Expressing your gratitude
What if tomorrow you woke up with only the things you were grateful for today? π¬
It might shock you if you kept a tally of how many times you complained or had a negative or judgmental thought versus how many times you complimented or praised yourself or practiced gratitude. Actually, I dare you to do it. Just do it for one day. On a piece of paper – one side is the good/praise/gratitude and the other is the negative/complaint/judgment side. Draw a tally line every time you do it. At the end of the day – reflect on it.
That quote hits hard sometimes for me. Since my first back surgery over 20 years ago, I was stuck in such a negative mindset. I always wondered what I did to deserve all of the pain I was experiencing, why did a 20-year-old have to have back surgery because her spine was degenerating like an 80-year-old spine?! I thought life sucked, I carried around a ton of anger and bitterness. Eventually, my outlook on life changed. I finally became accountable for my actions and accepted the responsibility that my life was the way it was because of the decisions I was making. Honestly, though, I had nowhere to go but up. I was at the bottom and my neurosurgeon told me if I kept going the way I was and how I was treating my body, I’d be having another back surgery within 3 to 5 years. Do you want to know what one of the smallest, most simple things I did that changed everything?
ππ₯°Express gratitudeππ«π§πΌββοΈ
I created a very simple routine each day. Now when I say it’s simple, it is. However, it’s not easy. The only thing easy about it is that it’s easy to not do.
π Before even stepping foot out of bed, I start my day with 2-5 minutes of writing or saying out loud what I’m grateful for at that moment.
π Before I go to sleep, I do pretty much the same thing.
You might be wondering, if it’s so simple, how it is so life-changing?
π It allows you to be thankful for what you do have rather than focus on what you don’t have
π You become aware of the simple and small things in life
π Your mindset will shift – it’s really hard (near impossible) to be grateful and complain at the same time
π You show up more present in life rather than constantly looking at the past or future
π You will feel better, mentally and physically
Do you have 4-10 minutes a day to change your life? Let’s start now, share something you’re grateful for – tag me on IG ( @susie_bower_ ) I’d love to see what you come up with!