I recently started a gratitude practice. Each morning, I pull out one of my beloved composition books that I purchased for only fifty cents each and I write down my “Daily Gratitudes.” The inspiration for this practice came from two places.
First, I started Gabby Bernstein’s May Cause Miracles book and work in September. It helped me to realize how powerful my thoughts are. I can choose to use that power for negativity of positivity.
Next, I have been following a woman on Instagram named Tammi Salas. Tammi is an amazing person and artist. She creates her own daily gratitudes and uses color and drawings to make the most amazing pieces. I’d been creeping on her posts for weeks and finally I let go of the idea that I had to make my lists look like hers. I just started writing.
Here are some pictures of my recent lists.
This morning I woke up with a headache and in the past I could’ve definitely gotten caught up in that story. Today, I tried a few alternative tricks, waited a bit, took some Tylenol, and made my list of daily gratitudes. This practice helps me to shift my mindset to focusing on what is good and to break free of negativity.
Loving and noticing what is good is tough for many of us because we get so busy and addicted to negative mindsets. But the real challenge is to love what’s not so good, at least not on the surface or at first glance. This practice has helped me to be grateful for the challenges too.
Truth? Every “bad” thing in my life has helped me to grow. I might not love it when it’s happening, but I can look back and see the gifts. I’m trying to be more open about experiencing that kind of gratitude for difficult situations as they happen, in real-time. I’m a work in progress.
How can you start your own gratitude practice? Find a notebook. The cheaper the better, in my opinion. Set aside ten minutes each morning and start your list. I challenge myself to always fill the page. Sometimes I write the same things (the morning sky makes a lot of appearances on my list, as does coffee) but I also reflect on what’s going on in my life in that moment or what’s on the horizon. Over time, I’ve noticed that the energy of gratitude stays with me throughout the day because of the seeds I’ve planed in the morning.
I knew this practice was working for me when I found myself not having to think about it. I just instinctively reach for the notebook each morning.
I hope you’ll consider starting your own gratitude practice this fall. Namaste friends. -Karen
Originally published at www.karencostawellness.com