The Power of Gratitude

Earlier this year I felt drained and lethargic. My coaching business wasn’t where I wanted it to be, I was trying to support two of my children struggling with stress and overwhelm, and Covid loneliness was setting in. 

As humans, negative thoughts and feelings tend to have a stronger pull over us than positive ones. Fear, self-doubt, and overwhelm, are often more powerful than confidence, compassion, and peace. 

In order to combat feeling drained and frustrated, I would need to counterbalance those powerless thoughts and low energy feelings by taking action. 

What I wanted was to feel inspired, creative, and joyful. What was one small thing I could do to create the shift I was looking for?

I decided to try a gratitude journal. Every morning when I opened my eyes, I grabbed my phone and launched the notes app. I wrote down 5 things I was grateful for. Typically, I reflected on the previous day for inspiration.

A few weeks later, I noticed that this one small change in my habits had an extraordinary effect on me and the people I love. Thinking about what I was grateful for shifted my feelings from worry to appreciation for the people, the opportunities, and the world around me. 

Ask yourself how you would feel if your stress and worries ceased to exist. Identify that feeling and then lean into a gratitude practice, knowing it will help you attain that feeling.

Here are a few gratitude practices I have found to be beneficial:

• Meditate

• Create a gratitude journal

• Be aware of the beauty that surrounds you

• Share your unique gifts with your community

• Look at old pictures to spark wonderful memories

• At dinner, tell the person(s) what you love about them

• Focus on all that you have in your life, not what you lack

On Thanksgiving, we are reminded that it is a time to be grateful for all we have. Use that as a springboard to begin a gratitude practice and feel the lightness and joy come into your life. 

Let me know how it goes!
Happy Thanksgiving!

 “Joy and openness come from our own contented heart.”
—Gautama Buddha