Gratitudes
It’s late and I want to sleep, but I would be remiss if I did not take a moment or two to reflect on this day, and more specifically on the power of gratitude. This morning on Instagram, I posted a little reminder to myself — a reminder to be grateful for the things I was complaining about. This day started on a grumpy note for me. I think I was grumpy before I went to bed last night, thinking about the six classes I had to teach today, and I woke up grumpy, dreading my day.
My internal grouchiness (complaining, bitchiness and general negativity) went along these lines:
I have SIX CLASSES today. I’m tired, my body is inflamed, I don’t want to teach.
This is a LONG day out of the house.
I need to be spending less time teaching, and more time focusing my efforts on helping more clients and growing my business. Teaching all of these classes is taking me away from what I really need to be doing.
Shortly after that batch of negativity came the shaming of myself for complaining. I SIGNED UP FOR THIS. I have no right to complain — I chose this and brought it on myself. After that followed the beating myself up for being so stupid to sign up for six classes in one day when I knew I had other priorities. That wasn’t constructive. It didn’t build me up. It just made me more grouchy.
Then came the gratitude. Whenever I’m in a bad mood, and even when I’m not, I try to turn my thoughts towards gratitude. It is a practice, and sometimes it’s incredibly difficult (as are many things that we practice), but I find that practicing gratitude lifts my frequency, which lifts my spirits and allows me to be more productive and better connect to the people around me. And I don’t think I’m alone. I read A LOT of self-development literature, and I can’t think of one book I’ve read recently that doesn’t tout the miraculous results of a consistent gratitude practice. It’s the way to happiness, health, and success, and I’m all about it. So without further ado, here is my gratitude practice for today:
I am grateful that I have so many opportunities today to connect with people and make a difference in their lives.
I am grateful that I get to team teach a class I love with an instructor I really respect and can thank for helping to make me the instructor I am now.
I am grateful that I get work and earn money to contribute to the well-being of my household.
I am grateful that I get to teach at some awesome places where I genuinely love to be.
I am grateful I have the opportunity to strengthen my body today, and help others on the path to strengthening theirs.
I am grateful that my body is capable of handling six classes in a day.
I am grateful that I can afford to nourish and heal my body sufficiently.
Then the gratitude began to spread, as gratitude does…
When I was stuck in traffic getting to one of my classes:
I am grateful that my husband showed me a way to go that saves me a few extra minutes and saves me a headache.
I am grateful I have so many awesome audio books to read while I am in the car.
I am grateful I have a class to go to.
When I was handling a last-minute childcare crisis for tomorrow — my husband suddenly not being able to watch my little guy while I’m supposed to teach a class:
I am grateful that my husband has been able to be so flexible with his schedule lately that he can spend more time with Buddy Bear so I can teach and work on my business.
I am grateful that my husband has this conflicting event that will contribute more to our household.
I am grateful that someone can sub my class last-minute tomorrow.
If you are thinking that a regular gratitude practice is something that might be beneficial to you, (spoiler alert: it is incredibly beneficial, and there is literally nothing bad that can come from it) you may be wondering how you can get started. You have some options. Here are a few that I have tried and that have worked for me:
Keep a gratitude journal. I don’t do this so much now because I mostly do it in my head at this point, but I used to write down at least five things I was grateful for every night before bed. You can do it in the morning too.
Meditate on gratitude. You can do this in a couple ways. One is to use the word “gratitude” as your mantra, and another is to get yourself into a really relaxed state and contemplate what you are grateful for. I usually use this time to explore gratitude for things I’m really struggling with.
Practice all day long. I have A LOT of time in the car. I’m dropping off and picking up my little man at school. I’m driving to meetings and to clients and to classes. When I have longer stretches in the car, I listen to an audio book, but on my shorter trips, I spend my time thinking about what I’m grateful for, down to the most ridiculous things like seat warmers and having a nail file handy. I challenge myself to recite gratitudes from the time I drop Jack off at school to when I get home, without thinking about anything else.
It truly is amazing how something as simple as practicing gratitude can lift your spirits, lift your frequency, connect you to others, and generally improve your mood and your life. If you would like further guidance on how to incorporate a gratitude practice into your daily life, I’m here for you. Be well, friend!
