“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
If you are a goal-oriented person, you may spend a lot of time thinking about what you want and where you want to go. Big goals can be incredibly motivating. As we pursue our goals, this bigger goal may translate into specific short-term goals, such as booking your first client or finishing your website – or simply not wanting to let yet another week go by without making forward progress toward what you want to achieve.
While goal-setting is an important part of the process, it is also important to recognize and celebrate the progress you have made while trying to achieve those goals. This is where gratitude makes a play. Without gratitude for the things you have done, it can be very difficult to sustain the motivation to continue to pursue the things you strive for.
To my surprise, coaching has become one of the great joys of my life. The process of helping others work towards making themselves a little bit better every day, and discovering their full potential and expression as a person satisfies a deep yearning I have carried around inside for a long time. I love watching others grow in their confidence and ability, and appreciate that I can learn from others as I experience my own journey. I cherish knowing that all human beings are on a path and that we can choose to be positive examples for others, because you never know who might be inspired by what you’re doing. I am humbled by the challenges I face yet know I grow stronger and more resilient because of them.
For all of this, I am grateful.
I encourage you to make a practice of gratitude. Not just on special days, but everyday. Share your gratitude with others. Tell someone if you’re grateful for something they’ve done. Keep a journal, if that floats your boat, and write down something you are grateful for every single day. Meditate on gratitude, send a gratitude bomb…whatever feels right to you.
Just don’t keep that shit under a bushel. You gotta let it shine.
