Exploring Gratitude: A Bufferchat Recap

This week, the #bufferchat community came together to discuss how they experience gratitude. Through exploring gratitude, the community opened up about how acts of kindness and difficult challenges have made a positive difference in their lives, and it was amazing to hear everyone’s stories!

Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, every week on Wednesdays, 9 am PT/Noon ET/5 pm UTC, for valuable industry insights and networking with nearly 400 other smart marketers and community managers.

How does expressing gratitude impact your daily life?

From the community:

• “I believe you get back what you put out, so if you’re mindful of what you’re grateful for and express it, you’ll get more :)” @dmboutin
• “Gratitude is everything for me. The times when I forget to be grateful are the times I’m most often in a ‘rut’.” @Aboundlessworld
• “Being thankful and genuinely appreciating people has opened more doors than any other personal life choice. #growth” @EliteYouTubePro
• “Being thankful is a prerequisite for being happy. Every moment. Every day.” @gayane_virabyan
• “According to a recent NPR story, showing gratitude may literally be good for your heart #hcsm” @ShereesePubHlth

See all the great answers to question 1 here!

When is expressing gratitude a difficult practice for you?

From the community:

• “Comparison with other’s success makes it hard to feel gratitude. Then you realise you’re comparing apples to oranges.” @Alvomedia1
• “I spent the bulk of my life not expressing. I saw the error in my ways. No difficulties now, even when proven wrong.” @JS_insidepitch
• “When your day is long and hasn’t gone your way, but being thankful will help change your attitude for the better.” @majerus_luke
• “When other person isn’t receptive. Gratitude isn’t one way street; meant to let other person know they’re appreciated.” @darcyboucher
• “Also, when it’s not the popular thing to do/part of the culture where you are.” @revaminkoff

See all the great answers to question 2 here!

Do you have advice for starting up a gratitude practice?

From the community:

• “Here’s a post I wrote abt gratitude -> 13 Things I’ve Learned Writing 1,024 Gratitude Lists http://buff.ly/1PORLCx” @chriswinfield
• “I write 3 things I’m grateful for before bed. It’s fun to look back on the year & it puts me in a good mindset :)” @cateelise
• “Smile at strangers. Thank people for little things. Think how lucky you are to have the what you do. Share your joy.” @JS_insidepitch
• “I use the Happier app to make a gratitude list every night. It does wonders :)” @jesserker
• “Choose a good time & trigger, be specific, and give thanks about one area of life at a time.” @VioletaNedkova

See all the great answers to question 3 here!

Who inspires you to practice or think about gratitude in new ways? (or which books/blogs?)

From the community:

• Toastmasters
• Brian Fanzo (iSocialFanz)
• Ted Rubin
• Jullien Gordon
• Zen Pencils
• Karen Salmansohn
• Tiny Buddha
• Marianne Williamson
• Oprah Winfrey
• Joel Gascoigne
• Super Soul Sunday
• Anne Lamott
• Marie Forleo
• Seth Godin
• Paulo Coelho
• Sandi Krakowski
• Robin Sharma
• Zen Habits
• Shawn Achor
• Jordan Bone
• Gala Darling

Books

• The Secret
• Hardwiring Happiness
• Daring Greatly
• A Complaint-Free World

See all the great answers to question 4 here!

What act of kindness has made the greatest difference in your life?

From the community:

• “Being told that my time & energy makes a difference! Sometimes a simple “thank you” means so much.” @lifeofaworkgirl
• “I will always remember the people who believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself.” @VioletaNedkova
• “Give compliments. Give them and receive them. It costs nothing, takes no time and could make someone’s entire day.” @Petronell3
• “@AirCanada once called me a day early to put me on a new flight that night b/c mine would most likely be canceled. amazing!!” @LydiaNicoll
• “When someone is there for you, when it’s messy & they still want to help.” @DeeSpeciale

See all the great answers to question 5 here!

What challenging experience has ended up changing your life for the better?

From the community:

• “Leaving my steady, comfy job and finding the adventure I’ve always wanted. #motivation” @izzydoesizzy
• “The company I was working for as a website developer bit the dust…and led to a new career as a writer. so YAY!” @sherisaid
• “Overcoming failure and climbing out of poverty. Now I have my dream job and I’m about to graduate with my master’s.” @ash_lorelle
• “Rejection teaches you to never tie your personal worth to someone or what you own.” @elusenji
• “Getting fired. Made me assess everything beyond work performance; attitudes, how I treat, interact, & value people.” @JS_insidepitch

See all the great answers to question 6 here!

What’s something you may take for granted that you are truly grateful for? How can you express that?

From the community:

• “I am beyond grateful for my health and I could do a better job of expressing it. More exercise, eat clean, eliminate excuses.” @patmoran408
• “I take my parents for granted but I am really grateful for everything they have given me. I will tell them everyday.” @tweeterellaah
• “Ppl that accept me for who i am, and the opp to do what i love as a career. Gotta show the love more. =)” @robchristianson
• “The ability to communicate with family through social media. A simple “Like” goes a long way.” @FatimaDLora
• “Most-often it’s the things that have been there day after day for so long. Sometimes I have to look for the obvious.” @TonyVirili

See all the great answers to question 7 here!

Thank you so much to everyone who opened up during this great chat!

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Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Image sources: UnSplash