Here’s something that sounds almost too simple to matter.
Pay attention to what’s good in your life.
Gratitude has become one of those words that gets thrown around so much it can sound a little fluffy.
But there’s actually some interesting research behind it.
Studies suggest that deliberately practicing gratitude can affect brain activity associated with things like emotion, attention, reward and how we respond to the world around us.
In other words, what you repeatedly pay attention to may influence what your brain gets better at noticing.
That makes sense to me.
Think about what happens when something irritates you first thing in the morning.
Somebody cuts you off in traffic.
Then the coffee isn’t right.
Then you can’t find your keys.
Pretty soon you’re noticing every idiot and inconvenience within a five-mile radius. 😄
Did the world suddenly become worse?
Probably not.
You got really good at looking for what was wrong with it.
I think we can practice the opposite.
Not by pretending everything is wonderful.
That’s not gratitude. That’s denial.
Life can be difficult and still contain something good.
Peggy and I certainly weren’t grateful when she was diagnosed with cancer. But during that experience, there were people we became enormously grateful for.
Family.
Friends.
Students.
The nurses who cared for her and somehow managed to make a lousy situation a whole lot better.
The bad didn’t disappear.
We just didn’t let it make the good invisible.
That’s what I find useful about gratitude.
You don’t need a journal unless you enjoy keeping one.
You don’t need an app.
You don’t need a 30-day Gratitude Transformation Challenge.
Just notice something.
The sun coming through the window.
A dog doing something ridiculous.
Somebody making you laugh.
A body that feels pretty damn good this morning.
A really good cup of coffee.
Give it ten seconds before rushing on to the next thing.
Do that often enough and maybe you start noticing how much good stuff was there all along.
What’s one small thing you’re grateful for today?
That's why I miss Drum and Fun so much. The class is so joyful that you can't help but be grateful just to be alive. I am lucky enough to have an access to the Chehalis Western Trail 2 blocks from my current home. When I am walking there I always feel grateful for how fate or the Universe or whatever brought me to Washington State. We should all be grateful to live in this beautiful part of the world that has so much to offer ----- Ocean, desert, mountains, rivers, anything you could want just a few hours away.
Great advice and motivator!