There’s a gratitude exercise called the “George Bailey Technique,” named after the hero of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” George Bailey is a down on his luck everyman who has a life-changing encounter with his guardian angel on a fateful Christmas Eve.
This film, in all its black and white glory, has been a holiday staple since its release in 1946. If there was a genre for holiday epics, this would be its category.
Image: IMDB/It's a Wonderful Life
For those who have watched the film, there’s a long buildup showing his entire life prior the encounter, but the climax would be his transformation in the space of just a few hours.
George’s absent-minded uncle loses a substantial amount of money meant for their family business, and our protagonist now finds himself in danger of prison. It’s Christmas Eve, and he’s in a foul mood at home, which affects his wife and children. He climbs up the staircase to visit his sick daughter, and the newel cap that he holds onto detaches from the railing and he puts it back in irritation, as possibly the penultimate annoyance that breaks the camels back. He leaves home and contemplates his life while on a bridge, where he meets Clarence, his guardian angel, whom he tells that he wished he was never born.
Image: IMDB/It's a Wonderful Life
After showing him a world where he indeed was never born, he realizes how much he already had and wishes instead to be back in his life.
He rushes home to his wife and children, greets those about to file cases against him a merry Christmas, and rushes up the staircase so quickly that the newel cap comes off again, but this time he kisses it joyously.
We can talk about that newel cap on the staircase for a second.
It’s the exact same one before his change in perspective and after. Nothing was repaired or renovated, nothing was done to that newel cap but he had previously looked like he was going to hurl it across the hall and after his epiphany, he just kissed it and put it back.
His situation hadn’t changed at all.
His perspective did.
Image: IMDB/It's a Wonderful Life
Image: IMDB/It's a Wonderful Life
The psychological exercise called the George Bailey technique helps people appreciate the good things in their lives by considering how a good event might not have happened at all.
Steps:
1. Think of something that occasionally gets on your nerves. Like your job or your partner.
2. Imagine life if you hadn’t landed the job you have now, or met your partner or spouse.
3. Reflect on how what you have now has already made your life better.
This simple exercise will help us realize how much we already have.
Image: IMDB/It's a Wonderful Life
Humans have the natural tendency to take things for granted after a while. When you buy a shiny new toy, it will always lose its luster with use and with time. Our natural tendency is to get used to things, whether it’s our material possessions, our job, our family, and so on. Which is why delaying our happiness for a future point in time where we have our dream phone, dream career, even dream family, is not a good strategy for life satisfaction.
Image: IMDB/It's a Wonderful Life
Gratitude exercises don’t have to be done annually, like during Thanksgiving, or Christmas; or even only when a goal is achieved: such as a promotion or a life event.
Being grateful for things big or small, is something we can try to exercise everyday. It doesn’t cost us anything but it can significantly boost our mood and positive affect for the day.
Image: IMDB/It's a Wonderful Life
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