Gratitude Tradition
The season of bounty is upon us! There is a crisp chill in the air. Kids are well adjusted in school. The rhythms of fall are harmonizing with us. The harvest has been brought in, cured, dried, frozen, or fermented. The shift to move inward has begun. The draw of blankets, board games with loved ones, cups of warm tea, and crafting has replaced the outward energy of spring and summer. This is the time to renew and regenerate from the lens of gratitude.
Here is the thing about gratitude: it is a choice. With every breath you take, and every moment that passes, you have the ability to choose to be grateful. Let me throw a few examples at you.
Your car broke down on the side of the road and now you are late for work: give thanks that you have a car and a job.
Kids are in full on crazy mode, fighting, breaking shit, and not listening to a damn word you say; give thanks that you can be home with them, and what an honor it is that you get to raise these human beings.
You are very sick and not sure if you will pull through; give thanks for every day that you have been able to wake up and live.
I could go on and on… but I think you get the point.
You get to choose how you respond to every situation that you face in life. You get to choose to ground yourself into gratitude with every new day and every breath you take.
I realize that this may sound super corny, and when you start this practice of gratitude, you may not believe it at first. This is one of those fake-it-till-you-make-it situations. Over time, you will see drastic improvement in the quality of your life when you start to adopt this mentality. It will improve your mood, your work life, home life, relationship with others, even your physical health will improve! There is so much science that backs this idea.
To get you started on this path, I have two exercises that I want to recommend. One for morning, and one for the evening. Sort of like gratitude bookends for your day.
In the morning, as soon as you wake up, before your feet even hit the ground (or whenever you think of it), say to yourself:
This is a new day with unlimited potential. The gift of 24 new hours has been bestowed upon me, and I will not waste it. I am thankful for all that I have, and all that I have yet to receive.
The second practice is to keep a notebook and a pen next to your bed. Right before you go to bed, write down 3 things that you were thankful for that day. This has been scientifically proven to help people fall asleep faster, and improve the quality of your sleep.
Try one or both of these for a week and then reflect on how you feel. It may not be a HUGE difference but I would almost bet that some small shifts will have started. Stick with it. It takes 66 days for a new practice to become a habit, at which point, your natural disposition will be one of gratitude.
Is this topic really lighting you up? Is this something that you feel that you want more support with? Or you just want to talk about it more? Then reach out today to set up your free connection call and start your Mindful Tradition.