So the holidays have come and gone. The tree has been taken down, and shuttled off to the curb to become usable mulch. Decorations are all packed and stored in the black hole that is our storage unit. The last of the holiday sweets have been eaten. Resolutions have been made, and broken, good-bye skinny jeans; and some are hanging in there, only two cups of coffee per day, woo hoo!! Yes, I know it needs work but it’s better than the four cups per day I was inhaling.
This year Christmas hit my home like a hurricane and I mean that in a good way. Literally gifts were oozing in every part of our living room. Or to be exact, my son’s gifts were everywhere. It was a never ending barrage of holiday cheer. Each new day started with my son opening a new gift and Dad putting it together and stressing out because the necessary batteries were not included; luckily we have a local CVS nearby for quick jaunts to restock our surplus of AA batteries. All that being said, it was actually a great time.
This year my son ushered in Christmas by running into our bedroom and doing a cannonball onto my belly, alerting me that Santa had paid us a visit. Aside from taking a hit in the ole holiday chestnuts my body was beaming with excitement seeing my son stare at the tree in awe. Sharing in my son’s happiness is truly the high point of the holidays, and a gift I am grateful for.
One of my goals this year is to truly live in gratitude of everything I have, everyday. From the moment I wake up, to the moment I go to sleep, I truly want to live in gratitude of everything and everyone I experience. Physical items may provide momentary joy but they fade, and what is left is the experience of having it and the emotionality associated with it. Life is a gift, a term many of us has heard numerous times, but only because it is the truth. Viewing life as a gift provides new meaning to obstacles we face on a daily basis. A focus on gratitude makes living life more fulfilling, meaningful and productive. Here are some steps I am taking to live in more gratitude and start the year off right.
GRATITUDE IS VALUABLE
Living in a state of gratitude increases the value of everything around you. As your optimism grows so too does your sense of self efficacy. Optimistic awareness increases your focus and helps develop continual growth toward personal development goals.
GRATITUDE IS MORE THAN SAYING “THANK YOU”
To truly reap the benefits of gratitude, your intentions must exist beyond a simple “thank you”. Gratitude cannot be simply just dispatched as if someone held the door open for you or returned a dropped wallet. Instead, personal gratitude requires intentionality and sincerity. The feeling must be genuine from the biggest experience to the smallest encounter. The experience of gratitude will feel meaningless unless it’s reinforced by intentional dedication. Living in intentional gratitude will add more meaning to the relationships that make up your personal world and make work/life more fulfilling and engaged. Research has shown that individuals living with a more heightened sense of gratitude achieve more success in their personal lives and professional careers.
GRATITUDE IS ATTITUDE
To really reap the benefits of gratitude one must “walk the talk”. If you say you are going to being thankful for all that you have, then you have to be intentional about it. One must be “all in” as they say in poker. Habitual positivity and gratitude is key for a successful work/life. Learn to take pride in your work and truly own the strengths you exhibit in your daily tasks and achievements. Expressing gratitude should be a daily ritual in your work/life. Taking a daily inventory of the gifts you have been given and truly taking ownership of the steps you have taken to achieve your personal tasks, will allow a greater shift to a more positive state of mind and increased productivity.
START NOW
Within each individual lies the ability to enrich the quality of our work/life. Developing an attitude of gratefulness is all about living in appreciation of what is here and now. To live in gratitude of all the people, places and things that constantly surround us can bring an increased sense of continual optimism that acts as a barrier to the negativity of situational stressors.
As always the new year is a perfect time to initiate a habit of gratitude in your work/life. Start a daily practice of genuine appreciation at the start of each day, stretching out to those who make up the personal relationships in your world. Remember that no gesture is too small and genuine gratitude needs to come from the heart. It's not simply throwing about a “thank you,” every now and then, but how you show it that counts.
Question:
How can you express more gratitude? Do you have a daily practice of giving thanks for the people around you? Let me know if you do.
Oh, and thanks for reading, I appreciate having you as part of my tribe.
CHEERS,
ED