With Joy and Gratitude

By Véronique Eberhart

Thanksgiving day is a beautiful and enduring tradition. And it’s no surprise as it’s based on the one emotion that has the power of changing people’s lives: gratitude.

This is no hyperbole. Gratitude is really enormously powerful.

Let’s step back for a moment. 

Human beings are naturally drawn to notice what’s going wrong, what’s broken, what’s hard and painful in their life and around them.

This is because of a simple evolutionary feature of the mind, which has one function, and one function only: our survival and our security. And it could care less about happiness, success and other fuzzy feelings.

Being grateful and positive is not essential for survival. It actually is perceived by our vigilant mind  as a distraction from possible dangers and problems. So, it’s only natural that it doesn’t come naturally and easily to most people. Complaining, criticizing, gossiping and creating drama? … now that’s easy! But being grateful? Hum, not so much.

You might even think that your life is really nothing to be grateful for; that you have objectively too many problems, and no time, desire or reason for such nonsense.

If that’s where you are, then my friend, you need to practice gratitude even more urgently!

Here is the biggest truth of personal development you will ever come across: where you put your attention is where you put your energy. And where you put your energy is what’s growing in your life. If you’re tired of growing problems, deficiencies, and general not enough-ness, then it’s time to give gratitude a try!

Cultivating a consciousness of Gratitude is a non-negotiable spiritual practice for anyone on the journey to self-realization.

It might sound like a really evolved and complicated concept, reserved for the happy few spiritual beings out there, but it's not.

Gratitude is simply the act of shifting your attention away from what doesn’t work in your life to what actually works, even if imperfectly, so you can get more of it.

This is in fact how I got into practicing consistent gratitude myself. I was not getting what I wanted out of my life, and I knew that I had to stop this monkey mind of mine that was constantly criticizing, complaining, pointing out what was wrong, and all the ways I was not good enough.

The consistent practice of gratitude made me realize how much negativity I was nursing, and how much it was impacting me. Negative thinking might seem innocuous enough, but it is not a victimless crime. We, the negative thinker, are our own victim. Changing this state of mind put me on the path to true life-changing personal growth and transformation; so much so that it became part of my signature!

Now, I’m sure that you’ve already heard about doing some kind of regular giving thanks – whether it is through keeping a gratitude list, or through prayers, or acknowledging the people in your life; but are you actually doing it? And do you do it enough?

I’d suggest that as long as you spend more time in criticizing and complaining than in gratitude and giving thanks, there is still plenty of room to up your gratitude game.

Today, as a Success Coach, I invariably put my clients to the gratitude test. I ask them to write 3 things they are grateful for every day. They can either write them in their own journal, on their private coaching blog, or email/text them to me.

The rule is to write 3 different things to be grateful for every day, no cheating! It cannot be ‘I’m grateful to be alive’ everyday. It doesn’t have to be big, but it must be done. The purpose it to shift the attention to everything that we take for granted- big things like our loved ones, and small things, like our first cup of tea or coffee in the morning.

It often doesn’t take people more than a couple of days to realize that this gratitude test is more difficult than they thought. But when they persist, it put them to the path of the biggest life changing experience of their life.

Are you ready for the gratitude test? Here is my challenge for you:

For the next 10 days, I want you to send me 3 different things you’re grateful for, every day. Be thorough - no gratitude is too small or too big. You can do it by replying to this email, or by texting me at 832-980-3507

I can’t wait to read about what you’re grateful for, and to help you grow more into what you want and deserve in your life.

If you're curious about how coaching can change your life, CLICK HERE to schedule your Clarity Conversation.