I know, I know, it’s that time of year when most people are showing their gratitude to the people, circumstances and opportunities in their lives.
I’ll be no exception this week. Gratitude is something I always have to keep front of mind for myself: when life is good and especially, when life isn’t as good as I might like.
As we lean into the week of Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate it), it’s always that gentle reminder to me to be grateful for all that I have: my family, my work, my health, my friends, my clients, (who are often one and the same), and to have a roof over my head and food on our table.
A little over a month ago, I fired back up my “gratitude journal” and I’m doing it a bit differently than I have in the past.
I try to do it first thing in the morning, on the Notes section of my phone, while I’m drinking my coffee and preparing myself for the day ahead.
I list three things I’m grateful for and I try my very best not to repeat anything I’ve said before. I’m sure that I’ll duplicate something along the way but if the easy thing is to say: “I am grateful for my wife”, I try to be more specific and list what I’m grateful for at that moment. So, it may be something along the lines of: “I am grateful for the medical care my wife has to guide her health.”
I won’t give this process more credit than it’s due. Is it transforming my life and making sure I never struggle or view the world through a lens of pessimism? No. It’s not a flawless practice.
But it is a way to start my day off positively before too many obstacles get thrown in my path. It allows me to be grateful for little details and big changes. It’s a grounding and centering practice to remind me that no matter how difficult things might get, there are always so many things I need to focus my gratitude on.
Just like all of my clients, I am constantly striving to find places to improve my own life, my attitude, my blessings and allow that to affect how I treat myself and how I treat others.
Thank you for being a part of that big picture with me.
And a little something I’m very grateful for? Well, you’ll see it below.
(Photo courtesy of Allison Ewing Photography)
