Gratitude feels GOOD!

In a sense, being grateful is selfish!  

When we are sincerely grateful for what we have, it feels good, our energy is raised, and we are more creative and connected to spirit. 

I am writing this message on the eve of the US Thanksgiving. I have chosen to not focus on its origin, which is mired in a history that is tangled and troubled at best.

Nor do I enjoy repeating the traditions of my childhood and child-rearing years. 

Big Thanksgiving gatherings filled with the joy of being with loved ones, but way too much food, work and stress for my liking! 

So, I have chosen, instead, to simply think of this holiday as my time to be grateful for what I have, the people I get to spend the day with, and the many blessings in my life.

All the rest is simply window dressing for me. 

One ritual that I absolutely love experiencing with those I gather with on Thanksgiving day is a little game I made up years ago.

I took a deck of blank cards and wrote some random categories on each… like “toys, food, fun, I am glad it’s over, people and travel”, and other random things. 

During dinner, we pass the deck around, and everyone chooses a card that speaks to them of something they are grateful for in the past year. 

What I notice during this game is how it opens us all up to many things we had not even considered being grateful for. It connects us heart to heart, and it’s a lot of fun.

Even when it hits on things that have not been easy or sad experiences we are on the other side of. 

I had a weird experience with gratitude just a few weeks ago. I had the stomach flu. Like a really nasty case that had me up all night in such pain and misery and all that comes with that type of flu. I felt like I was going to die! 

But then, once I began to feel relief, I noticed this great burst of gratitude for my body being able to clear stuff out so well and help me heal. 

As my illness filled up the usual 48 hours, I continued to feel this connection to my body and found the gratitude actually helped me FEEL better. I found myself taking excellent care of myself, which also felt GOOD! 

This last point is super important for those of you who are working on building your coaching business right now, or anything else that is heartfelt and challenging. 

Take some time this week to be grateful for YOU. For your beautiful mind, your wonderful body, and your amazing soul. 

I challenge you to lay that gratitude on thick and bask in the GOOD FEELINGS you deserve.