So with Thanksgiving passing, I came across a couple conversations about being thankful and showing gratitude. What I got from those conversations is that, most of us suck at being grateful. I mean, we take a lot of things in life for granted. I’d like to show you how I’ve tricked myself from falling victim to ungratefulness.
Not too long ago, I received a gift from one of my clients, Gab, who is now a friend. He found out that I really like Crown Royal. So at the beginning of one of our sessions he surprised me with a bottle of Crown Royal Xtra Rare (the blue case) as a thank you for the amount of work I was putting in for his project, Don’t Say Much. When I took the bottle home, I decided that I would only take a shot when something noteworthy happened in the studio. For me, that would be my way to celebrate my wins. However, there have been plenty of times I would forget to take shot or if I did, the memory of what I took the shot for would fade.
Fast forwarding to this weekend and recent conversations within the month. I’ve changed how I go about doing things. I decided to introduce an additional element that would allow me to remember my accomplishments. See how gratitude works is, we affirm that something good has happened, then we recognize the source (from a friend, family members or higher being), and give thanks for that. If we take the credit, then we would feel pride and that’s not the goal.
Our minds already tend to lean more on negative thinking, so we need external reminders to help us combat them. Reflecting on things you are thankful for is cool, but writing them down in detail is more effective. You’ll see that you’re more blessed than whatever difficulties you’ve experienced. I’ve started writing down things that I am grateful for on a slip of paper and putting it in a Mason Jar. I write down small wins and big accomplishments that happen to me throughout the year. When I’m down or feeling unaccomplished, I have something to go back to as a source of reference. This has been very helpful in making me feel grateful for where I am and changes my mood to happiness almost immediately.
It’s already been proven that our level of happiness is linked to recognizing how grateful we are. The state of happiness lessens the chances of depression, lowers our blood pressure and is more likely to help you accomplish goals. These two rituals together keep me grounded, and helps me take less of my life for granted
