These past few months I've been all about cultivating an attitude of gratitude (it's even better than it sounds, and it sounds pretty damn rad as is).
I've discovered that gratitude is a golden, decked out ladder that extends into the sky and beyond. The amount of things to be grateful for is endless and abundant.
Once you start dishing out the gratitude, you cannot stop and you begin to find the blessings and beauty in all these spaces and places you hadn't considered before. I cannot even begin to hype up the incredible power and magic that come with living in a state of gratitude.
Here are 3 simple practices to aid you in feeling #blessed so you can fall more in love with life, feel awesome, spread the love, and watch some major and magical miracles begin to unfold:
1. Awake every morning and let your first thought be THANK YOU.
This will take some practice. At the beginning, your first thought will likely be something else. Once your conscious mind kicks in, remind yourself to dish out some thank yous. You can set the title of your alarm to "awake and say a to the men" or anything that reminds you to give gratitude for life.
I awake and give thanks for my warm bed, the restful sleep I had, the day that awaits me, my loved ones, the life I get to live, the grub in my fridge, the birds outside, the rain on my window pane, the sun peeking through the blinds...the list is endless. I spend as much time as I wish doing this, smiling as I think of more and more things to be grateful for and deeply feeling joy and happiness in my physical body (it feels like a warm buzz for me).
2. Give gratitude each time you have an interaction with someone.
Whether the interaction was positive, negative, or neutral. Say "thanks for that interaction with John Lennon and for allowing me to connect with someone who is X, Y, and Z." If it wasn't an enjoyable interaction you can try, "thanks for that interaction which allowed me to expand my capacity to be kind and loving when it's damn freaking difficult and I send my best wishes to that person despite our differences."
This one is challenging. I still struggle with it but I've never regret this one, especially when the interaction has been less than stellar.
Give it a go for 7 days and write down how you feel every time you do it.
Life-changing I tell you, life-changing.
3. Fall asleep with an attitude of gratitude.
When my head hits the pillow, I usually begin to reflect upon my day, the people in my life, and all that jazz. Instead of listing what went wrong and thinking about your 99 problems, think of all the things that happened that you are grateful for.
And the things you're not grateful for? Spin 'em in a new light so that you can find something awesome about them, even if it's the smallest teeniest of things.
So instead of, "That damn Tina Fey at work, always stealing the opportunities and clients I want," you can be all: "Tina Fey is kicking ass, I'm thankful that us woman have come so far and are doing incredible things in the workforce." You don't need to dwell on Tina Fey, just a little sprinkle of thanks and you can move on to giving thanks for the other wondrous parts of your day like catching the train on time, having the best kale salad ever, that sweet stranger who smiled at you, your well-functioning brain, your sense of humour, the beautiful breeze during your lunch break, and on and on you'll go until you're fast asleep and waking up the next day and doing #1-#3 all over again.
These practices are simple yet challenging. I recommend writing about your experience and progress, you'll be surprised how quickly your thoughts, attitude, and life will change.
I'll leave you with my girl Alanis who so gets it and is ridiculously beautiful in all her vulnerability and willingness to say thank you for every freaking little bit of this divine given life.
I've discovered that gratitude is a golden, decked out ladder that extends into the sky and beyond. The amount of things to be grateful for is endless and abundant.
Once you start dishing out the gratitude, you cannot stop and you begin to find the blessings and beauty in all these spaces and places you hadn't considered before. I cannot even begin to hype up the incredible power and magic that come with living in a state of gratitude.
Here are 3 simple practices to aid you in feeling #blessed so you can fall more in love with life, feel awesome, spread the love, and watch some major and magical miracles begin to unfold:
1. Awake every morning and let your first thought be THANK YOU.
This will take some practice. At the beginning, your first thought will likely be something else. Once your conscious mind kicks in, remind yourself to dish out some thank yous. You can set the title of your alarm to "awake and say a to the men" or anything that reminds you to give gratitude for life.
I awake and give thanks for my warm bed, the restful sleep I had, the day that awaits me, my loved ones, the life I get to live, the grub in my fridge, the birds outside, the rain on my window pane, the sun peeking through the blinds...the list is endless. I spend as much time as I wish doing this, smiling as I think of more and more things to be grateful for and deeply feeling joy and happiness in my physical body (it feels like a warm buzz for me).
2. Give gratitude each time you have an interaction with someone.
Whether the interaction was positive, negative, or neutral. Say "thanks for that interaction with John Lennon and for allowing me to connect with someone who is X, Y, and Z." If it wasn't an enjoyable interaction you can try, "thanks for that interaction which allowed me to expand my capacity to be kind and loving when it's damn freaking difficult and I send my best wishes to that person despite our differences."
This one is challenging. I still struggle with it but I've never regret this one, especially when the interaction has been less than stellar.
Give it a go for 7 days and write down how you feel every time you do it.
Life-changing I tell you, life-changing.
3. Fall asleep with an attitude of gratitude.
When my head hits the pillow, I usually begin to reflect upon my day, the people in my life, and all that jazz. Instead of listing what went wrong and thinking about your 99 problems, think of all the things that happened that you are grateful for.
And the things you're not grateful for? Spin 'em in a new light so that you can find something awesome about them, even if it's the smallest teeniest of things.
So instead of, "That damn Tina Fey at work, always stealing the opportunities and clients I want," you can be all: "Tina Fey is kicking ass, I'm thankful that us woman have come so far and are doing incredible things in the workforce." You don't need to dwell on Tina Fey, just a little sprinkle of thanks and you can move on to giving thanks for the other wondrous parts of your day like catching the train on time, having the best kale salad ever, that sweet stranger who smiled at you, your well-functioning brain, your sense of humour, the beautiful breeze during your lunch break, and on and on you'll go until you're fast asleep and waking up the next day and doing #1-#3 all over again.
These practices are simple yet challenging. I recommend writing about your experience and progress, you'll be surprised how quickly your thoughts, attitude, and life will change.
I'll leave you with my girl Alanis who so gets it and is ridiculously beautiful in all her vulnerability and willingness to say thank you for every freaking little bit of this divine given life.