Hello and welcome to a new week!
Gratitude is a hot topic these days, and while I understand why it drums up warm fuzzies for most people, I'd like to offer a really tangible explanation of WHY practicing gratitude boosts joy in the present moment while also aligning you with your future, ideal self. Bréne Brown writes:
"I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude."
BEAUTIFUL.
However, I used to think this was where the practice of gratitude ended. 'Be grateful now and you'll find joy in the moment'. True. BUT! Here is what I now also know:
Gratitude now also means BIG THINGS in the future too!!
Here is what I mean:
Everything we become, starts first in the mind that believes it (good or bad). When that belief remains steadfast, the physical results of those beliefs are sure to follow because our actions are in alignment with what we believe.
If we can practice GRATITUDE right now for all that we have, and then fix our eyes on what we yet desire, we feel abundant and empowered in the moment and also conduct ourselves at an emotional level that continues to make that abundance our reality in the future.
BETTER RESULTS ARE GUARANTEED.
So, here is a contrasting example to highlight the gratitude effect for you. Say, instead of gratitude you practice worrying. In the moment, worrying depletes your strength for the present day and it focuses your attention on the very things you do not want in your future. Compare that with the practice of gratitude. In the moment you feel uplifted by the abundance your life currently overflows with and it focuses your attention and emotional alignment on the possibility and joy of knowing there will be even more of this abundance in your future. From there, you head into your day grateful for what you have and in an elevated emotional state which is guaranteed to have you thinking better thoughts, feeling empowered feelings, taking aligned action and experiencing more of the results you are already grateful for.
YES PLEASE!
Friend, gratitude is the answer now and for always. Gratitude makes this moment burst with goodness and it sets us on course to attract and be present to even more of that goodness in the future.
I'm so grateful for you and so grateful for the awareness of the practice of gratitude. Wishing you the most lovely week ♥︎
TAKE A MINUTE
This week, when you find yourself feeling unhelpful, negative emotion (worry, fear, procrastination, jealousy, hopelessness, etc.), first pause and notice it.
Compassionately accept that it is the result of your thinking in that moment.
Then, take 1 minute. Close your eyes and conduct a mini gratitude brainstorming session. Mentally list everything you can think of that you are grateful for in that minute.
It may come slow at first, considering the energy you are feeling going in to the exercise, but once you get rolling just let the declarations flow. Here is an example of where you can start when it feels like there is nothing:
" I'm so grateful for this coffee. A quiet moment to enjoy it. This sweet mug I love so much. The thoughtful friend who gifted it to me. Friends!! Oh my goodness, friends! My life is so full of wonderful people. My family! They are everything and more! So thankful for our health and the blessings in our lives. So grateful I have a minute to think about all of this right now. So grateful I can think. So grateful I can observe and change my thoughts if I want to! So grateful to know about the power I have to make them positive and improve my life! etc....."
I promise, after doing this exercise, you will arrive back in the present moment feeling more abundant and empowered to tackle what lies in front of you. Do this exercise several times a day and benefit from the way it lifts your mood and course corrects your actions to be in alignment with who you desire to be ♥︎