I grew up with a lot of craziness, in that environment, it’s easy to get into a mindset of only noticing everything that is wrong. After a while that way of thinking becomes a habit you’re not even aware of. Cultivating a practice of gratitude helps change that. If everyday you start to notice and appreciate the things that are right in your life, a big shift starts to happen. You start to create a more positive view of your life and the world at large.
It is not about turning life into a utopic existence, hard things happen. It’s the first noble truth in Buddhism, suffering is a part of life, ALL life. However, if you can cultivate a grateful heart you begin to see the important lessons those difficulties bring. The practice of gratitude helps keep me focused on what’s really important. It helped me replaced “a lack of” with abundance “I have enough”.
Cultivating a practice of gratitude is one of the best things I have ever done, that’s one of the reasons I end all of my classes with a pause for gratitude.
Here are three things you can do to start cultivating a grateful heart:
1- At bedtime, just before you close your eyes, instead of reflecting on your to-do list for tomorrow, reflect on at least two/three things about your day you’re grateful for. It could be as simple as the hot shower you enjoyed (especially after a storm with no power for three days!), the friend you ran into at the store that you just love or the co-worker who gave you a compliment.
2- If you’re going through a tough situation, take a pause and reflect on one thing you are truly grateful for. When we had the twins, it was hard, especially without any family nearby to help. As hard as it was, I would thank God regularly for they were healthy babies, otherwise life would have been a lot harder.
3-Take a 7-DAY GRATITUDE CHALLENGE! Committing to a challenge forces you to pause and reflect as you answer the questions! Join us this Saturday, right here. We’d love to read your answers. I’m sure it will inspire others!