I Already Know How to be Grateful

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I’ve been a victim of the “I know (but don’t actually do)” conundrum for longer than I’ll EVER care to admit.

You know, when you know exactly what to do to feel better, get motivated, or take action, BUT YOU DON’T DO DIDDLY SQUAT.

Let’s just say it was a war of sweat and tears – and stress pimples. Uww wee, not pretty. At all.

One of those epic battles of the self was with gratitude.

I was told many times, by many people, of varying degrees of awesome, that by simply listing a few things you’re grateful for each day, you can become more positive, motivated, and driven. It’s a habit that changes the course of your whole life. Some of the most successful people in the world do it – daily.

But me, oh yeah, I knew better than Oprah.

[Flashback] *Rolls my eyes* “Oh my god… I know how to be grateful. This is kind of… I can just skip this part.”

Present self: “Why did you love making everything harder for yourself?! Like seriously, I can’t, I can’t even right now.”

Because guess what happens when you skip that gratitude exercise? Your overwhelm of wanting more BURNS YOU OUT like a thousand matchsticks on your skin – that’s already dosed in oil. At least, that’s how it feels like on the inside if you let it fester.

Pretty intense? Yeah, living a life of anti-gratitude does that to you.

When my skull finally stopped being thick, I tried it out. Here’s what happens: You gently catch the wave and rush into a feeling of weightlessness. It starts with your shoulders dropping. Then, it glimmers in your heart and sizzles through the rest of your body until you feel like you’re glowing. Whatever you were worrying about before, it doesn’t matter. Because you have so much right now.

If you don’t get that whole experience right now, hopefully you will one day (probably with the flashback\present-self conversation to boot). Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I completely believe that one of the secrets to being happy is wanting what you already have. That’s why having a daily gratitude habit is so important.

For me, I thank God for 10 specific things I am grateful for every day. If I do it 60-90% of the time, I’m a happy lamb.

Now, I’m supposed to say, “Gratitude shouldn’t be just for this time of year, but for every day.” But I think you get the picture.

Let me know in the comments how you’re going to implement your gratitude habit. Are you going to mentally list, journal, talk to God, or chisel it in stone? Hey, I’m down with whatever if it helps you out.