Published May 7, 2024

I greatly appreciate gratitude (pun intended) and have spent quite a bit of time researching and writing about the benefits of practicing gratitude and the challenges to consistently practicing gratitude.

However, as I was exploring gratitude, I was surprised to see that there wasn’t a process on how to create feelings of gratitude.

In general, processes provide valuable guidance and direction through repeatable steps that are easy to follow and deliver consistent results.

As I was researching, I was expecting to find a gratitude process that provides simple, repeatable steps to help cultivate more appreciation and live happier lives. I didn’t.

So, I decided to create one.

Drawing from my background in engineering (and my expertise in designing and improving processes), I've developed a three-step process — pinpoint, express, and ponder (PEP) — that captures important findings in gratitude research and key attributes of popular gratitude practices into a cohesive framework.

In addition, the PEP process is designed to avoid the most common mistakes people make that hinder their gratitude practice.

Let's explore each step!

Step 1: Pinpoint

In this first step, you'll need to identify a prompt that will spark gratitude within you. You could explore internal and/or external prompts to cultivate a deeper sense of appreciation.

Internal prompts relate to your bodily sensations. From the rhythm of your breathing to the movements of your muscles, internal prompts provide rich opportunities to nurture gratitude from within.

External prompts relate to your senses and experiences. From the rustling of leaves in the wind to the warm embrace of a loved one, external prompts also offer an opportunity to cultivate gratitude.

Step 2: Express

Once you have a prompt, it's time to decide how you will express your gratitude in a way that feels authentic to you. There are a variety of options for expressing gratitude, each offering a unique opportunity to convey your appreciation.

To complete this second step, you'll need to choose at least one of the methods below to express your gratitude:

Think It: Keep your thoughts of appreciation in your head and enjoy the feelings that come with those thoughts.
Record It: Record your answers in a tangible way to fully immerse yourself in the feelings of gratitude and to revisit and cherish them later.
Share It: Share your reflections with someone else to spread the positive energy and extend the impact of your gratitude.

I've compiled a list of ways you can think, record and share your gratitude, you can check it out here.

Step 3: Ponder

In this step, you'll use the method(s) you chose in Step 2 to help you reflect on and connect to the feeling of gratitude about the prompt from Step 1.

Here is a series of themes you can use to ponder about the prompt to help you bring out feelings of gratitude:

Recognize the Benefits: Identify the benefits of the prompt in your life.

Appreciate the Opportunity: Recognize and appreciate the personal abilities or resources that enable you to engage with the prompt.

Imagine the Loss: Consider the negative impact on your life if the prompt were absent or you lacked the opportunities, skills, or resources to fully engage with it — many individuals do not have the same access to the prompt in their lives.

Acknowledge your Attention: Appreciate that you've chosen to invest your attention into fully enjoying life's blessings by identifying how the prompt improves your life —unfortunately, it is often too easy to take access to the prompt for granted.

You'll get the most benefit by reflecting in as much detail as you can as you consider one or more themes. Each theme has been designed to help you bring about feelings of gratitude by considering how your prompt has enriched your life.

Ponder, Express, Ponder = PEP

Incorporating the steps of pinpoint, express, and ponder (PEP) is a simple yet comprehensive approach to feeling thankful.

You may have noticed that the acronym associated with this Pinpoint, Ponder, Express process is PEP — which fits the process and gratitude in general because it adds a positive and energetic boost to your day.

Now that you know the PEP process, what’s your next step?

You may be wondering: how can I consistently integrate the process – Pinpoint, Express, and Ponder – in my day-to-day life?

That's where Happy Mindset comes in.

Happy Mindset integrates gratitude exercises that follow the PEP process within an app you already use — your calendar.

By using Happy Mindset, you'll receive prompts and guidance to help you feel happier through daily doses of gratitude.

Ready to continue your gratitude journey with support from Happy Mindset?

Click here to get started!

Thank you for reading this article! Have a great day!