What are you grateful for?
This year has been one of the most difficult years of my adult life. It seemed like I was dealing with a whirlwind of balancing life changes, family issues, relationship problems and all that comes with raising a toddler. I knew as the year transitioned that I was facing a trying time. In the past, I realized that I often allowed my circumstances to dictate how I felt from day to day and would often be plagued with worry, doubt, depression, fear (and all of the many manifestations.
However, I decided this this time it would be different. This time I would make different choices and not allow myself to get into a negative spiral. To do this, I decided that I would practice gratefulness.
Everyday, before I got out of bed I began a litany of everything I was grateful for. I thanked God for breath, being able to wake up, having strength in my body, having clean clothes to wear. I thanked Him for EVERYTHING. Throughout the day if I found myself in doubt or fear or worry, immediately, I would change my thinking and begin to count all the things I was grateful for. Thank you for a car to drive. Thank you for gas in my tank. Thank you that my bank account is not negative. I began to intentionally cultivate gratitude.
I allowed gratitude to become my response to everything. If I didn’t have enough money to purchase something I wanted, I just thanked God that I had a job and that I would not always be in this position. If I was tired and overwhelmed, I just thanked God that I had a place I could go to rest that was peaceful and safe. Instead of focusing on the negative, I found the positive in everything.
Overtime, this practice transformed from something I did, to who I am. I began to have the character of gratefulness and positivity. In any situation, I wouldn’t respond negatively because my mind was already conditioned to see the good in every occurrence. Cultivating gratitude became second nature and it sprouted an unexpected fruit: JOY.
During this time, despite what I was going through and all the things that I might have wished to change, I found that I had unexplainable JOY. I would find myself laughing while riding in the car (wondering to myself why I was so happy!) Or, just getting up everyday full of life and energy to achieve whatever I could that day. Through cultivating gratitude, I found JOY. That joy was not based on circumstances or material things, but it was birthed through gratefulness.
I am a firm believer in cultivating gratefulness and it’s ability to change your mind and change your perspective. Cultivating gratitude is life changing. It can:
- Motivate us towards health and fitness goals,
- Boosts feel-good hormones (endorphins) in our brains
- Help with depression,
- Improve relationships
- Help us to sleep better
- Change our belief systems to be more empathetic, compassionate and fulfulling
Begin to practice gratefulness today and watch you life change!
Don’t delay. Future YOU is waiting for your arrival!
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Fannie B 