Try This 5-Day Gratitude Challenge

This is the week that people everywhere focus on gratitude and saying thanks.

And gratitude is something terrific to make your focus, as I have written about in the past.

And still, I continue to learn about gratitude.

There’s a deeper layer to explore

For most of my life, my thoughts about gratitude were like those of most people.

I was grateful for a wonderful family, for having a comfortable home, for delicious healthy food (especially when sitting at a Thanksgiving table), for great friends, and whatever recent vacation I had just enjoyed.

My recent revelation about gratitude came from a friend and colleague, Dr. Paul Jenkins, who is a prominent Positive Psychology expert.

To take gratitude to a deeper and more powerful level, you begin by thinking about something you never wanted to have happen.

For instance, you or someone you love may have been stricken with illness. Maybe you lost a job, or had a romantic breakup, or you were in the path of a natural disaster.

With such an event in mind, think about something for which you can be grateful, such as something that you learned, some new relationship you formed, some opportunity that showed up for you, an unexpected positive outcome.

It may be hard to find a kernel of gratitude, yet there is ultimately something in every event that can be appreciated.

And when you are able to find that gratitude, your heart opens wider and your outlook on life is boosted.

I have found that the old saying that when one door closes another opens, has proven to be true— though sometimes it requires some distance and perspective to be able to see that truth.

Dr. Paul Jenkins suggests that you look for five such moments of gratitude for things that didn’t go well, and do that every day for five days. He says that the benefits of identifying that much deep gratitude can significantly change your life.

Why not try it after yourself this Thanksgiving week and see what happens for you. Email me, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Savor the Hidden Gifts in Your Harvest

This moment of gratitude at the Creation Vacation retreat last year has filled my heart for many months

Welcome to many new readers! Thank you for being here — whether you are new to my weekly Big Ideas, or have been with me for a long time. I am grateful for our connection.

Gratitude in this season

Gratitude is something I focus on daily. And as we are nearing Thanksgiving in the US, there is a collective focus on gratitude with family and friends.

In the autumn, bringing awareness and focus to gratitude is aligned with the rhythm of nature. 

This is the time we harvest what we planted — literally and metaphorically.

For those who grow gardens, there is a visible bounty for which to feel grateful.

And, because we all reap what we have sown in our lives, we can focus on more dimensions of the harvest.

Life is always a mixed bag

We each reap an array of outcomes in our lives.

Consider that you are harvesting now what you created in your work, your efforts to build relationships, the new offerings you put out in the world, your attempts to connect in new ways, and what has landed in front of you by happenstance.

It is easy to feel grateful for the bounty that went well.

Yet we all reap things that did not go as we had hoped, or things that showed up and challenged us. 

Finding and feeling gratitude for things that disappointed me, or felt hurtful, or were hard to deal with, never used to cross my mind.

And, I have learned that looking for and finding the gifts in everything that happened — and feeling gratitude for all of it — has been incredibly meaningful.

Try this two-step approach

Step 1

Take a few moments to list wonderful things in your life this year.

The big things will show up right away.

Be sure to also include small moments. Like the kind person who helped you by holding a door open. A laugh you shared with a coworker. The nice remark a family member or friend or colleague made out of the blue.

Look over your list and savor the feelings that fill your heart. 

Step 2

Now make a new list. This time, write down things that have not gone to plan, or hurt you, or were tough to deal with.

Again, the big things will show up first.

Your list may include an opportunity you didn’t get. A relationship that was rocky. A loss you suffered. An illness you endured.

Include, too, a small rude moment, or a missed train that changed your whole day, or a careless remark that someone made that stung.

As you look over this list, consider what was there for you in each situation.

What lesson did you learn?

What new perspective did you gain?

What better outcome came your way?

As you find a kernel of gratitude for each item, jot that down in another color, or in a separate column.

Your opportunity is to feel appreciation for everything you identified or uncovered.

Let appreciation fill your heart and savor the gratitude.

The gratitude effect is tremendous, all year long

As you sit in gratitude, something subtle yet profound is happening on a cellular level. Your brain releases feel-good hormones (serotonin and dopamine) that elevate your mood.

And as you keep this practice going — you might write daily in a gratitude journal — you are likely to view the world through a lens that identifies the positive in every situation.

When you live with a more positive perspective, you experience less stress and more hope, you are more resilient, your sleep and your overall health are likely to improve, and your energy supports you to create with more ease.

The gifts that show up for you as you make gratitude for everything a regular practice will keep building!

Email me and share your insights, questions, or outcomes. I am always glad to hear from you.