I am not the first person who will tell you, "Be more grateful."
But do you know why gratitude works?
Gratitude for what we already have in our life actually changes our brain.
And you can feel happier in the life you have right now, simply by having gratitude, and not changing anything else!
How is this possible?
Your brain is always seeking evidence for what you believe - it's doing this behind the scenes, everyday.
When you start practicing gratitude, you know what happens?
Your brain starts seeking evidence of what is good in your life.
And the more evidence it finds of what is good, the better your life becomes.
It's seeking out evidence anyway, you might as well direct it to find the good, not the crap.
Here is specifically how I do it.
A 3-3-1 gratitude journal.
Three "I am grateful for..."
Three "Wins..."
One "Tomorrow I will..."
Every day before I start my day, I grab my day planner and write in my note area. It helps me to start my day out with favorable thoughts.
And I write down...
Three things I am grateful for today:
Windows open and smelling the fresh air.
The sound of wind chimes on my front porch.
My husband taking out the trash.
The more you practice this, the more you will find gratitude even in the more difficult things...
After my three "I am grateful for . . ." I write down three wins.
Three wins from the day...
An incredible session with a client.
Walked with a friend today.
I finished the project I have been working on.
I did not take it personally when that potential client said "No" to coaching.
(Ok that was four. :) )
Again, feel free to set the bar low in the beginning, and finding "wins" becomes easier each day.
Lastly, I write down one thing I will move forward with tomorrow.
A place to focus my energy the next day.
One thing I will move forward tomorrow...
I will put away the laundry I washed today.
I will send an email to that potential client.
Clean out my closet and ready myself for summer
This is my 3-3-1 gratitude practice, and it has changed my life, and it changes the lives of anyone who does it.
Because you are thinking differently.
And because you are thinking differently, you feel differently.
And when you feel differently, you act differently - showing up in your life like you never have before.
Life doesn't change so you can feel grateful.
You feel grateful for your life, and then life gets even better.
With gratitude,
Susan
P.S. Who will start this practice with me?
Three "I am grateful for..."
Three "Wins . . . "
One "Tomorrow I will . . ."