Gratitude

Every night for the better part of 6 years, right before bed I’ve written down what I’ve felt gratitude for in that day. It’s changed who I am, and how I see the world. I’ve found it to be a very good keeper of perspective, an opportunity to check in with myself, at least just once every 24 hours. To be able to take a step back, see the forest from the trees, and recognise hey... I’ve got life pretty damn good. Despite whatever shitstorm might be going on, there’s always a gem of a person, a kind smile, a new experience, a new skill learnt, a delicious meal, a painful but enlightening lesson, a success at work, a sunset seen that could just as easily been missed. Something, there’s always something that can be found to appreciate and be grateful for.

It can be hard to get the ball rolling on a nightly practice, I know I was extremely resistant at first. But once I did, I started reaping the benefits and it soon became a habit I looked forward to. One such benefit is I started consciously seeking moments of gratitude throughout the day, even if just to have something to write about that night. But hey guess what, life just started getting a little shinier as a byproduct!

Gratitude has also helped me learn how to reframe my thinking. Especially in those times of total overwhelm, you know the ones where you’re barely keeping your nostrils above the water line?It’s so easy in those moments to say ‘I have to do x, y, z... wah wah’... but I’ve found reframing that into ‘I CHOOSE to’ by using gratitude is so much more empowering! Because really.... nobody’s actually MAKING me do ANYTHING! Everything in life is a choice to embrace!

If I had to pick just one thing to form a healthy habit around, this would be it.

So, what’s one thing you can identify that you're grateful for today?