It’s a trending word right now. We see it everywhere we go.
Gratitude. Be grateful.
I thought for so long that this was naturally innate. Although I would preach it to many of my students and of course to my son, I realized that this is a skill like any other. It takes work. It is acquired over time. For some, it takes longer than others.
At the age of 43, I know I struggle with it some days. Because of this, it has become a daily practice, not just an attitude for a season of the year.
And we know this. And if you’re like me, you say you’re grateful, but do you feel it? Is that truly the belief in your heart?
I remember a while back, I was going through a tough situation. To be honest, I cannot recall the situation. I reached out to my sister to vent and shared what was going on. After my rant, she just said, you know, sometimes when I am having a day, I write down things I am grateful for.
I thought to myself – Um, what? That’s all you can say? Do you hear what I am going through?
I wanted her to defend me and egg me on. I was so focused on the problem that I couldn’t see anything else.
But later that night, I was having some quiet time to myself. And I just thought, what do I have to lose? So I sat down and did as she said.
Within minutes, something shifted in me. That problem was no longer the focus. Suddenly, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal anymore. And to be real, I was tired of magnifying the problem.
I looked at the journal in front of me and saw all the good of what I had around me. And I smiled.
I’m going to keep this short and sweet because I have a challenge for you.
Start a gratitude journal for one month. Yes, 30 days.
Now before you tell me you don’t have time, or don’t have a journal, or whatever the excuse might be, let’s focus on solutions, not our delusions.
Here’s how it works –
At the end of every day, just before bed, write down ONE thing you are grateful for. If you’re feeling a bit extra that day, go for two or three! Immediately following, go to bed so that it’s the last thing you do.
This less than five-minute practice will allow you to end your day on a positive note and allow you to rest well that night.
In your heart, you know that this is a simple practice that will cause you to be in a positive mental state. And sometimes, we would rather dwell on the problem. As I shared in my story, that’s what I wanted to do. But if you’re like me, and you are tired of problems, consider a different way: the way to the solution.
The attitude of gratitude challenge has been extended. Are you willing to accept? Are you willing to make a change? Are you willing to see things a different way?