There are so many self-help gurus, personal development classes, business coaches, and financial “fixers” right now that we can get confused about what we need to be to grow. Even worse, the constant push to change our circumstances can lead to dissatisfaction, and keep us trapped in a cycle of feeling that we’re stuck.
One of the ways that we can (1) move away from being “stuck” and (2) feel better in that move is to incorporate more gratitude in our lives.
1. Choose to Be
Research has shown that the more you cultivate a habit of gratitude, the better able you are to negotiate anything that life throws at you. As you work on living more sacredly and with greater positivity, you will come to expect more of the same. You can actually retrain your mind away from negative self-talk to greater thankfulness, gratitude, and happiness.
By practicing gratitude, you can literally rewire your brain’s neural pathways so that positivity can become your most natural outlook on life. As you learn to look for the good in things instead of focusing on the bad, you’ll find that better things will be made manifest.
2. Establish and Maintain Boundaries
Part of being more grateful is becoming intentional about making more time for gratitude. You cannot be so caught up in your personal, professional, and/or spiritual development that you fail to reserve time for gratitude. It’s counterintuitive. If we know that gratitude can make things better (and make us feel better, then it’s important that we make it a ritualized, regular part of our daily lives.
An easy way to make this happen is to establish and maintain boundaries at certain part of your day to practice gratitude. It might be as soon as you wake up in the morning, or a part of your noon hour for examples. Whatever you do, identify the time, create a ritual for it, and then protect it.
3. Be Mindful
Mindfulness and meditation can help you focus on building more capacity for holistic success. By focusing on the present moment, you free yourself from regret that comes from living in the past and the anxiety that comes from living in the future.
You can easily integrate mindfulness into your day. When you begin to feel out of sorts, pause and focus on your breathing. Ask yourself a few gratitude questions like: “what are five things I’m grateful for in my life right now?” or “what in this room am I most grateful to have?”
There is research that highlights the many benefits of gratitude. Thankfulness can expand your happiness, increase your well-being, improve your focus, and more. Don’t ever underestimate how you can use it to fuel your progress.
Give it a try and let me know how it works.
Always true,
Dr. Tip
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