Spreading Positivity: The Benefit of Gratitude

“What are you grateful for right now?” —A question that you’ve probably been asked many times in your life, a question that would seem simple enough to answer. You may be surprised, though, at how many people struggle to come up with a response. The main reason: people don’t know what gratitude truly means, or why it’s important.

To get an interesting perspective on the topic, I talked to Mr. Loeffelholz—a WHS science teacher and coach—who values positivity and being thankful. Before class every day, Mr. L will ask three random students to each share a “good thing” they’ve experienced throughout that day. Those could include something they’re looking forward to, something that’s already happened, or something small that made a significant impact on their day. 

I met with him and asked why he takes time for this every day, and this was his response, “I believe that there are good things that happen in our lives and that they don’t have to be big. Everyone believes these good things have always got to be these ‘big magical moments’, and that’s not true” he gives more insight by saying, “There are good things that happen in our lives every single day. We just have to look for them, and the blessings are right there.”

“The big thing with me is just being able to allow others to come along on my journey through life. Everyone is at a different stage in their life, and it doesn’t matter what place we are in, good things are always going to occur—just look for them. Be present and enjoy those good things. Allow others to join the journey.”

He concludes with, “So, I do those ‘good things’ in class to allow students to share positive things and to make connections with their peers as well as with me. I feel it allows everyone to celebrate the positive things happening in their lives along with others.” 

He also explains how expressing gratitude benefits us, “I think we can train ourselves to find the good. We can decide to focus on the positive, which brings us peace and happiness. I believe we have control over how we process things.”

Next, I talked to junior Jadyn Johnson who is a current member of RAK (Random Acts of Kindness). I wanted to know her definition of gratitude, and she answered by saying, “Gratitude, to me, means finding the importance and significance of everything in your life; and truly knowing what they do for you and being thankful for them.”

I was also curious as to what led her to join RAK, and this is what she had to say, “I wanted to join RAK because I wanted an outlet to give back to others and to have fun while doing so.” she continues with, “RAK has been one of the best things about Waukee High School to me because the people are so kind and what we do makes a difference.”

Lastly, I spoke with Dr. Ahrens who is a Business Instructor at Northwest High School and Waukee High School. She explained why it is crucial for high schoolers to express gratitude, “Gratitude is a positive emotion that helps to lessen stress and creates an awareness of the good things in life. Therefore, gratitude can be seen as a resource or tool to help teenagers develop coping mechanisms when dealing with daily struggles and develop a more positive outlook in life.”

“Teens who actively practice gratitude tend to be more resilient to daily adversities and overall, a happier person leading to better self-esteem. Bottom line—if you want to be a healthier and happier teenager, then explore the benefits of practicing gratitude in your daily routine.”

Ahrens also gave examples of simple ways to express gratitude on a day-to-day basis. She says, “The simplest way to express gratitude to others is to say ‘thank you’ to an individual who has helped you or made a difference within your day. If verbally expressing gratitude does not ‘fit’ for the situation, then write a simple ‘thank you’ note to the person—kind words go a long way in building positive relationships with each other.” 

She continues, “Other ideas to express gratitude could be buying someone a cup of coffee or a small gift, a random act of kindness, lending a listening ear, providing a helping hand, or any other idea that may bring joy to a person’s day.”

“The art of practicing gratitude can also take the form of meditation or writing in a journal each day. Meditation may be as brief as five minutes each day to ascertain the benefits of mindfulness and finding joy in one’s life. Journaling can be brief as well and there’s no wrong way to keep a gratitude journal.”

“For example, one could write down five things for which they feel grateful. The goal of journalizing is to remember a good event, experience, person, or thing in your life which allows you to enjoy the good emotions that come with it.” She concludes.

Oxford Learner’s Dictionary describes gratitude as, “The feeling of being grateful and wanting to express your thanks.” which, I believe, sums it up nicely. Having gratitude is caring so much that you desire to share how much you care. Being grateful is essential to living a fulfilling life.

I’ll conclude with a quote that may put things into perspective, “What if you woke up tomorrow with only things you were grateful for today”. What would you have? What kind of life would you be living? Who would you be without gratitude? 
I’m hoping that by writing this, I can make an impact on how you—the reader—perceive life. I don’t want to change what you spend your time and energy doing, I just hope that I can remind you that it is important to just stop every once in a while. To take a break in this busy, chaotic world—and just say thank you for the things you have and the people you care about