by Mike | Nov 2, 2021 | Connection, Gratitude, Inspiration, Routines
It’s November. It’s the month of “Thanksgiving”!!! The month we are supposed to be thankful for all of the blessings life has provided. But, I’ll be honest, over the last several years, this month has become a bit of a challenging time of year for me personally. It has been during this month that I’ve lost some incredibly special people, people that have quite literally changed the course of my life. It has now become a month, no longer for necessarily “making” memories with these amazing people, but for appreciating the beautiful memories and connections that shaped our lives together. It has become a month for reframing my perspective and for finding gratitude and thankfulness for the opportunity to create amazing moments with each of them.
There truly is so much to be thankful for in our lives. While sometimes it might be difficult to see it, it’s there. It just might take a little more focus once in a while. For me, I’m thankful for time, time to create memories with those that I love. I’m thankful for those memories. I’m thankful for my family and friends. I’m thankful for medical teams that keep families safe and whole. I’m thankful for the unconditional love I receive from my dogs. I’m thankful for the connections I have made with others and for those that I will make each day moving forward. I’m thankful for the way those connections change my life in such amazing ways. I’m thankful for Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (yup…I love them!). I’m thankful for so many things. But, most of all, I’m just thankful for life – for the opportunities I am given every day to experience our beautiful world. The best part – the list could go on and on.
Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been easy. As anyone who has lost a loved one knows, getting to a point of appreciation and thankfulness can be a long and arduous journey. At the same time, there are reasons to be thankful. So many reasons. They are all around us — every day and in every moment. To be honest, it might be that even a little bit of focus on these things might make that journey a little less long and arduous.
What are you thankful for? I challenge you – take time to reflect, to look around and to notice all of the goodness that has brought you to this point in your life. There is much for all of us to be thankful for. In fact, the goodness in our lives is undoubtedly overflowing. Sometimes it just takes a few moments of pause and reflection to notice it.
So, here’s an idea! Let’s do it! Right now! Grab a pen and paper. Start writing. I’m pretty sure you’ll be surprised at how much goodness will end up on that piece of paper.
Ready – Set – GO!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!
by Mike | Apr 20, 2021 | Gratitude, Inspiration, Routines
It’s 5:20 am and my alarm goes off. I hit “snooze” button – just once, not twice, just once. I stretch. I grumble. I get out of bed and head downstairs. I feed the dogs. Same order, same amount of food, same everything. I make a hot chai tea – that’s a must. I take a pitstop on the deck to get my first breath of fresh air. I head upstairs to get ready for work. I come down and make my way to the den, flip open my laptop and dig into tasks for work that day. It will be a rinse and repeat for the next day…and the next…and the next.
Routines. We all have them. I am guessing that, as you read this, you could rattle off your morning routine. It might look similar to mine. It might look completely different. But, I am guessing you have a routine that you hold pretty true to each day.
If you’re not familiar with this concept, routines are widely known as part of a bigger picture in success planning. A “routine” takes a collection of small, sometimes mundane practices and groups them together, and when practiced daily, this grouping of behaviors becomes habitual and not easily lost in minutia.
Which means, the things you fill your routine with are important. If you choose to include things in your routine that are unhealthy, you might find it hard to achieve the success that you’re striving for each day. However, if you take time to include positive practices that become habitual in your routine, well, this can lead you to a whole bunch of goodness in your life.
So, what’s your routine? Think about those small practices that you engage in each day that have become your routine? Confession – I didn’t fully disclose my routine at the start of this article. One of the other practices I engage in each day is incorporating a practice of gratitude into my morning routine. Right between the grumble and getting out of bed to head downstairs I take a minute to think of three things for which I’m grateful – right there, right in that moment.
Having a morning routine protects certain rituals from being overtaken by the need to “get on with your day”. In fact, many spiritual teachings and philosophies highlight the importance of “first thoughts”. It’s no secret that the way in which you start your day often drives the course your day takes.
There are several benefits to inserting gratitude into our morning or evening routine. The beauty of it is that working practices of gratitude into your routine doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. It can be a simple as thinking about one thing for which you’re grateful even before your feet hit the ground in the morning. It can be as simple as writing in a gratitude journal as you enjoy your morning coffee. It can be as simple as a reflection on the goodness of your day as you drift off to sleep.
The best part about all of this is the opportunity for these practices of gratitude to turn into a habit by incorporating them into your routine. Even better, a habit of gratitude can lead to some amazing results.
- You’ll feel happier.
- You’ll boost your energy levels.
- You get healthier.
- You’ll be more resilient.
- You’ll improve your relationships.
- You’ll be a better person to be around.
- It can help reduce depression.
Being grateful shifts the lens from what is lacking or not ideal to what is already present and good. By incorporating the practice of gratitude into our lives, we can begin to reap the emotional rewards of this state of appreciation and gratitude. Recent studies have found that ‘counting your blessings’ on a regular basis not only leads to feeling more optimistic and enjoying a greater overall satisfaction with life, but it can also have some pretty amazing physical and emotional benefits.
So, routines – start a routine….and in it, throw in some practices of gratitude. You’ll be happy you did!
