and memories you have about your school, it does not really matter now as you have gone through it and the past will remain history forever. You simply cannot change that, but there is one thing that you can do that will impact your future life, and it is to show your gratitude toward your school and your teachers.

Schools are great places where young people get together and learn not just academically, but also about friendship, teamwork, leadership, life, and also love. On average, a normal person about 12 to 20 years in a classroom and this is where we learn to interact with others and this is also where our characters and attitudes started to grow.

So how can you show your appreciation toward your school and be grateful for what you have gone through? Well, you can start with two parts. First, you can show your gratitude toward your school by helping your school. You can make a donation when you have extra money or you can spend time into helping your school such as cleaning or repainting the building.

Next, you can also show your gratitude by writing appreciation letters to your teachers. You set a good example of being a grateful person by expressing your thoughts and let the new young generation to follow. There are plenty of ways how you can contribute to your schools and teachers. When you have the sincerity, the ideas will automatically come to you.

What is a Gratitude Day? It is a day to show appreciation for all things, big and small. Gratitude Day was first celebrated in 1965, and it was officially adopted by the United Nations Meditation Group and recognized as a day where people from around the world and from all walks of life show their gratefulness on whatever things in life.

Studies have shown that people who are grateful for the things they have and the life they are living right now are happier, calmer, and able to perform and achieve more. According to the Law of Attraction, the more you appreciate what you have, the Universe will give you more of it. For example, if you appreciate and are grateful for the money you have, you will have more of it.

So how can you celebrate this day and make it meaningful and interesting? First, you can take a moment to appreciate your family tree. Pay attention to your family members, notice how they have supported you in the past, and then express your gratefulness to them. Tell your family how much you love them. Buy a gift for them if you want to.

Next, be thankful for your community. From the server at your local restaurant, the policemen, the nurse, to the baker down the street in your neighborhood, say thank you to them. Give and show your gratitude to them. And do not forget about your friends too. Your friends are an important part of your life because you have gone through the thick and thin with them.

Besides that, thank yourself for being who you are right now and for whatever you have had in your life. When you appreciate yourself, you will have more confidence and thus, able to accomplish more. When you show your gratitude toward the things you have in life, you will appreciate them and in return, you will live an abundant life.

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Education Articles & More

Three ways to cultivate gratitude at school, when fear and divisiveness cast a shadow over our schools, gratitude may help us see the good. here are three gratitude practices you can share with students..

I have to admit that writing about gratitude right now feels trite to me. In the face of profound educational inequities, boiling political tensions, racial conflicts, gun violence, and loss of life, should schools really ask kids and teachers to learn to say, “Thanks”?

Yet the simplicity of gratitude belies how powerfully it seems to function. Recent studies indicate that gratitude practices like counting your blessings or writing about things you are grateful for can actually improve your physical and mental health—and enhance your willingness to trust others.

If you take a look at the gratitude research conducted in schools and colleges to date, you will see evidence that gratitude may contribute to a greater sense of social support , school belonging , and satisfaction with the school experience , while lessening students’ stress and depression.

Sometimes it may feel like a struggle to find something positive to note—particularly for kids in your class who might be facing genuine threats to their well-being (like chronic abuse, neglect, or systemic inequality). Rather than blindly encouraging them to “look on the bright side,” researchers Jeffrey Froh and Giacomo Bono suggest listening deeply, empathizing, and acknowledging their feelings. This can help them cultivate resilience, which—along with other qualities like self-compassion and hope—could help plant the seeds for gratefulness.

We should also bear in mind that culture, race, socioeconomic status, and religious background may influence the way students and colleagues express and practice gratitude. If you don’t know how and for whom the students in your class typically express gratitude, why not ask, as a first step toward cultivating gratitude in your class?

You could even have your students go home and interview their families about the ways they like to express gratitude, what they feel grateful for, and times when they think gratitude is appropriate. Then have them return to class and report on their interviews. This activity encourages curiosity while opening the door to a wider discussion of cultural differences. It also provides an opportunity for students to share practices or rituals that everyone could try.

We recently added three research-based gratitude practices for students to our Greater Good in Action site. They might be used to help your students build their gratitude skills.

1. Three Good Things

Are you witnessing more restless energy and frustration in your classroom this spring? You may be struggling for your students’ attention and wondering how you can set a more positive tone over the last few months of school.

Three Good Things for Students asks kids to record positive things that happen to them each day. The key to this activity is not just identifying rewarding experiences, but also considering how or why they happened.

Three Good Things for Students

Help students tune in to the positive events in their lives

For example, a student begins by acknowledging how hard she worked on her math homework (the good thing), but she also digs deeper to answer the questions, “How did I accomplish that? What exactly did I do?” (the explanation). If time allows, students can also share at least one good thing with each other to reinforce positive thinking.

In a study of around 600 students ages 8 to 11, the group who wrote about Three Good Things for a week reported being happier afterward and three months later, compared to the group who just journaled about their daily experiences.

2. Gratitude Letter

This exercise provides prompts for writing a letter of thanks to someone and giving it directly to that person. Ask your students to think of all the people at school who have been kind to them this year, choosing one particular person to recognize (e.g., another student, a custodian, a teacher).

One study followed children and adolescents as they wrote and delivered a Gratitude Letter. Compared to writing about daily events, the Gratitude Letter worked well for students who had started out low in positive emotions; they felt better afterward and even two months later.

Gratitude Letter for Students

Help students write a letter of thanks and deliver it in person

You might also consider the power of students sharing notes of thanks with each other in the classroom setting or publicly acknowledging school staff in an assembly. These are more powerful than simple thank you notes, because all writers share them in person and have the opportunity to surprise their benefactor by reading their letter aloud.

3. Gratitude Journal

Of course, a letter-writing activity or brief exercise may not have the same power as a more sustained practice. It’s easy for kids (and us!) to focus on the negative. In fact, we’re wired with a negativity bias that serves as a form of self-protection. We look out for both real and perceived threats to our emotional or physical safety (a shove, an insult, even a smirk from a peer).

If you are hoping for a more sustained shift in perspective among students and staff at your school, consider using gratitude journals. The Gratitude Journal for Students provides a simple structure for slowly shifting one’s perspective toward the positive. Students regularly track good things that happen in their lives, like finishing all of their homework or getting extra time to spend with a good friend.

Gratitude Journal for Students

Help students count their blessings and enjoy school more

In a recent study, students in sixth and seventh grade who completed Gratitude Journals daily (for only two weeks) ended up being more satisfied with their school—even three weeks afterward—than students who didn’t do any journaling. Compared to students who journaled about their hassles, these students also felt less negative emotion, greater satisfaction with their home, and more optimism.

Of course, teachers and staff can benefit from gratitude practices, too. Check out this article on building trust among staff; it features two gratitude activities you might use during a staff meeting. You can also learn about “ gratitude boards ” and a “ behind your back ” activity where teachers (or students) celebrate each other’s strengths.

I know a fourth-grade teacher who took time each day to have students write down things they were grateful for throughout her school year. The students found themselves more aware of good things over time—and actually looking out for them. “Is this going to be one of our gratitudes for the day?” students asked, as a member of their group celebrated a success or they spotted one student helping another.

“When you are grateful, your heart is open—open towards others, open for surprise,” says David Steindl-Rast , a Benedictine monk who spent his teen years under the Nazi occupation. “Because gratitude expresses courage, it spreads calm.” It takes courage to admit that you depend on other people, which is one of the things that can happen when we thank someone. Gratitude is an alternative to fear of other people. It can help us to feel less alone with the problems we face.

About the Author

Amy L. Eva, Ph.D. , is the associate education director at the Greater Good Science Center. As an educational psychologist and teacher educator with over 25 years in classrooms, she currently writes, presents, and leads online courses focused on student and educator well-being, mindfulness, and courage. Her new book, Surviving Teacher Burnout: A Weekly Guide To Build Resilience, Deal with Emotional Exhaustion, and Stay Inspired in the Classroom, features 52 simple, low-lift strategies for enhancing educators’ social and emotional well-being.

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Teaching and Modeling Gratitude in Elementary School

Lessons in gratitude help students develop social awareness, a key component of social and emotional learning.

As a teacher, I aim to live life like a role model, and I teach students to do the same. I model kindness and gratitude in what I say and do.

The remarkable gift of gratitude makes a deep impact on our well-being, as it alters our perspective and leads us to live a life full of abundance and joy. Gratitude is a way of being for me. It is a part of how I think, feel, see, and experience the world.

Every interaction with students is an opportunity to intentionally uplift them through our kindness, gratitude, and empathy. By making their day a brighter one, we can make a positive impact in their lives and a warm imprint on their hearts.

It’s important to share with our students how they can live a life of gratitude. These lessons can have an even greater impact during hard times when things seem bleak.

4 Ways to Model and Teach About Gratitude

1. Encourage gratitude to peers. Every morning, students begin their day with a soft start to ease into our space by doing choice activities such as building, making things, reading, drawing, or playing games together. Before they put things away, they are always encouraged to thank classmates they spent time with. This builds a sense of gratitude for quality time spent and sends them into their day feeling appreciative and appreciated.

Similarly, anytime students work with a partner or in small groups, they are reminded to thank their partners.The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework asserts that this helps to develop students’ social awareness in “understanding and expressing gratitude.” What a gift it is to learn and be together!

2. Explicitly demonstrate and model gratitude during Community Circle. After our soft start, we always meet in our Community Circle. By making a small shift in the language, you can incorporate gratitude. For example, on Mondays, instead of asking students to share a highlight from their weekend, I ask them to share something they are grateful for from the weekend.

Also, each week, we practice sharing gratitude on Thankful Thursdays. Here, we choose a different focus each time. Some examples are: what are we thankful for in ourselves, family, friends, nature, water, or how we feel in our class.

Community Circle time gives me a phenomenal opportunity to regularly share my appreciation for how much I love being their teacher, how thankful I am for who they are, and how grateful I am for the fun and joy we have together each day. Every day, we experience heartwarming, reciprocal feelings of being seen, heard, valued, and appreciated. What a gift it is to be their teacher!

3. Express gratitude for leadership qualities as classroom management. In my first years of teaching, I used to call the names of students who were yet to follow expectations, which made it a negative interaction. Later in my career, I would say, “I like the way [insert name] is sitting quietly,” in order to encourage compliance from others who were not yet ready. But when I learned that students are not there to please me, I changed my words to explicitly and specifically thank students for things like their gift of attention, for being ready to learn, and for working diligently toward their best.

I discovered that one of the most effective means for classroom management was to notice, name, and nurture the positive behaviors I wanted to see by expressing gratitude. So I now thank students for being leaders. I say, “Thank you for being a leader by doing the right thing (or for being a role model).” It’s a simple change in my choice of words in the form of gratitude. I give positive attention to those who are responsible and respectful. The others quickly notice and fall in line.

I truly believe all students have leadership qualities. If you search for a list of leadership skills, children already have many of these. It’s up to us to showcase, cultivate, and appreciate them. I wrote a blog post called “ The Gift of Leadership ” about the five aspects of developing these skills in the classroom. We need to see their potential first, believe in them, nurture their potential, explicitly teach leadership skills, and provide opportunities for them to showcase these skills.

Students love being called leaders. In fact, when they notice others demonstrating leadership skills, they now will say to each other, “Thank you for being a leader!” It brightens the room and brings a smile to faces every time. What a gift our contribution is to improve classroom culture!

4. Share gratitude in feedback. My routine for feedback regularly begins with an expression of gratitude. I love to recognize students for their effort and dedication to their learning and growth. Whether it is feedback on their writing, a math assignment, or an assessment, anytime I provide written or verbal feedback, it includes a statement of gratitude.

This appreciation goes a long way in nurturing their well-being and hard work ethic for future learning. What a gift it is to have students who love to work hard!

Generously Give the Gift of Gratitude

The gift of gratitude is as much for others as it is for you. Think about how warm your heart feels to express and receive appreciation. These positive feelings help to provide an optimal culture for learning, growth, and well-being that brings joy and appreciation to everyone in your classroom community.

Gratitude is meant to be shared, so express it and give it freely and generously. The more grateful you are for the many gifts you discover, the more plentiful and joy filled your life will be.

Essay on Gratitude

Gratitude is the feeling that compels you to return a favour and express gratefulness. It could arise for anyone – God, society, persons, animals, etc. In the essays below we will cover various topics on gratitude to help you understand the subject deeply.

Short and Long Essays on Gratitude in English

You can select anyone of the essays given below as per your requirement.

Gratitude Essay 10 Lines (100 – 150 Words)

1) When people help us, the return thankful feeling for them is called gratitude.

2) “Gratus” is the root origin of the word gratitude which means thankful.

3) Gratitude helps in maintaining a good relationship.

4) Accepting and giving gratitude both make people happy.

5) Gratitude can be shown to family, friends, instructors, nature, animals, or God.

6) Gratitude encourages the helping nature in society.

7) Gratitude creates peace, unity, and harmony in society.

8) Gratitude helps us to remain happy by improving our quality of living.

9) Helping is a positive quality of humans that needs to be appreciated through gratitude.

10) Humans should always be grateful for life, resources, and help.

Essay on Gratitude 1 (250 Words) – Meaning and Importance of Gratitude

Introduction

We all hear the word ‘gratitude’ too often in normal conversations or while reading a book, etc. In this essay, we will discuss the definition of gratitude and its importance.

What is Gratitude

In a lay man’s term, gratitude is the quality of expressing gratefulness to someone for an act of kindness or help. It is the same quality that lets you remember the kindness someone has shown for you and urges you to return the favour.

If you feel an urge to help back someone who has helped you; this feeling or longing is nothing but gratitude. It is only gratitude that compels you to say thank you or send a thank you note to your teacher.

Gratitude can be expressed to living beings as well as to God and nature. We can express our gratitude to the nature for providing us so many essential things – water, air, food, etc.

Importance of Gratitude

Gratitude is a very important quality that improves the quality of life, making the existence more sensible. It establishes social harmony and induces an environment where everyone is appreciating each other and providing support.

It also improves the quality of our personal lives and strengthens our bonds with family and friends. In a family where everyone is grateful to everyone, has a deep emotional attachment.

Gratitude is the best way to return the favor to society, nature, God, friends, relatives, and relatives for thousands of good things all of them have done to us.

Essay on Gratitude 2 (400 Words) – Advantages of Gratitude and How to Practice It

Gratitude is the feeling to be grateful for an act of kindness done onto you by someone. Being grateful also means that you should be willing to return the favour in whatever way possible. In the essay below we will go through some of the benefits of gratitude and the ways to practice it.

Advantages of Gratitude

Gratitude has several benefits on your personal as well as social life. I have listed below some of the important benefits of gratitude for your knowledge :

1) Strengthens Relationship

Gratitude strengthens your relationship with others. Being thankful is a wonderful feeling and an experience that strengthens the bonds between both the parties. It improves the trust factor and the feeling of being respected and acknowledged.

2) Makes You Happy

The quality of gratitude also makes you feel happy. When you express gratitude or receive it from someone, in both cases you feel happy for doing something good or for something good that has been done to you. Persons with gratitude are known to have reduced stress.

3) Makes the Society Sensible

A society that expresses gratitude for each other is the happiest and sensible society. People are considerate and never leave a chance to be thankful for others. A sensible society is bound to make progress in the right way.

4) Reduces Comparisons and Promote Acknowledgement

When you are thankful for others you don’t compare them on the basis of their financial status or other factors. You are just thankful to everyone and appreciate their achievements.

How to Practice Gratitude

There are some effective ways to practice gratitude that I will list below-

• Make note of every good thing that happens to you every day and who was responsible for it.
• Plan to return the favour at an appropriate time.
• Appreciate everything – nature, animals, and plants around us and acknowledge their importance.
• Say thanks to various community helpers – washerman, gardener, policeman, sweepers, etc, whenever possible.
• While waking up every day, thank God for such a beautiful day.
• Thank God again for all the day’s ordeals that have made you wiser and stronger.
• Refrain from complaining about something or someone.

Gratitude is a wonderful and the most beautiful feeling that strengthens human psychology and society as well. A society where everyone is grateful is the happiest and the loveliest of all.

Essay on Gratitude 3 (500 – 600 Words) – Types of Gratitude and Their Use

Gratitude is that quality in you that lets you be thankful to someone for help. Showing gratitude means showing appreciation to the person who has helped you and be kind in return. It is a very important quality of humans and is essential when it comes to social recognition and harmony.

Types of Gratitude

There could be different types of gratitude depending on to whom it is expressed and for what; however, the basic feeling behind gratitude is the same in most cases and it is to be thankful.  Below I have mentioned some types of gratitude to the best of my understanding.

1) Gratitude Expressed to a Person

This is the gratitude that you express in your everyday interaction with others. We do a number of activities every day and interact with several people – colleagues, co-passengers, community helpers, etc. We interact with several parsons in a day and sometimes couldn’t even recall the nature of it. Many persons might be doing a simple act of kindness on us for which we should be thankful.

You should be thankful to that co-passenger of yours who shifted his/her seat so that you don’t have to travel standing or that vegetable vendor who just gave you extra vegetable; or a colleague who helped you in a critical meeting. These all are examples of simple acts of kindness that we should be grateful for. A simple thank you in return will do but what is more important is that you should remember their kindness and spread it.

2) Gratitude to the Almighty

This type of gratitude is expressed to God for all the good things happening in your life and the abundance of life providing elements around you. We should be thankful to the almighty for everything he has given us – food, water, air, soil, mountains, flowers, animals, waterfalls, clouds, etc the list could go on and on.

The point is that we should be thankful to God for giving us such a beautiful planet that abounds in food and beauty. We can express our gratitude to God by thanking him with folded hands before every meal or trying not to damage the beautiful earth or to harm any of the creatures that the almighty has created for us. We need to understand that the more we will be grateful to nature and God, the more they will shower us with abundance.

3) Gratitude to Family and Friends

This kind of gratitude is expressed to the closest people around you – family, friends, etc. They play an essential role in your life by giving love and support. It wouldn’t be able to go through the ups and downs of life, without the support of your family and friends. We should always keep this in mind and be grateful to our close ones.

Though they might not help us every day, they sure help us at times when we need help the most. We must always keep this in mind and be willing to return the gratitude when time demands. Sometimes, our physical presence and guidance, suggestions, etc might just be enough to return the favor. Being grateful to family and friends is an act that strengthens not only your personal relationship but also results in a happy and content society.

Gratitude is the most important human expression that proves that humans are sensible and have emotions. Not only humans but sometimes animals are also seen as expressing gratitude and returning a favor, which is as beautiful as it is surprising. We must always express gratitude whenever required and must also return the gesture whenever the opportunity arises.

FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions

Ans . Gratitude is the value that makes us feel thankful to others for their help.

Ans . Gratitude is a unique quality because it fills us with positivity and makes us happy.

Ans . We can express our gratitude to thank god and nature for providing us everything we need.

Ans . Gratitude is a powerful quality as it helps in strengthening the bond of relationships.

Ans . Gratitude has the power to turn every refusal to approval and therefore is a secret of happiness.

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Essays on Gratitude

<span data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">We all feel gratitude sometimes, but how does one define it for purpose of a gratitude essay? Most essays on gratitude explain it as follows: if something turned out to be useful or helpful, we recognize and evaluate it with our positive thoughts, words, or actions. However, this description of gratitude often featured in gratitude essays is rather simplified. Our gratitude essay samples below provide a more complex definition – gratitude is a feeling and a state of being thankful for the kindness, care, attention, relations, help, and everything desirable. Note in your essay that a feeling of gratitude is the ability to see and acknowledge the good in people, in their actions, and the world. Gratitude should not always require a specific reason – we can choose to be grateful for waking up in the morning and being able to breathe and live. Take a look at samples of essays below for more insight on gratitude. </span>

I want to express my gratitude for my family's assistance with the research. Additionally, I want to express my gratitude to the professors for their advice and assistance with the thesis writing process. I would also like to thank Juliet and Renee, my tutors, for their patience and commitment in...

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My childhood has little to do with my biological father or mother's affection, having been born and rejected by both parents when I was a toddler, adopted by a local orphanage, and raised along with other absolute orphans. I realized that the world was a cruel place as I got...

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The Novel and Its Themes The novel is mostly based on the real-life work of one Mr. Gay. He has a selection of their incredible poetry that he uses to illustrate the circle and cycle of life. The Core Poems Burial, Wiping, and Catalogue of Unabashed Gratitude are the three core poems. The...

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20 Ways to Teach Gratitude in the Classroom

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Teaching gratitude to students can be an effective way to promote happiness and well-being. In addition, teaching gratitude can help students better understand their own emotions and how those emotions impact their lives.

There are a few ways to introduce gratitude into the classroom setting. One approach is to have students write down five things they are grateful for each day. Another approach is to have students share an experience that made them happy during the past week.

Teaching gratitude can have a profound impact on student motivation and success. It can also create a more positive and connected school community. Moreover, teaching gratitude can help create a more positive environment in which students can learn and thrive.

What is Gratitude?

Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what someone has done or given. It is a feeling of thankfulness and joy in response to receiving something good. Grateful people recognize the good in their lives and appreciate their blessings. Gratitude helps people feel happy and satisfied with their lives.

Gratitude is an important part of a person’s life. It can help to build relationships and make people happier; it can even improve mental health. Teaching gratitude in the classroom can help students learn how to be grateful for the good things in their lives as well as the bad.

One way to teach gratitude is by having students keep a daily journal. In this journal, students should write down three good things that happened that day, as well as one thing they are grateful for. This exercise can help students focus on the positive aspects of their lives and can also help them develop a better attitude.

Gratitude teaches children how to be thankful for what they have instead of always wanting more. This is a valuable life lesson that can carry over into adulthood. Also, teaching gratitude helps foster a sense of community in the classroom. When children learn to be grateful for what they have, they are also more likely to appreciate what others have to offer.

Why Is Gratitude Important?

Gratitude is one of the most important virtues to cultivate in students’ lives. It has been shown to lead to positive emotions, improved mental health, and increased happiness. Gratitude has the power to change students’ perspectives on life, make them more compassionate, and make them happier.

Why is it so important for students to learn how to be grateful? Gratitude helps students cultivate a positive outlook on life. When students are grateful for what they have, it can help them be more content with their current situation.

It also encourages students to think about the good in life instead of focusing on the bad. It can help them connect with other people and create lasting relationships.

Finally, gratitude makes students happier in the short-term and better able to cope with difficult situations in the future. Learning how to be grateful will benefit students both academically and emotionally.

How to Teach Gratitude in the Classroom

Gratitude is one of the most important principles you can teach your students. It can help to improve their mental and physical health; increase happiness and well-being; and even boost their academic performance. Gratitude can be a difficult concept for students to learn, but with a little effort, it can become a regular part of their lives. Here are 20 tips for teaching gratitude in the classroom: 

1. Start with small steps.

When introducing gratitude to students, start with small steps. For example, have them write down five things they are grateful for each day. This will help to increase their awareness of their own emotions and how those emotions impact their lives.

2. Encourage students to share their gratitude experiences.

One of the best ways to teach gratitude is to encourage students to share their experiences with gratitude. For example, have them write a paper about how grateful they are for a particular event or experience. This will help increase their awareness of the power of gratitude and how it can affect their lives.

3. Connect gratitude with other important values.

When teaching gratitude, it is important to connect it with other important values in the classroom, such as empathy, compassion, and responsibility. For example, have students write an essay about how thankful they are for someone else’s kindness or for helping them out during a difficult situation.

4. Use examples from everyday life.

One of the best ways to introduce gratitude into the classroom is to use examples from everyday life. For example, have students write about something they were grateful for while they were waiting in line at the grocery store or while they were on their way to school.

5. Have students write about how grateful they are for specific things.

Another great way to introduce gratitude into the classroom is to have students write about specific things they are grateful for. For example, have them write about something they are thankful for every day of the week. This will help increase their awareness of the many blessings in their lives.

6. Encourage students to share their gratitude with others.

One of the best ways to enhance gratitude in students is to encourage them to share it with others. For example, have them write a thank you letter to a friend or family member. This will help increase their sense of satisfaction and well-being.

7. Have the students write about how grateful they are for difficult times.

Another great way to teach gratitude is to have students write about difficult times when they were able to pull through thanks to gratitude. For example, have them write about a time when they were able to get through a tough situation thanks to positive thinking and gratitude.

8. Have students create a “gratitude bucket” or “gratitude journal”.

One of the best ways to teach gratitude is by having students create a “gratitude bucket” or “gratitude journal”. This can be done by having them draw pictures of what they are grateful for or writing down everything that makes them happy each day. This will help increase their awareness of the many blessings in their lives and help them develop a deeper appreciation for life itself.

9. Help students find opportunities to be grateful each day.

One of the best ways to help students learn how to be grateful each day is by helping them find opportunities to be grateful each day. For instance, have them keep track of what good things happen during the day and what bad things happen during the day, as well as what challenges they face but manage successfully nonetheless. This will help increase their awareness of any blessings in the real world and help them develop a deeper appreciation for life itself.

10. Hold a gratitude dinner.

A great way to help teach gratitude is by having a gratitude dinner. This can be done by having everyone bring something they are grateful for to share, or by focusing on a specific topic, such as “gratitude for healthy food” or “gratitude for being alive”. Gratitude dinners are a great way to build bridges between students and to help teach children the importance of living in the present moment.

11. Have students write and perform a “thank you letter”.

Another great way to help teach students how to be grateful is by having them write and perform a “thank you letter”. This can be done by having them write out a list of everything they are grateful for every day, or by having them write out a thank you note for someone special in their life. Having students express their thanks in writing will help increase their sense of appreciation and will help them develop better communication skills.

12. Have students make donations to charity in honor of what they are grateful for.

Another great way to help teach students how to be grateful is by having them make donations to charity in honor of what they are grateful for. This can be done by asking the class what things they are most thankful for, or by getting the class involved in choosing which charity receives their donation. This will help increase their sense of giving back and will also show that gratitude is more than just saying “thank you”.

13. Have students complete “5 Things I Am Grateful For” cards.

One final way to help teach gratitude is by having students complete “5 Things I Am Grateful For” cards. This can be done by asking students to list five things that make them happy each day, or by asking them specifically what they are grateful for at the moment. Having students list all 5 items on their cards will help increase their awareness of all the good things happening in their lives and foster an appreciation for life itself.

14. Model thankfulness yourself.

One of the best ways to teach gratitude is to be a model for it. This means showing gratitude for everything from the smallest things (to your students) to the biggest things (such as the world around you). It is important for students to see that being grateful is not a “niche” value, but rather something that can impact every aspect of their lives.

15. Encourage students to do acts of kindness.

Acts of kindness can include donating blood or money to charity, helping an elderly person cross the street, or doing something small for someone else. Doing acts of kindness regularly can help students develop a sense of responsibility and compassion for others. Additionally, it can help students learn about themselves and their own values.

16. Make a “blessing tree” in class.

One way to introduce gratitude into your classroom is to create a “blessing tree”. This tree can be used as a focal point for discussion and reflection throughout the year. Students can write down things they are grateful for each day, post them on the tree, and take a moment to reflect on their blessings each morning. By cultivating a daily practice of gratitude, students may become more accepting, tolerant, and optimistic in their lives.

17. Help students understand the benefits of gratitude.

Gratitude is often viewed as a shallow emotion, but there are many benefits to cultivating gratitude in our lives. Gratitude has been shown to increase happiness, and satisfaction with life, and even help reduce anxiety and depression. When students learn about the benefits of gratitude, they are more likely to take action and cultivate more positive emotions throughout their lives.

18. Hold a “grateful moment” contest.

One way to encourage students to be more grateful is to hold a “grateful moment” contest. Students could be asked to write about a time when they were incredibly grateful for something small or big. They could then share their writing with the class, and winners could be chosen based on how well they captured the spirit of gratitude. This activity can help students learn about the benefits of being thankful, as well as develop some creative and public storytelling skills.

19. Hold a “Gratitude Darts” competition.

Another way to teach gratitude in the classroom is to hold a “gratitude darts” competition where each student throws a dart at random and writes down one thing they are grateful for that day, no matter how small or trivial it may seem (e.g., the sun shining through the window, being able to breathe).

20. Give an “Exceptional Gratitude Award”.

Let students vote on which person in the class deserves special recognition for demonstrating exceptional gratitude throughout the semester. Give small rewards (such as candy, cake, etc.) to the winner. This will encourage students to show gratitude for little things in order to be the next winner.

The Benefits of Gratitude in Students’ Lives

When we are grateful for what we have, our lives tend to run more smoothly. Gratitude gives us a sense of well-being and happiness that can spill over into other areas of our lives. When students practice gratitude, they can learn how to manage their emotions, build better relationships, and even achieve success in their academic careers.

Moreover, numerous studies have found that being grateful leads to increased happiness, better stress management, improved sleep quality, and even reduced symptoms of depression. Furthermore, gratitude has been linked with increased levels of both physical and mental health. Here are some of the benefits of gratitude:

1. Increased Happiness

Gratitude makes people happier because it leads to positive emotions such as joy, satisfaction, love, and compassion. People who are more grateful tend to have lower levels of anxiety and depression and feel a greater sense of well-being.

2. Better Stress Management

Gratitude helps people manage their stress by reducing feelings of envy and resentment, which lead to emotional stress symptoms like tension headaches and stomach cramps. It also activates the brain’s “relaxation response,” which helps reduce anxiety levels by activating the body’s immune system, calming the mind, and improving concentration skills.

3. Improved Sleep Quality

Gratitude is associated with better sleep because it reduces negative thoughts that can disturb sleep patterns, such as worrying about work or financial problems. It also leads to feelings of contentment, which can induce a sense of relaxation and sleep.

4. Increased Self-Confidence

Gratitude makes people feel good about themselves because it increases their self-esteem and self-efficacy. It encourages people to take action and achieve their goals, as well as build positive relationships with others.

5. Increased Efficiency

Gratitude leads to improved task completion rates because it energizes people and prompts them to be more focused and motivated. It also enhances the brain’s ability to learn new information and make better decisions.

6. Greater Emotional Resilience

Gratitude is associated with increased emotional resilience because it reduces the negative impact of stress on mental health by boosting the body’s immune system, enhancing cognitive function, and reducing feelings of depression. It also helps people deal positively with challenging life events.

7. Improved Relationship Status

Gratitude is linked with stronger relationships because it leads to better communication, trust, and understanding between couples. People who are more grateful tend to be more understanding, supportive, and forgiving towards their loved ones, which builds stronger bonds in relationships.

8. Greater Resilience To Stressful Events

People who are grateful have a greater ability to cope with stressful events due to their increased emotional resilience due to gratitude practices such as practicing mindfulness or journaling about gratitude experiences throughout the day or week.

9. Increased Volunteerism

People who are grateful are more likely to volunteer for community service projects because they derive satisfaction from helping others rather than receiving help themselves. They also feel less indebted to those they volunteer for since they view giving back as an act of generosity rather than an obligation.

10. Better Relationship Recovery After Suffering A Loss

Gratitude has been proven to improve relationship recovery after experiencing a loss by promoting feelings of connectedness, supportiveness, empathy, and communication within couples.

11. Improved Memory And Cognitive Functioning

Being grateful has been shown to improve memory and cognitive functioning by boosting both hippocampal activity (a part of the brain responsible for learning and memory) as well as overall brain volume in areas associated with learning, such as the frontal lobe.

This means that people who practice gratitude will be able to remember information quickly, stay focused when studying longer passages of text, think creatively, and solve problems easily.

12. Greater Sense Of Wellbeing

Gratitude leads to a greater sense of well-being because it reduces rumination, and the habit of thinking about negative thoughts over and over again, which is associated with anxiety disorders, depression, and substance abuse problems.

13. Increased Compassion For Others

Gratitude has been shown to create a sense of well-being and increase compassion for others. A gratitude practice can begin with simply acknowledging the good in your life, and then expanding your focus to include those around you. When we focus on the good in our lives, it creates an atmosphere of love and connectedness. This in turn leads to compassion for others, as we understand their experience more fully.

14. Improved Relationships With Strangers And Colleagues

Being grateful has been shown to improve relationships with strangers by making them feel appreciated which can lead them to behave nicer towards you than if they weren’t grateful.

15. Better Mental Health Across Generations

The latest study from the University of Utah found that children who were raised with gratitude experienced better mental health outcomes as adults, including fewer psychiatric problems and increased work productivity.

Final Thoughts

Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can have a positive impact on both the individual and the community. It is important to teach gratitude in the classroom, not only to help students develop a sense of appreciation for their lives but also to encourage cooperation and kindness. There are many ways to teach gratitude, and the most effective approach will vary depending on the age and interests of the students.

Moreover, teaching gratitude in the classroom can have a number of benefits for students. It can help them to develop a positive outlook on life, to become more resilient in the face of setbacks, and to appreciate the good things they have. It can also help to build relationships with classmates and teachers and to foster a sense of community in the classroom. Thank You For Reading!

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Essay On Gratitude

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Gratitude is a combination of two words grant and attitude. Gratitude means helping a person without expecting any benefits in return. Helping a friend, enemy, animal, people- rich or poor, without any prejudice is gratitude. Gratitude is the best gift God has given us. This characteristic separates us from the rest of the animals.

Every minute thing in nature teaches us a sense of gratitude, Rivers give us life. Trees bear the hot sun and give us shadow. The sun gives heat and light to everybody regardless of whether he is rich or poor. We get flowers, fruits, and vegetables from trees, milk from cows , and the same amount of oxygen from the surrounding atmosphere. We all are showered by the same moonlight. Thus nature teaches us how to help others without any prejudice.

There are a number of examples of great people who donated everything to others. Sage Dadhichi, King Karna, Guru Nanak- the Sikh guru, Jesus Christ are just to name a few. There are many different ways of expressing gratitude by which a person can get self-satisfaction.

Such modes include giving water to thirsty people, carrying sick/wounded people to hospitals, providing a place to sit for elderly people while traveling, helping blind people to cross the road, imparting education, providing food to the hungry people, providing clothing and shelter to poor people, giving aid to charitable hospitals , planting trees, building schools, etc. All these are nothing but different forms of gratitude.

But unfortunately, in this modern age, we are becoming more and more selfish and greedy. We run away when a friend is in need. We don’t care for a wounded person lying on the road. This is not good. We can lead a peaceful life only if it is used for others. This gives us real happiness and satisfaction. We should get rid of meanness and should help each other in as many ways as we can.

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I reviewed my Yale admissions file to see what the Ivy League school really thought about my application. What I learned surprised me.

• I reviewed my Yale admissions file to see what the Ivy League school thought about my application. 
• Most of my scores weren't that impressive, but they really liked my genuine attitude and excitement.
• Reviewing my application reminded me how far I have come as a student. 

"Brian spoke so fast it was electrifying."

This was the first quote from my Yale interviewer. She wrote those words in my admissions file, a document I finally got my hands on three years after being accepted into Yale University .

I remember that interview like it was yesterday. It was a Zoom call — my application cycle happened at the crux of pandemic remote learning — and I was wearing my father's old, oversize dress shirt. The interviewer was lovely. Some of my answers to her questions probably didn't make sense, and she was right. I definitely forgot to breathe in between my sentences.

But viewing my admissions file years later gave me a peek into what my interviewer was actually thinking that day, and I learned what really got me into Yale.

I reviewed my application as a junior with the registrar

Every student in the US can review their college admissions file under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. I emailed my university registrar, and within 45 days, a member of their support staff reached back out to schedule a virtual meeting. Picture-taking and recording were not allowed, so I jotted notes by hand.

There was very little verbal interaction between me and the staff member. She screen-shared my admissions file and let me read in silence. Something told me she understood the emotional weight of this moment for students, and I appreciated that. It is intimidating for any teenager to package their identity into a 650-word common application essay and a questionnaire — but it is arguably even more so to witness retrospectively how everything was judged.

I got a behind-the-scenes look into Yale admissions when they read my application

Each aspect of my application was rated out of nine points. My readers gave me a six for my extracurriculars and for my first teacher recommendation. They gave me a seven for my second teacher recommendation and my counselor's recommendation. I received an "outstanding" for my interview and a 2++ for my overall rating. The overall rating is given on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 being the highest, and pluses were a good sign.

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In all, my ratings weren't exactly bad, but they weren't extraordinary either. The numbers on the pages stared back at me — cold, formulaic, and transactional. It felt strange to be reduced to a system of numbers, knowing that something as qualitative as extracurricular activities could still be broken down and scored.

Beyond the ratings, however, what truly stood out were the comments left by the admissions officers . Many of the comments were on my character, my essays, and the possible contributions I would make as a student.

"I teared up reading Essay 1," one reader wrote of my common application essay. Another said of the same essay: "His Chinese New Years are untraditional in that they remind him of his family's financial struggles."

I got emotional. All the memories of writing that essay came flooding back. I remembered how difficult it was to start it. I knew there was no easy way for someone to understand me without first knowing my background. I wanted to prove that I deserved a seat at the table where legacy students and the wealthy continue to outnumber their first-generation, low-income peers like myself.

I kept reading and found more comments from admissions officers that moved me: "He treats his mom well;" "He seems to have a truly good heart;" "One of the most intelligent, sincere, jovial students ever met;" "I have no doubt that Brian would push his peers at Yale to stand up for what's right;" and "I come away with compelling impressions that the student would contribute significantly to the undergrad community."

I searched for a negative comment. There were none.

I didn't deserve this, I muttered under my breath. Here I was, a junior in college, no longer a 4.0 student , my post-grad plans murky, balancing two part-time jobs and hoping to make it out of midterms alive. It felt good knowing that someone had rooted for me to be here.

The process reminded me how far I have come

Coming from an underserved household where no one had gone to college, I had always looked at the Ivy League application process skeptically.

Without the resources to enroll in SAT test prep and the financial safety net to pursue unpaid leadership positions and resume-boosting activities at school, I had doubted the "holistic" admissions process many colleges boast. My critiques about Yale remain numerous.

But at least in their comments, the admissions committee gave me grace in that they reviewed my application in light of my circumstances. I might never know exactly what happened in that reading room. Still, a couple of lessons ring true, based on my own viewing experience and my conversations with others who had done the same: Good character and potential are the key; I didn't need to be perfect.

And finally, I — not anyone else — needed to give me the fighting chance of applying in the first place.

"GPA is outstanding, especially in context," an admissions officer said. "This is a home run."

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Elite College Admissions Have Turned Students Into Brands

By Sarah Bernstein

Ms. Bernstein is a playwright, a writing coach and an essayist in Brooklyn.

“I just can’t think of anything,” my student said.

After 10 years of teaching college essay writing, I was familiar with this reply. For some reason, when you’re asked to recount an important experience from your life, it is common to forget everything that has ever happened to you. It’s a long-form version of the anxiety that takes hold at a corporate retreat when you’re invited to say “one interesting thing about yourself,” and you suddenly believe that you are the most boring person in the entire world. Once during a version of this icebreaker, a man volunteered that he had only one kidney, and I remember feeling incredibly jealous of him.

I tried to jog this student’s memory. What about his love of music? Or his experience learning English? Or that time on a summer camping trip when he and his friends had nearly drowned? “I don’t know,” he said with a sigh. “That all seems kind of cliché.”

Applying to college has always been about standing out. When I teach college essay workshops and coach applicants one on one, I see my role as helping students to capture their voice and their way of processing the world, things that are, by definition, unique to each individual. Still, many of my students (and their parents) worry that as getting into college becomes increasingly competitive, this won’t be enough to set them apart.

Their anxiety is understandable. On Thursday, in a tradition known as “Ivy Day,” all eight Ivy League schools released their regular admission decisions. Top colleges often issue statements about how impressive (and competitive) their applicant pools were this cycle. The intention is to flatter accepted students and assuage rejected ones, but for those who have not yet applied to college, these statements reinforce the fear that there is an ever-expanding cohort of applicants with straight A’s and perfect SATs and harrowing camping trip stories all competing with one another for a vanishingly small number of spots.

This scarcity has led to a boom in the college consulting industry, now estimated to be a $2.9 billion business. In recent years, many of these advisers and companies have begun to promote the idea of personal branding — a way for teenagers to distinguish themselves by becoming as clear and memorable as a good tagline.

While this approach often leads to a strong application, students who brand themselves too early or too definitively risk missing out on the kind of exploration that will prepare them for adult life.

Like a corporate brand, the personal brand is meant to distill everything you stand for (honesty, integrity, high quality, low prices) into a cohesive identity that can be grasped at a glance. On its website, a college prep and advising company called Dallas Admissions explains the benefits of branding this way: “Each person is complex, yet admissions officers only have a small amount of time to spend learning about each prospective student. The smart student boils down key aspects of himself or herself into their personal ‘brand’ and sells that to the college admissions officer.”

Identifying the key aspects of yourself may seem like a lifelong project, but unfortunately, college applicants don’t have that kind of time. Online, there are dozens of lesson plans and seminars promising to walk students through the process of branding themselves in five to 10 easy steps. The majority begin with questions I would have found panic-inducing as a teenager, such as, “What is the story you want people to tell about you when you’re not in the room?”

Where I hoped others would describe me as “normal” or, in my wildest dreams, “cool,” today’s teenagers are expected to leave this exercise with labels like, Committed Athlete and Compassionate Leader or Environmentally Conscious Musician. Once students have a draft of their ideal self, they’re offered instructions for manifesting it (or at least, the appearance of it) in person and online. These range from common-sense tips (not posting illegal activity on social media) to more drastic recommendations (getting different friends).

It’s not just that these courses cut corners on self-discovery; it’s that they get the process backward. A personal brand is effective only if you can support it with action, so instead of finding their passion and values through experience, students are encouraged to select a passion as early as possible and then rack up the experience to substantiate it. Many college consultants suggest beginning to align your activities with your college ambitions by ninth grade, while the National Institute of Certified College Planners recommends students “talk with parents, guardians, and/or an academic adviser to create a clear plan for your education and career-related goals” in junior high.

The idea of a group of middle schoolers soberly mapping out their careers is both comical and depressing, but when I read student essays today, I can see that this advice is getting through. Over the past few years, I have been struck by how many high school seniors already have defined career goals as well as a C.V. of relevant extracurriculars to go with them. This widens the gap between wealthy students and those who lack the resources to secure a fancy research gig or start their own small business. (A shocking number of college applicants claim to have started a small business.) It also puts pressure on all students to define themselves at a moment when they are anxious to fit in and yet changing all the time.

In the world of branding, a word that appears again and again is “consistency.” If you are Charmin, that makes sense. People opening a roll of toilet paper do not want to be surprised. If you are a teenage human being, however, that is an unreasonable expectation. Changing one’s interests, opinions and presentation is a natural part of adolescence and an instructive one. I find that my students with scattershot résumés are often the most confident. They’re not afraid to push back against suggestions that ring false and will insist on revising their essay until it actually “feels like me.” On the other hand, many of my most accomplished students are so quick to accept feedback that I am wary of offering it, lest I become one more adult trying to shape them into an admission-worthy ideal.

I understand that for parents, prioritizing exploration can feel like a risky bet. Self-insight is hard to quantify and to communicate in a college application. When it comes to building a life, however, this kind of knowledge has more value than any accolade, and it cannot be generated through a brainstorming exercise in a six-step personal branding course online. To equip kids for the world, we need to provide them not just with opportunities for achievement, but with opportunities to fail, to learn, to wander and to change their minds.

In some ways, the college essay is a microcosm of modern adolescence. Depending on how you look at it, it’s either a forum for self-discovery or a high-stakes test you need to ace. I try to assure my students that it is the former. I tell them that it’s a chance to take stock of everything you’ve experienced and learned over the past 18 years and everything you have to offer as a result.

That can be a profound process. But to embark on it, students have to believe that colleges really want to see the person behind the brand. And they have to have the chance to know who that person is.

Sarah Bernstein is a playwright, a writing coach and an essayist.

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Mark Stoops thanks John Calipari after Kentucky 'basketball school' feud

Kentucky fans will recall when Mark Stoops took issue with John Calipari's remarks. Now, as Cal heads to Arkansas, Stoops honors his colleague.

• Author: James Parks

Mark Stoops may not have agreed with John Calipari's statement that Kentucky was a basketball school, but now after the latter departs UK and heads to Arkansas, the Wildcats football coach is happy to thank his colleague for service to the school over the years.

"I will like to wish [John Calipari] and his family well in their new endeavor," Stoops said on X/Twitter. "We spent 11 years working together and I really appreciate all they did for UK and the Commonwealth."

Calipari leaving Kentucky means the end of a basically friendly, but keenly felt, dispute Stoops had with the former UK hoops coach, back when Calipari said his program is what put the school on the map athletically and should be the athletic department's primary concern.

"This is a basketball school," Calipari told The Athletic at the time. "It's always been that. Alabama is a football school. So is Georgia. I mean, they are."

He added: "No disrespect to our football team. I hope they win 10 games and go to bowls. At the end of the day, that makes my job easier and it makes the job of all of us easier. But this is a basketball school, and so we need to keep moving in that direction and keep doing what we're doing."

Stoops responded in kind, tweeting: "Basketball school? I thought we competed in the SEC? #4straightpostseasonwins."

He later added: "I don't care about what anybody says about their program. That's not my business. It's not my lane. But when you start talking about our program and others that we compete against. I don't do that. I stay in my lane."

Now, between the two, Stoops is the one standing, and Kentucky football looks to build on his work, which includes a 73-65 record overall and a 35-55 mark in SEC play since 2013.

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Call for High School Projects

Machine learning for social impact .

The Thirty-Eighth Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS 2024) is an interdisciplinary conference that brings together researchers in machine learning, neuroscience, statistics, optimization, computer vision, natural language processing, life sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, and other adjacent fields. 

This year, we invite high school students to submit research papers on the topic of machine learning for social impact.  A subset of finalists will be selected to present their projects virtually and will have their work spotlighted on the NeurIPS homepage.  In addition, the leading authors of up to five winning projects will be invited to attend an award ceremony at NeurIPS 2024 in Vancouver.  

Each submission must describe independent work wholly performed by the high school student authors.  We expect each submission to highlight either demonstrated positive social impact or the potential for positive social impact using machine learning. Application areas may include but are not limited to the following:

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• Climate change
• Homelessness
• Food security
• Mental health
• Water quality

Authors will be asked to confirm that their submissions accord with the NeurIPS code of conduct and the NeurIPS code of ethics .

Submission deadline: All submissions must be made by June 27th, 4pm EDT. The system will close after this time, and no further submissions will be possible.

We are using OpenReview to manage submissions. Papers should be submitted here . Submission will open June 1st.  Submissions under review will be visible only to their assigned program committee. We will not be soliciting comments from the general public during the reviewing process. Anyone who plans to submit a paper as an author or a co-author will need to create (or update) their OpenReview profile by the full paper submission deadline. 

Formatting instructions:   All submissions must be in PDF format. Submissions are limited to four content pages , including all figures and tables; additional pages containing only references are allowed. You must format your submission using the NeurIPS 2024 LaTeX style file using the “preprint” option for non-anonymous submission. The maximum file size for submissions is 50MB. Submissions that violate the NeurIPS style (e.g., by decreasing margins or font sizes) or page limits may be rejected without further review.  Papers may be rejected without consideration of their merits if they fail to meet the submission requirements, as described in this document. 

Proof of high school attendance: Submitting authors will also be asked to upload a signed letter, on school letterhead, from each author’s high school confirming that the author was enrolled in high school during the 2023-2024 academic year.

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Use of Large Language Models (LLMs): We welcome authors to use any tool that is suitable for preparing high-quality papers and research. However, we ask authors to keep in mind two important criteria. First, we expect papers to fully describe their methodology.  Any tool that is important to that methodology, including the use of LLMs, should be described also. For example, authors should mention tools (including LLMs) that were used for data processing or filtering, visualization, facilitating or running experiments, or proving theorems. It may also be advisable to describe the use of LLMs in implementing the method (if this corresponds to an important, original, or non-standard component of the approach). Second, authors are responsible for the entire content of the paper, including all text and figures, so while authors are welcome to use any tool they wish for writing the paper, they must ensure that all text is correct and original.

Dual submissions:  Submissions that are substantially similar to papers that the authors have previously published or submitted in parallel to other peer-reviewed venues with proceedings or journals may not be submitted to NeurIPS. Papers previously presented at workshops or science fairs are permitted, so long as they did not appear in a conference proceedings (e.g., CVPRW proceedings), a journal, or a book.  However, submissions will not be published in formal proceedings, so work submitted to this call may be published elsewhere in the future. Plagiarism is prohibited by the NeurIPS Code of Conduct .

Paper checklist: In order to improve the rigor and transparency of research submitted to and published at NeurIPS, authors are required to complete a paper checklist . The paper checklist is intended to help authors reflect on a wide variety of issues relating to responsible machine learning research, including reproducibility, transparency, research ethics, and societal impact. The checklist does not count towards the page limit and will be entered in OpenReview.

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Amanda Hoover

Students Are Likely Writing Millions of Papers With AI

Students have submitted more than 22 million papers that may have used generative AI in the past year, new data released by plagiarism detection company Turnitin shows.

A year ago, Turnitin rolled out an AI writing detection tool that was trained on its trove of papers written by students as well as other AI-generated texts. Since then, more than 200 million papers have been reviewed by the detector, predominantly written by high school and college students. Turnitin found that 11 percent may contain AI-written language in 20 percent of its content, with 3 percent of the total papers reviewed getting flagged for having 80 percent or more AI writing. (Turnitin is owned by Advance, which also owns Condé Nast, publisher of WIRED.) Turnitin says its detector has a false positive rate of less than 1 percent when analyzing full documents.

ChatGPT’s launch was met with knee-jerk fears that the English class essay would die . The chatbot can synthesize information and distill it near-instantly—but that doesn’t mean it always gets it right. Generative AI has been known to hallucinate , creating its own facts and citing academic references that don’t actually exist. Generative AI chatbots have also been caught spitting out biased text on gender and race . Despite those flaws, students have used chatbots for research, organizing ideas, and as a ghostwriter . Traces of chatbots have even been found in peer-reviewed, published academic writing .

Teachers understandably want to hold students accountable for using generative AI without permission or disclosure. But that requires a reliable way to prove AI was used in a given assignment. Instructors have tried at times to find their own solutions to detecting AI in writing, using messy, untested methods to enforce rules , and distressing students. Further complicating the issue, some teachers are even using generative AI in their grading processes.

Detecting the use of gen AI is tricky. It’s not as easy as flagging plagiarism, because generated text is still original text. Plus, there’s nuance to how students use gen AI; some may ask chatbots to write their papers for them in large chunks or in full, while others may use the tools as an aid or a brainstorm partner.

Students also aren't tempted by only ChatGPT and similar large language models. So-called word spinners are another type of AI software that rewrites text, and may make it less obvious to a teacher that work was plagiarized or generated by AI. Turnitin’s AI detector has also been updated to detect word spinners, says Annie Chechitelli, the company’s chief product officer. It can also flag work that was rewritten by services like spell checker Grammarly, which now has its own generative AI tool . As familiar software increasingly adds generative AI components, what students can and can’t use becomes more muddled.

Detection tools themselves have a risk of bias. English language learners may be more likely to set them off; a 2023 study found a 61.3 percent false positive rate when evaluating Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) exams with seven different AI detectors. The study did not examine Turnitin’s version. The company says it has trained its detector on writing from English language learners as well as native English speakers. A study published in October found that Turnitin was among the most accurate of 16 AI language detectors in a test that had the tool examine undergraduate papers and AI-generated papers.

Andy Greenberg

Schools that use Turnitin had access to the AI detection software for a free pilot period, which ended at the start of this year. Chechitelli says a majority of the service’s clients have opted to purchase the AI detection. But the risks of false positives and bias against English learners have led some universities to ditch the tools for now. Montclair State University in New Jersey announced in November that it would pause use of Turnitin’s AI detector. Vanderbilt University and Northwestern University did the same last summer.

“This is hard. I understand why people want a tool,” says Emily Isaacs, executive director of the Office of Faculty Excellence at Montclair State. But Isaacs says the university is concerned about potentially biased results from AI detectors, as well as the fact that the tools can’t provide confirmation the way they can with plagiarism. Plus, Montclair State doesn’t want to put a blanket ban on AI, which will have some place in academia. With time and more trust in the tools, the policies could change. “It’s not a forever decision, it’s a now decision,” Isaacs says.

Chechitelli says the Turnitin tool shouldn’t be the only consideration in passing or failing a student. Instead, it’s a chance for teachers to start conversations with students that touch on all of the nuance in using generative AI. “People don’t really know where that line should be,” she says.

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