I love to learn and out of all the fantastic content I consume if I were to choose one thing that has made the biggest difference across all areas of my life it is gratitude.
Developing a daily habit of gratitude and appreciation has and continues to make the biggest difference in my life.
Whatever we focus on expands. If we are looking for all the good in the world that is what we notice.
That said, we are wired to be on the lookout for danger. This is a good thing since it helps us survive and yet it is easy to lose sight of all that is good as we are scanning for danger.
For many years I was a worrier. When you are a worrier, you see more to worry about! As I began to understand that whatever I focused on expanded I started to shift away from worrying and began looking for what I was grateful for and wanted more of.
Originally, I did this in the car on my way to work. Yep, I talked out loud listing all the things that I was grateful for. My rule was that I needed to keep listing things until I was truly feeling grateful. Some mornings I talked to myself most of the way to work!
I quickly started to realize that when I began my day focused on all that was good in my life (personal & work) my day went better. Over time my daily gratitude and appreciation practice has evolved into writing in my journal… to keep me appreciating, not worrying.
If you are interested in making your life better begin a daily gratitude practice! Don’t get hung up on the best way to do it – just start!
I find capturing what I am appreciating on paper is great since I can go back and read past entries. If pausing to write feels like a barrier then begin listing things out loud. Link it to something else you do daily (showering, brushing your teeth, driving to work, driving your kids to practice or school, putting on your pajamas, etc.).
What are you appreciating today?
