It is difficult to ignore the SIGNS which appear this time of the year. They are numerous. The multi-tone greens of summer changing to tangerine, crimson and gold, making even the most boring country road an artist’s palette. Overhead, V’s of geese head southward, the Canada’s sounding impatient with their incessant honking while the Snow’s glide across the sky with muted encouragement. All of these SIGNS suggest the end of one season and the beginning of a new one. They lead us into our Canadian tradition of Thanksgiving, that time each year when we pause to express gratitude for the abundance for the year’s harvest. For most of us, this time of year also serves to remind us of the abundance in our life.
It is also the season when I imagine the ‘what if’s” of life. What if we could pause to see the abundance in our life everyday, applying the lessons of the Thanksgiving tradition in a more conscious way?
There is ample evidence that what you give your attention to expands. The same is true of gratitude. When you adopt an attitude of gratitude, your focus shifts from whatever may be troubling you at that moment to a more positive and optimistic viewpoint. On even the darkest, rainy days of any season, it takes only a second to make the day feel lighter – a simple memory and acknowledgement of the wonderful things that have crossed your path that day.
Typically, we as humans have the nasty habit of focusing on the less than positive things in our life, failing to see what is right versus what is wrong. Unfortunately this contributes to your sense of being overwhelmed, perhaps over worked. It is a spirit-depleting habit. I am proposing to you that it is time to shift. Just as those green leaves of summer change into their colorful fall attire, make a commitment to do the same with your attitude, shifting from one of complaint, worry and anxiety to one of abundance and gratitude.
So how do you start? In her book Simple Abundance, Sarah Ban Breathnach suggested the idea of a Gratitude Journal. This requires a little discipline even though it is simple, as the book suggests, taking the time each day to record those things that occurred during your day for which you are grateful. For example today I am grateful because Jim (my husband) is sleeping in and I have the office to myself, the Vet just called to tell me that my cat Max is recovering from an infection, and I have a full day of coaching clients ahead of me.
You could say, well these things just happen anyway, why bother being grateful for them? The answer – recognizing and reminding myself that even these ordinary events are, in their own way extraordinary, makes me feel better. Plus this seems to be a far better choice than reminding myself that it is raining outside, again, the gardens are not ready for winter, and the weekend is looking gloomy. Whew! Sorry I had to share that, and as you read both versions of my day at this moment, which one made you feel better?
Noting all of these daily doings in a journal is not necessary, the goal is simply create a habit of noticing. My favorite practice is actually a gratitude circle. Just before dinner, no matter who is seated at our table, I ask each person to share something they are grateful for in that moment. This is something Jim and I do daily. I am always impressed with what comes up. If we don’t have dinner together, we ask each other just before we fall asleep. I love the idea of drifting off to my dream world in an attitude of gratitude.
All of this to say, if you want to feel better everyday, you have options. The one I recommend is a quick review of your day choosing those things that make you feel positive and upbeat – a project completed at work, a beautiful sunrise, a flock of geese crossing the sky, a kiss and a hug from your seven year old, a luncheon with your colleagues where you laughed heartfully. Your energy grows where your focus goes. Begin a new habit this weekend, a practice of gratitude. Consider sharing this with your family, especially your children. Make a commitment to try it for twenty-one days and notice what happens.
Until next time….
Betty