As the flight took off that early morning the sky was ablaze in orange, yellow and red. What a stunning way to start my day. This sunrise happens every day, whether I’m ready for it or not. Being ready is the key. I’ve learned that if I practice gratitude in my first waking moments, it makes a difference in how my day goes.
As a group of friends gathered in my living room the following week, we discussed how easy it is to grumble over things that we DON’T have or things that DON’T happen as we planned. We made a commitment to focus our mornings on things for which we are grateful. Each of us bought a journal to capture five things every morning – thus our commitment began.
This morning I wrote:
1—grateful for spending this holiday with family and friends
2—grateful for a husband who listens patiently as I share far too many stories from the travels
3—grateful for a gift of gab that has allowed me to build a business that requires this competency
4—grateful for two little munchkins who greet me after my travels with their hollers and hugs
5—grateful for a passion for our work that continues to invigorate me
If this is too fluffy for you, I make no apologies. A grateful mindset makes for grateful clients. Grateful clients lead to a grateful business. Having a grateful business allows for a grateful lifestyle. Living a grateful lifestyle includes taking fabulous vacations. All this leads to a grateful life…..and you get the drift! That’s my POV (point of view) and I’m stickin’ to it.
Practice gratitude – As new-agey as this sounds, the exercise of writing what you are grateful for helps you focus on what’s working for you. It helps you recognize and capitalize on your strengths. It generates more energy and develops more calm. Having a grateful attitude attracts others and can lead to more success. I challenge you to start journaling in 2017 and watch the positive things that can happen.
Watch Oprah’s take on using a grateful journal. Gratitude is powerful!
