Since it’s nearly Monday, I thought it’s a great time to talk about gratitude.
Gratitude is not just the appreciation of the things in our life, but the action of choosing to focus on these things. Developing the habit of choosing gratitude is, essentially, learning to combat fear, anxiety, and stress in our lives. Our brains are constantly re-wiring themselves based on the inputs they get. If we think about what we’re grateful for, we wire our brain to find more of those things, and we in turn live more satisfied lives. If we think about what we lack, what’s stressing us out, or opportunities we’re not getting, that’s all we can see around us. Our brains are amazing filter machines.
The better we get at flexing our gratitude muscle, the easier it will be to interrupt the patterns of fear, anxiety, and stress and have a fighting chance against them. To start building that muscle, I challenge you to start each day with three gratitudes. Three things you’re thankful for. Try to make each day’s gratitudes a little different to keep yourself on your toes. And if you’re feeling down or low at some point during the day, repeat this exercise. Ask a friend to challenge you with this when they sense you being negative or down, and offer the same back. It’s easy to get knocked off course throughout the day and having others there to point us back goes a long way.
My gratitudes today are:
1) All the people in my life who support and believe in me, even ones I didn’t realize.
2) Another sunny day in Savannah to be outside, and air conditioning so I can take a break from the heat to write this! (see photo)
3) New shoelaces on my work shoes that don’t come untied every 48 minutes.
Drop what you’re grateful for today in the comments below 
. As you continue actively thinking of your gratitudes daily, keep me updated on how your life begins to change!
. As you continue actively thinking of your gratitudes daily, keep me updated on how your life begins to change!
