The Lost Skill of Gratitude
The other day I was working hard on putting a plan into action. I’d done the heavy lifting of planning and organizing but, I just couldn’t get things launched. This made me really frustrated. Every time I’d get close to a breakthrough I’d experience a stall.
Nothing was going my way.
Then it did.
You know that feeling when something happens right and “goes your way?” It’s in these moments we have a choice. A choice to embrace gratitude and savor the moment or bemoan the journey and how hard it was to arrive at breakthrough.
For a big chunk of my life, I would bemoan and move on stubbornly. But now I’ve learned that even a small victory is an opportunity to retune my thinking to something positive.
"Gratitude is a direct line to a more positive perspective and a healthier state of wellbeing."
Gratitude is one way the research is proving helps with stress in life. When we are intentional about being grateful for things and connecting our feelings of thanks it can decrease stress and improve self-esteem. Not to mention, it can make you an overall happier and perseverant person.
This is why I love Thanksgiving…
Shouldn’t we all learn how to celebrate and savor moments of gratitude more often?
I’ve found that gratitude isn’t something that requires grand gestures of appreciation to notice to benefits of this mindset. It’s little things like noticing what’s right in others and saying something. Making a point to tell your spouse thanks for taking out the trash, or giving praise to a co-worker for a job well done. Think of that delicious hamburger you enjoyed at Mode De Vie over the lunch hour or finding gratitude for your current state of health.
The trick is to start by noticing small things, and instead of taking them for granted, giving them a moment of appreciation for making your life a little better. When you take some time to notice the little cool things in life that make yours better it aligns your thinking to what is possible rather than what is not.
What if we all could clue into a new way of thinking, feeling and behaving by focusing more on our thankfulness rather than our disappointment?