Day 130 in Gratitude

This post is from Evie Burke, Certified Life Coach. "Find the joy in your life and work one insight at a time." To find out more about Evie and her work, go to  www.oneinsightcloser.com

When I sat down to write this post about my perspective on Gratitude, all the ideas that I had disappeared.  As I thought about what I was going to write I remembered something I read (or heard) last week.  It was a challenge to list 100 things your grateful for.  So, I decided to do it.

I expected to get to about 30 things and then be stuck.  Not that I don't have lots of things to be thankful for, I do, but I wasn't sure about my ability to think of them quickly in one sitting.  I surprised myself by having just over 50 items listed in one sitting.

I also noticed something after that sitting.  I was much calmer and focused then I was before I started.  Before I started I was thinking about the appointments I have today and all the things I want to get done.  My mind was darting around from one thing to the next without stopping at anything long enough to actually make progress.  After I listed out as many things I was grateful for as I could, I noticed that my mind had slowed down and I was actually concentrating on one thing.

Now, part of this is because I sat down and committed myself to one task and once I got into it my mind quieted.  But something about writing down things your grateful for automatically shifts your mood.  When you're focusing on the positive things that are in your life you can't help but feel a little happier.

Keeping a gratitude journal is proven to increase a person's satisfaction with life.  Why? Well, you're more likely to focus on the good things that happen to you or around you when you know you want to write something down in your gratitude journal at the end of the day.  And when you focus on the good things happening around you, you tend to be happier and more satisfied with your life.

If you're going through a difficult time or just aren't as happy as you'd like to be then start keeping a gratitude journal.  If there's one part of your life that you're particularly unhappy with, try writing at least one thing about it each day that you're grateful for.  For example, when I was really unhappy at my old job I started doing this and found that there were a number of things I was grateful for.  Things like a kind word, the suggestion to get out of the office for lunch, or a conversation with a friend. 

Have you ever heard the phrase "Energy flows where attention goes?"  This is another reason that gratitude is so powerful.  When we focus our attention on what we're thankful for, we're flowing our positive energy toward it and will attract more of whatever it is we're thankful for.

I'm going to go and think of some more things and people I'm thankful for.  My goal is to have 100 before I go to bed tonight.

So, what's at the top of your 100 things your grateful for? 

Obstacles: A Matter of Perspective

For a long time it seemed to me that real life was about to begin, but there was always some obstacle in the way. Something had to be got through first, some unfinished business; time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it downed on me that these obstacles were my life!
~Bette Howland

Webster's dictionary defines an obstacle as "an obstruction that prevents a forward movement or course of action." Do you ever feel restricted by an obstacle - something that stands between you and what you define as a complete and whole life? Do you see the pathway of your life leading to a point at which you will one day arrive, where all obstacles will disappear? If you do, you are in for one long pathway. I don't know of anyone who doesn't have obstacles of one kind or another in their life. As a matter of fact, my observation is that often those who appear to have the greatest challenges in life, with apparent obstacles far larger than my own, seem to see their own challenges not as obstacles at all but rather as growth opportunities for forward movement. Thomas Carlyle wrote: "The block of granite, which is an obstacle in the pathway of the weak, becomes a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong." In other words, obstacles are all a matter of perspective. Do you see the challenges in your life as obstacles or opportunities? Do you see them through the eyes of a victim or a victor? Either way, let's free ourselves from any illusions: we shall always have challenges. How we see them is our choice.
Excerpt from The Art Of Being by Dennis Merritt Jones, D.D.

What motivates you?

I was asked today by another Life Coach, "What drives you?" "Is it good food, love, wealth,interesting people?"

Gosh, I hope this Life Coach has a bit more awareness of what some if not most of her clients are going through day to day. I hope that if she is aware, that she has more compassion and is readied to offer some sound coaching and motivational input.

Please understand, I love a good bottle of wine, I love...no, wait, I LOVE shoes, I love to shop. But with the economy the way it is, and hearing stories day after day from clients and friends who have lost their job, not able to make a mortgage payment, or taking lesser jobs, etc. That dose of reality does not have me or anyone else I know being motivated by good food, love, wealth or interesting people. Just being brutally honest here.

Here was my response;

The motivation to make a difference in this world, not only for me but others as well.

The challenges facing us all at this time are exactly what we don't want yet which give us a unique opportunity. An opportunity to look inside our hearts and ask, "If I am truly committed to having an outstanding, brilliant, fantastic life, one where I live and treasure each moment and share that with the rest of the world to contribute to it's magnificence, what would that look like, feel like, be like?"

Am I willing to rely on the government to make my life better? Am I willing to rely on outside forces or influences to make my life better? I ask myself this, "if not me, who?" "Who else is going to make MY world great and how can I expect anyone else to do something I'm not prepared to do myself?"

That's what motivates me every single day.

Simple (but you must commit) Secrets of Success

This simple routine can and will inspire greatness. And, don’t be surprised in what direction it may take you.

Take a piece of paper and on the top write the words 10 Goals along with today’s date.

Now ask yourself, if you could only accomplish one goal, but you would have to accomplish this goal within 24 hours, which one goal would have the greatest positive impact in your life?

Really think about the goal that would give you the greatest positive impact: it could be financial, it could be emotional. Trust me, that one goal will jump off the page at you.

Circle that goal, turn the paper over and write that goal at the top of that page, along with a deadline to achieve that goal.

Underneath that, write down anything and everything you’ll need to do in order to accomplish this goal. Do a mind dump; writing everything that immediately comes to mind in order to accomplish this.

Some of these may be obtaining a higher education, becoming certified in your desired field. Or these Must Do’s may be something more immediate such as signing up for a gym membership, or starting the process of putting your house up for sale.

Leave no Must Dos in your mind. Everything necessary to achieve this goal must be written down.

Then, every day do one thing necessary to getting you closer to achieving this goal. One thing, every single day.

You may have to work on one thing for days, or weeks, or even months - but commit to doing one thing every day to get you closer to your desired goal.

The key word is commit!

People begin to become great when they determine their purpose. In one year’s time you can look back at that paper and not only be astonished at where you are, and what you’ve achieved but you’ll have a great sense of purpose and accomplishment.