Gratitude

The more we count our blessings...

The more we count our blessings, the more blessings there are to count. Gratitude shifts our attention to what we have in our lives; as opposed to what is lacking. Taking note of all that we are grateful for, makes it easier for us to be patient and kind with ourselves and others. Gratitude also brings us so much joy and helps us feel more at peace every day. It takes practice and it’s a conscious effort to focus on what it is that we want to see. I asked my boys to count how many white cars they could on their way to school the other morning. They counted quite a few. I then asked them how many yellow cars they saw. They said, “hmm, none that we noticed.” I explained to them there were yellow cars and other colors as well; but their attention was only on looking for white cars. I said, what we focus on is what we see more of in our lives, so it’s a good idea to focus on all of the good things.

Shifting our perspective is as easy as shifting what you focus on and what you’re looking for. When we look for the good, we find the good. It can be hard to have gratitude even for the painful moments and lessons in our lives. I think that is the real test. No one ever gets married to get divorced; but I will never regret the marriage I had and the lessons I learned. And I will forever be BEYOND grateful for the three boys I have because of that marriage. I could never in a million years hate or be upset at my ex husband. I can only have gratitude for what he taught me; as difficult as it was.

If we can be thankful for all the lessons that come our way; we can continue to grow and evolve and not be too afraid when we make mistakes or when things aren’t always going as expected. Gratitude reminds us that maybe there is even a bigger plan for us if we keep believing and staying open and receptive and appreciative for what we have. As we keep practicing gratitude, it becomes a stronger reflex and reaction to everything. For instance, when I miss my subway train, instead of complaining or getting upset, I can immediately think, “Oh great, the next train must not be as crowded and now I can have a seat.” When you want to jump to a negative response to something, take a deep breath and instead see a positive in the situation. Say thanks for whatever was just thrown your way.

Recently I read a great analogy. If you think of your brain as having lots of little roads every time you think one way, you’re going down that road. The more you use that road, the stronger it gets. If you are walking down the complaining road or comparison road a lot, it will only get more well built. Your brain will start to jump to that road first because it’s familiar. If you take the gratitude freeway every day, that starts to become the most used. Your brain will hurry to that “on ramp” and cruise happily on that road. If your gratitude road is getting a little overgrown you may need to work on taking that route more often.

You can do more gratitude meditations or keep a gratitude journal. Every day you can list something you’re grateful for in the morning and every evening you can reflect on all that you’re grateful for from that day. You can lean into your five senses and use them to cherish what is around you. What do you see that you’re grateful for? What do you smell, taste, hear, touch? I sometimes look at the sunset and my heart wants to explode with gratitude for such magnificent colors. When I listen to my boys sing or talk to each other, I am overfilled with joy and gratitude. You can listen to my gratitude playlist here too. I love to listen to music that reminds me of all there is to be thankful for.

Practicing gratitude is the gift that keeps on giving. It can improve your physical health, help you build stronger relationships, deal with adversity better, keep your immune system strong, lower your blood pressure and help you sleep better. Pretty incredible, right? So tonight before you go to bed, close your eyes and think of all the things you are grateful for. If you can’t think of something immediately go through each body part of yours and give thanks. Start with your toes and make your way up to your heart, and then your head. Strengthen your gratitude highway, look for the white cars, keep counting those blessings. The more you count them, the more you’ll notice just how much good you have in your life.

You can also use a simple gratitude mantra like the one below. I’ll continue to share more gratitude mantras and meditations with you.

INHALE LOVE
EXHALE GRATITUDE

INHALE LOVE
EXHALE GRATITUDE

INHALE LOVE
EXHALE GRATITUDE

I want to let you all know how very grateful I am for you.