Gratitude Practice

It’s been three months, and I sure hope this new habit of journaling my gratitude is here to stay.  I’ve talked about gratitude, but not until recently, have I made it a daily practice.  I’m finding that my mind is much clearer in the mornings, and the impact of capturing gratitude has been positive for my mindset.

What a blessing it is to provide our minds a gratitude practice!  We all are flawed humans, make mistakes, and are far from perfect.  I’m learning that showing gratitude for others also allows me to show appreciation and gratitude for myself.  I’m surrendering to the fact that I sometimes will veer off course, but then I have to ask myself the question, “What am I going to do to get back on track?”  Additionally, I give myself grace that I don’t need to be perfect; I just will be someone who lives with a positive intention to impact the world.  This practice is building a stronger sense of self-awareness for me.  More gratitude!

Now let’s be clear, these are not physical or material things.  I focus on the emotional gifts I have in my life, the little things that sometimes go unnoticed and honestly never should.

Furthermore, even more powerfully, what a gift it is to share gratitude with our friends, family, colleagues, and clients.  I’m finding that when I go through a tough stretch where my mind is not as straightforward or as optimistic as it can be, I quickly remind myself of all of the positive things I have in my life.  Now let’s be clear, these are not physical or material things.  I focus on the emotional gifts I have in my life, the little things that sometimes go unnoticed and honestly never should.  For example, earlier this week, I found myself being grateful for a conversation with my daughter about sports.  I was grateful to spend time watching Alex Trebek’s final few Jeopardy episodes with my son, Ryder.  I was thankful for the organizational skills my wife brings to our household because it takes away so much unneeded stress.  The most important piece of gratitude though I focus on each day is my health.  I thank God each day for waking me up and allowing me to bring positivity to someone or some group of people.  When I take the time to let that sit in, boy does it fill up my tank.

As I’ve talked with others in my life about a gratitude practice, I will sometimes hear that these practices are tough to keep from their perspective.  Maybe they are, but perhaps they aren’t.  I committed to this and WILL keep doing it.  Hopefully, as we can see the end of this Covid pandemic, I am thankful that this pandemic has slowed life down.  I’m doing my best to remind myself of what is essential.  Little things that used to get under my skin, I’m finding that this gratitude practice is helping remind me to ask myself, “Is it that big of a deal or worth the unnecessary stress of worry?”

It’s now your turn to share with me.  Tell me about your gratitude practice!  How has this new habit changed you, and what do you find most valuable about this process?