GRATITUDE. Not just for the “hippies” or those yoga people
Gratitude is a key element to your fitness and mindset journey. It’s one of the world’s greatest FREE gifts. It is one of the most underdeveloped skills available to everyone. Dare I say, it is one of our undiscovered superpowers. I use the word “superpower” because it sounds badass right, well, it’s because it is! The bonus part is you already have the power inside you, you just might not know how to tap into it yet. It’s probably safe to say that it’s a power and skill we aren’t using nearly enough. Let’s change that.
Gratitude Can and Will Change Your Life
Many years ago, I left a long relationship, hated my career, depressed, at an unhealthy weight, feeling overwhelmed with life and I was left will a negative mindset. I KNEW I needed to get help, I was so lost and didn’t know how or what to do alone. I had friends and family but they were too close to help me. And I needed an outsider and found a coach online who worked fitness BUT also mindset shifts and gratitude.
I started with a group program and the coach had us work on gratitude and journaling. Which to be honest I thought was useless and a total waste of my time. Where was the fitness and mindset stuff? Now when I say gratitude and you roll your eyes, I understand. I totally thought it was BS, for the “hippies” and I totally rolled my eyes too. But the crazy thing is, I did start noticing changes and I want to share some examples of what happened to me.
I Was Not a Believer in the Whole “Gratitude Thing”
I thought it was Bullsh*t and a waste of my time but it was part of my program so I went along with it. When I was working with my online coach, we would have some group calls. At the beginning of every group call, we would go around our circle and say what we were grateful for. Insert eye roll here, I hear ya. I was brand new to the idea of gratitude and group coaching and some of these people had been with my coach for a while. We were all in different stages, which was pretty interesting. Some of them were already practicing gratitude.
When you first start with a gratitude practice, it’s hard.
Hard as in change is tough for us, thinking outside of our comfort zone is hard, that’s normal and ok. But with daily practice and small changes, it will become a habit and becomes more natural to you. I started with things like I was grateful for my friends and my family. I found it difficult to do this because I thought it was useless (holy crap, was I wrong).
Storytime
I remember one day in a group meeting, our coach said what are you grateful for? and this guy was like, “I am grateful for a walk to the park where I got to sit under a tree in the beautiful park and the tree was so green, the sky so blue”. And I’m like, “what the f*ck? Seriously, bro, you are grateful for a park and trees ?? like really? this is what you’re grateful for?” I am sure everyone on the call could hear my eyes rolling. At that time, I just did not understand it at all. And maybe that’s where you’re at, and if so that’s very cool because you can change your mind, life, and mindset like I did. U GOT THIS!
I was slowly able to get more comfortable with gratitude and was able to learn to have gratitude for what I had and the smaller things in life, one day at a time. I was able to expand my gratitude beyond my friends and family, (like when I first started) to appreciate the small, daily things we tend to take for granted. You know, like we get to be alive, our feet, arms, our amazing body, a roof, a bed and I could go on but you get it. These things that came to mind quickly now. Things like hearing kids laugh and noticing the warm breeze on my skin and the sound of the waves crashing and the taste of a cold beer on a summer day.
It increases your mindfulness and awareness of what you have already. It improves your anxiety levels and so much more. Big things and little things are both very important and it changes the way you think, creates a shift, and improves your quality of life. There is science behind the benefits of gratitude mental and physical.
How Long Will This Take?
There is no set time, sorry. The good news is every time you do it, the better you will begin to feel. The more time you put into this practice the faster you will realize its power. Everyone is so different, the times will vary but put in the work, it is worth it!
It took about 10 months for me to go from “gratitude is totally bullshit” to “hell yeah, gratitude is my number superpower” and yelling it from the rooftops..lol but every day I wake with gratitude. I make time to practice every single day and learn more about the benefits and science behind it as well. It is such a powerful skill to develop and I know everyone can benefit from it.
If I say gratitude and you think BS, that’s great. Let’s do this..lol Why not Challenge yourself now?
When Should I Start?
You can start any time, any day, and anywhere. IT’S FREE! It can, and will literally change your day and how you live your life.
Life is hard right, and this will improve your quality of life, reduce depression levels, and not just yours, all the people around you as well. It will be a positive ripple effect on people you don’t even know. As you start working on your mindset you’ll find that it’s very powerful. You will feel more in control of your life. We feed our brains all kinds of negativity that is not useful and usually we don’t even realize we do it because it becomes such a habit. Unfortunately, many people usually start their day with negative thoughts and mindset. Great news, we can change that. WE control our thoughts.
I always recommend the best time to start is NOW..lol but the first thing in the morning is where that magic can start. As soon as you wake up in the morning, YOU control those firsts thoughts you let in. You have heard the quote “win the morning, win the day”. This is the TRUTH!
Where Do I Start
Gratitude is about becoming more aware, more mindful of yourself, your self-talk and your surroundings. Learning how to appreciate your life and the things you already have, even if you are thinking you have nothing to be grateful for right now.
Start a gratitude journal and take the time weekly to reflect and really feel what you have written. SAYING, DOING, SHARING, AND FEELING are how you can make this an actual practice that you keep in your life.
Grab your free weekly gratitude worksheet CLICK HERE if you aren’t ready to commit to the full journal yet.
What is one thing that you are grateful for today? Let me know!
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U GOT THIS 1 LIFE, How Will You Live Yours?
