Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude
Gratitude has always come fairly easy for me. Not that I am always feeling it but when I take time to focus on it and think about what I am grateful for – generally listing a few things is easy for me.
These days even in the challenging times, the uncomfortable moments, the situations that feel awkward or painful I know that there are gifts to be had.
Leading with Love
A year or so into the pandemic I realized that creating more gratitude in my household would benefit all of us (or so I thought!). I asked my partner if he would like to add in a gratitude practice on our morning walks.
I can’t remember what his answer was, but the outcome was that we did start to do a daily gratitude practice together each morning. Three things each day that we were grateful for, and they needed to be three different things.
Most often for me the gratitude flowed easily. Although there were some days where I had to dig deeper, contemplate more, search out the things which helped me connect to my gratitude.
For him I think the whole practice was a pain in the ass. He struggled to find the things that made him feel grateful. Rather than feeling the energetic lift of the exercise it seemed like he would just rather not.
Attitude of Gratitude
I really believed that if we just practiced this enough, it would get easier for him. He would start to see the day to day with more gratitude rather than the general focus of where things were not going well.
Although it often felt like I was annoying him asking for this piece I kept at it. I believed that this had to be good for him which in turn meant good for both of us.
I was wrong
After a full year of this daily practice, and me feeling so deeply grateful for so much, when new years day came and I asked if he wanted to stop he said yes.
I was stunned. I couldn’t believe that after a year of this practice that he couldn’t see the benefit in it. That he wasn’t able to feel the difference in himself when he focused on the gratitude.
Needless to say we stopped. I hated the feeling of having to continually force him to do this. The fact that he didn’t see this practice as positive after a full year blew my mind.
It also solidified for me that we were very different people who had a very different idea of what we wanted out of life.
Energy flows where focus goes
For me that year of practicing gratitude solidified that there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for.
On the hard days it can be as simple as I live in a first world country where hot water comes out of the tap any time, I want it to. It can be the comfort of my bed. The softness of my sheets. The fact that I can burn incense. A warm cup of coffee. A fire. So many things to be grateful for.
I know that the world is challenging for many right now but the more we focus on the bad, the upset, the issues, the more those pieces grow inside of us.
When we take the time to find even the smallest sparks of gratitude they have the opportunity to grow and blossom into something more.
Being an entrepreneur
When we are working for ourselves it’s very easy to focus on all the things we are not getting done. The money that isn’t rolling in. The clients who aren’t banging on our door. The work that hasn’t been touched.
When we do that, it serves to keep us stuck in lack mentality.
Instead I invite you to see what has gotten done.
What is going well?
Where you have grown and expanded into more of your true self?
Where are you shining more brightly?