Return to site

What it Means to Experience Gratitude

The practice for people who don’t know what it means to practice gratitude

· Personal Growth

This is not another post with a list of how you can be more grateful. Honestly, you can already google exactly that and get 25 different, equally valuable responses.

I want to tackle what it means to truly connect with gratitude within yourself and think about what it means for you.

To begin, I’d like to ask you to think of a time when you finished a really big project. Like really big. It could be from work, school, or home. Just close your eyes for a moment and remember the feeling when you finally checked off that unwieldy thing you poured your heart and soul into.

Imagine how you experienced that moment. What did you notice in your body? What did you feel in your heart?

Connect with that moment in time and feel free to jot down a few notes about what you experienced - both then, and just now when you reconnected with it.

Now take a moment to ask yourself:

  1. What helped me get there?

  2. Who was with me on the journey?

  3. How much time, effort, and energy did I pour into the project to get it done?

Give a quiet acknowledgement to everything that contributed to that achievement.

And now, give yourself acknowledgement. Recognize where you were strong, where you made good choices, and where you allowed yourself to make mistakes.

Say thank you to yourself.

This is what it means to experience gratitude. Doing this daily whatever may come up in your life - both big and small - that’s how you practice it.

broken image

Where can you integrate more gratitude in your life? What ritual will help you remember to connect to your gratitude?

Amanda is Leadership & Courage Coach. She founded The Courage Factory to empower leaders to live and lead courageously. She helps leaders who are looking to make a transformation in their professional or personal lives to unlock their potential. She also loves cats.

Ready to take the next step? Get in touch to schedule a complimentary consultation and find out if leadership coaching is right for you.