Have you ever noticed that most people are really negative? When you ask them how their day was or how things are going in their life, they will automatically reply with a ‘yeah good’ or ‘not bad’. But then within a short time they start to tell you about all the things that are going wrong in their life – they don’t have enough money – they are sick – this person is upsetting them – their car broke down – their kids are always naughty – their husband/wife is doing things wrong.
The list will go on and on and on and the more you let them talk about it the more they will live in their misery. Then you start comparing ‘hardship’ stories with them like its one big competition. All this is doing is putting negative vibrations out to the Universe so that the Universe will supply you with more negativity in your life.
The first step to turning this around is to be grateful. Finding 1 thing that you are grateful for is the first step to being positive and putting into the Universe positive vibrations, so that positivity is given back to you. I remember when I started doing this, it was so hard. What positive was there to be grateful for? Then it started to flow…
- I can afford to buy food to feed my family
- I have a job/business
- I can afford a car
- I can afford the petrol for my car
- I can afford my mortgage
- I have great friends
- I have great staff
- I have a wonderful family
- My children have grown to be awesome, loving, caring individuals
- I have a great Life Coach
The list could go on and on and on. At the start it was just little things like, I woke up today or I got a hug from my grandson. Once I started finding one thing a day I started finding 5 things a day to be grateful for. Once that was happening I started spending time with my list and actually being grateful for them, I would sit, think about my list, connect with each item and feel my gratitude for it. This is such an amazing feeling, to truly be grateful for 5 things a day. This doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time, 2 or 3 minutes a day is all it can take.
At the moment on Facebook there is quite a few of my friends doing this find 3 things to be grateful for, for 5 days. I challenge you to find 5 things to be grateful for, for the next 100 days. Who is up for the challenge?
How to start being grateful
- Get yourself a notebook or journal and a nice pen
- Make the commitment to yourself that for the next 100 days you will list 5 things you are grateful for that day
- Don’t put it off – Start NOW
- Choose the best time of day to do it. 1st thing in the morning? Last thing before you go to bed? In your lunch hour?
- Set a reminder on your phone/computer – until you get into the habit, it may pay to set a reminder on your phone/computer so that you remember to do your 5 things
- Get present and feel your list – when you have written down your list each day, sit with each item and feel the gratitude
- Share your list – Its great to share your list with either a partner, friend, child, friends on Social Media or even share them with me on this blog or on my list each night
- Don’t give up – once you’ve started and you get into the habit, don’t give up, your life will change so much by doing the list, why stop the change
- Be OK if you miss a day – most habits are hard to form and even once they have formed you sometimes need to miss doing it. If you miss one or two days don’t stress about it, it is all perfect just the way it is.
So lets do it, starting tomorrow (Friday 25th July 2014) for the next 100 days, lets list 5 things you are grateful for today.
Question: Do you keep a gratitude list? How has your life changed by starting your list?
