This year has
been a little crazy both professionally and personally...who can’t relate?
There have been
times that I’ve struggled to get out of my head and away from the negative
spiral when it feels like at every turn there are barriers going up.
2020 has made me
realize more than ever all the things, big or small, that I am grateful to see,
experience, or have. The practice of writing down what I am grateful for before
I dig into that day's workload is the one constant that I know will help me
move through the day in a more positive way.
I’ve been
fortunate enough to be able to take a Ninja class and follow some business
coaches that preach about a morning routine of gratitude. I get a cup of tea
and find a quiet, comfortable spot to reflect. I open a dedicated
notebook and date the page. Sometimes I will write a few things that have been
going on in my life or in the world. This helps me to put things into
context later if I go back to previous entries. I will then jot down five
things that I’m grateful for within the last 24 hours. After I reflect on those
five gratitudes, I continue with 10 goals for the current year and for the
future.
As I commit
these goals to paper it forces me to think about what my life will be like once
I’ve achieved those goals. That gets me excited for what new things will
happen in the future, and in turn the new things that I will be grateful
for. It may be difficult at first. But like anything, the more you
practice, the easier it will become. The more you stay consistent, the
more your brain will retrain all the things you should be grateful for.
When I am being
vigilant with this practice, I wake up an hour earlier to make sure I get this
done. I don’t go on social media. I don’t check my emails or text
messages until the task is complete.
There is a quote
that has changed my perspective on past events that at times I have struggled
to let go. “What if things are not happening to you? What if they are happening
for you?” My morning gratitudes help me recognize and reflect on obstacles that
are sometimes presented to me as building blocks and lessons that I need to
learn in order to personally and professionally get to the next level and
achieve my goals.