Maybe 2020 wasn’t quite the year you expected it to be (I feel you). Maybe you had plans that were much, much different than what actually ended up happening. Maybe you thought this was going to be “your year” but instead, the coronavirus made it it’s year.
It’s all okay.
Seriously.
There is a little practice I’ve been employing for the past eight or so years and it has always helped me see things from a different perspective: gratitude.
I know gratitude gets a lot of attention these days. I’ve even spoken about some of the downfalls of it. But I do believe there is something inherently valuable in gratitude and practicing it daily.
Gratitude is a state of feeling thanks and appreciation for something. You can literally feel the energy of gratitude within your body (if you’re into feeling energy, like I am) like a warm, comforting blanket enveloping you.
You might also feel the energy of gratitude in your heart space. And, you might even be able to feel that when you sit to do a gratitude practice, the energy in the space around you starts to shift. Energy is really amazing stuff.
So, let’s dive in a little to what exactly gratitude is and isn’t and how you can incorporate it into your life so that you can live with a little more peace, a little more thankfulness, and a little more fulfillment.
When we feel gratitude for something, we are so thankful that the person, place, thing, or experience was a part of our life journey. With this practice, we can take what might seem like not enough and turn it into more than enough. Where people often get tripped up with gratitude is that they think that it means they can’t want for more, and that is simply not the case.
You can love and be grateful for what you have while still wanting to give yourself more. Here’s a very real experience from my life to illustrate exactly what I mean with this. Eight years ago, when I started a daily gratitude practice, I was living in a house that was being foreclosed on. My ego was feeling all sorts of negative emotions around this, shame being one of the biggest ones. It didn’t help that the house was not in the best shape and I also didn’t have the money to put into fixing it up (and also didn’t really see the point).
When I started the gratitude practice, my living circumstances were the very first thing I put on the list. Instead of feeling shame around losing my home and the financial situation I was in, I began to find gratitude in every little thing I could in the house: it was my son’s first home and I had many sweet memories of his early years. My kids had a huge, fenced in back yard to play in. I had a large compost pile and deer would come and feed from it frequently. We had many large, beautiful trees that I loved to look at. I had a wood stove and loved the smell of it burning as well as sitting in front of it.
I knew that the days were numbered of us living in that home, and so instead of focusing on all of the negative (like it being foreclosed on, the dishwasher breaking and me not being able to afford replacing it, the screen door breaking, etc.) I focused on all of the positive. I also became more present to all of the moments and each day I spent in the house.
While I became grateful for the house, my attitude began to change. Instead of having a negative energy every time I pulled into the driveway, I felt a positive one. Instead of feeling shame around my current situation, I felt grateful to even have our own space to call home, even if the circumstances around it were way less than ideal.
I also knew that what would come next would be very different. I was living in a rural area and surrounded by a ton of trees but knew that I would soon be moving to an island and surrounded by a very different energy and vibe. And that made me soak it all in even more – the beauty of watching the seasons change in the forest, the crunch of the leaves under my feet in the fall, the sounds of the bugs on summer nights, even the whole process of procuring wood for the stove. I knew that the days of each and every aspect were numbered and so I became fully present to all of it.
And that’s just the thing: our days are indeed numbered. No one really knows when your call to go home will be, and so whether you are living in a situation that is less than ideal or you are living out your dreams with exactly what you wanted to create in your life, you gotta fully live in it, be fully appreciative of it, and soak every last drop of the goodness you possibly can out of it. And while you are doing all of that, you can absolutely reach for more.
In fact, for those of you interested in manifestation, this is precisely how the whole process works. By being thankful for what you already do have, you create the energy of abundance to bring more into your life – whatever that more looks like to you.
Whether it is tangible or intangible, the path towards more anything is a road paved in gratitude.
It is gratitude that will open your heart and help you see the beauty in everything just a little bit deeper.
It is gratitude that will help you have stronger and deeper relationships with others.
It is gratitude that will help you attract into your life all of the things and changes you are wishing to manifest.
It is gratitude that will keep you company even when things might look like they are really going sour fast.
Gratitude is your faithful friend that stands beside you and reminds you that all of life and all of the experiences you have in it are precious gifts.
Gratitude is what reminds you how much of a miracle it is that you even exist.
So, while 2020 might not have served up what you thought it would for you, take some time to think about it from a perspective of gratitude. Ask yourself:
What did you think your 2020 was going to look like?
What did it actually look like?
What new things, ideas, experiences, people, growth, jobs, etc. did 2020 bring you that you are grateful to have in your life?
Even if it feels like things are worse right now in this moment, there is always something you can find to be grateful for.
As we finish out this last week in 2020, take the time to reflect on all of the beauty present in your life today and bring this practice into the new year with you. Gratitude practices are exercises for the heart like working out is an exercise for the body. If you stop hitting the gym, your benefits start to fade away. The same is true of a gratitude practice. Keep it with you daily throughout your life to keep an open heart and a positive mind.
Daily gratitude practice ideas:
Each morning when you wake up, before even getting out of bed, think of three things you are thankful for
At the end of each day, think about three things that you experienced that day that you are grateful for
Write a list of all of the people you are grateful for in your life and why
Take a daily habit of yours and slow it down to do it more deliberately and with more gratitude (i.e. making your morning cup of coffee and thinking about who grew the coffee beans? How did they learn to farm? Who processed the beans into coffee grinds? Who started the business to make this coffee? Who drove it to the store where you bought it from? Etc.
My wish for you is that 2021 brings you plenty to be grateful for each and every day. There is always so much to be thankful for and sometimes it is just a little reminder to shift your perspective that puts you back into that space of living from an open heart with much gratitude and abundance.
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Hi, I’m Erica
As a Yoga Instructor, Reiki Master, and Intuitive, I’ve come to experience the world in a very different way. I am a lover of all things energy! I believe, more than anything, that energy affects everything. I’m here to help you shift your energy and change your life!