Gratitude is one of my favorite practices to help me change my thoughts, uplift my mood and celebrate so many blessings around me every day. It is a powerful force that can transform your relationship and your life if you let it in.
Whenever you are feeling out of sorts, if you can find one thing to be grateful for, it will help you feel better no matter what is going on around you. Even in the worst circumstances, we can think of someone we love or a happy memory, or our favorite food or the feel of cotton, the smell of a flower, or the sound of our honey’s laughter and that thought of gratitude can help keep us going.
In my years working as a coach, I’ve observed that healthy relationships express gratitude on a regular basis and strained, struggling relationships usually don’t. Gratitude shifts your focus to the good, and the more we notice and celebrate, the more we are given to notice and celebrate.
I usually spend some time on Thanksgiving Weekend pondering all the blessings in my life and make a list of 100 things I am grateful for. It’s fun to look back on those lists over the years and see what is still the same and what has changed.
Today I’d love to share this practice with you. If you don’t have a regular gratitude practice, this is the perfect place to start.
Here is what to do:
- Set aside about an hour of quiet time.
- Find your favorite notebook and pen. There is something about the hand’s connection to the heart that makes writing the old-fashioned way (with a pen) a soulful experience.
- Light a candle and put on some inspiring music. Here’s a playlist I’ve made for you.
- Write. Anything you can think of, in no particular order. Just write whatever comes and keep writing until you get to 100.
For Super Bonus Extra Credit Points:
Reserve 10 of your 100 to dare to dream and start expressing gratitude in advance for the things you want to bring in your life. Small Dreams & Big Dreams all begin with a wish and can be fueled with gratitude, action and grace.
True Story – years ago when I had the idea of writing down 10 things to be grateful for in advance, I wrote down, “my beautiful engagement ring.” At the time, I didn’t even have a boyfriend or any inkling that I might get one, but it came to me so I wrote it anyway.
I met The Hubs about a year later. I now wear my beautiful engagement ring every day, right next to my beautiful wedding ring.
What would you like to experience next? Who would you like to be? What would you like to own? Where would you like to go? Begin the journey to those experiences by giving thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving & Enjoy!
