Did you know that the proven benefits of gratitude are that it increases self-esteem and happiness, improves physical, emotional, and social well-being, and creates feelings of connection in times of loss and crisis, to name a few? In this episode, Keri Murphy, the CEO of Inspired Living and Media Expert, dives deep into the benefits of practicing gratitude and how you, too, can start incorporating it in your daily life. In a year that’s winding down to become one of the most challenging on this planet, having gratitude is important as you build your brand. It will help you to keep breathing through obstacles and seeing what opportunities are in front of you. It also makes you see what is actually working in your life versus writing off this year as the worst ever, which only creates more negative thinking. Keri dives into her own personal practice—how she juggles her family and business obligations while staying positive—and shares tangible steps to start feeling grateful for who you are and what is going on in your life right now.
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How To Create Opportunities Versus Challenges In The Midst Of These Trying Times
The Benefits Of Gratitude
I am happy that you are with me because this show is all about gratitude. It’s something that you hear of a lot and you know you should be practicing, but for some reason, you’re not. We’re going to deep dive into what gratitude is, what practice is and how practicing gratitude can change your life. I would start by sharing some gratitude towards you. Since launching this show, we have been receiving some amazing reviews. I want to say thank you. “Incredibly real. Five stars. Keri tells it not just how to build on your business using video, but how we can share our passions authentically and create an impact, and following by being perfectly imperfect.”
Here’s another one, “Binge-worthy, five stars. My intention was to read to one episode. Here I am, starting episode four. I’m hooked. I’ve been a fan and follower of Keri Murphy for years. Her content in front of the camera has always been invaluable, but there is something equally as magical about this show.” I cannot tell you how much that means to me. Thank you for your reviews. If you are loving this show, it would mean so much to me if you would go to Apple Podcasts, leave your review because this is how we get more people to digest the inspiration that we all need to hear and feel in the world.
What is gratitude? Gratitude is our emotion that relates to our ability to feel and express thankfulness and appreciation. This is the season of Thanksgiving. This is the season where we want to feel more gratitude. The year 2020, for many of us, has been challenging. It has been one where we have tried and are looking to find the silver linings that outline our global state at the moment, from the pandemic to the civil rights movement, to the election. A lot is going on and division. For many of us, there have been a lot of challenges with homeschooling and working from home. It can be easy to get stuck in the mindset of scarcity, overwhelm and the mindset of, “This year is crap.” I have learned over the years the importance of practicing gratitude.
Gratitude is our emotion that relates to our ability to feel and express thankfulness and appreciation. Click To Tweet
There’s not one day that I don’t wake up and thank the Lord, the world, and my family for what it is that I have. One of the secrets to growing a business is realizing how fortunate you are to have one. Since the pandemic, over 100,000 businesses have closed. I was that statistic in the last recession, I can’t tell you how grateful I am to still be able to do what I love. To make a profound difference in the lives of others and to help you share your message in a way, that allows you to create significant impact and income. Also, doing something meaningful to you. It is easy to get stuck in the overwhelm of life. I encourage you, not through this season, but through every season that you make gratitude a part of your life, like breathing. When you do, you will notice that things show up differently. You look at the world through a different colored lens. You start seeing things as opportunities, instead of challenges. You start seeing people with empathy and compassion instead of hatred and fear. You realize that you are stronger than you think.
As cliché as it sounds, everything is happening for you, not to you. When we think about this word gratitude, we think about what that means in our life. We think about the simple things from, “I’m breathing, I’m healthy. I am able to get up and do something that matters to me,” to bigger things that we’re grateful for. It is a practice. There are some proven benefits to gratitude besides being a happier person. You have improved physical, emotional and social well-being. You have greater optimism and happiness. Improved feelings of connection in times of loss or crisis, which is important.
By practicing gratitude, you have increased self-esteem, heightened energy levels, strengthened heart immune system, decreased blood pressure, improved emotional and academic intelligence, expanded capacity for forgiveness, decreased stress, anxiety, depression and headaches. That’s something we could all use a little help with. Improve self-care, a greater likelihood to exercise, and heightened spirituality. The ability to see something bigger than ourselves. Inspired living in spirit, when we are connected to our higher being, higher self, inner God, and environment, when we know we’re connected to something great, we show up differently when we stopped relying on ourselves for everything. We realize that there is greater energy, a greater one. The fact that we are all one going through what we’re going through together. When I hear people say, “2020 is such a crap storm or what a waste of a year,” I want to scream because it’s been a year of great awakening for many of us. It’s been an opportunity for us to reset and to re-examine what’s important to us.
It’s been a time that we get to spend more time with family and to figure out what matters to us. To appreciate our health and our friends. The ability to work from my home and to continue to grow my business, I cannot begin to tell you how much gratitude I have for the year. The fact that I had a baby, and then I’ve been able to enjoy watching him grow up. Each and every one of us has this capacity to experience these benefits of gratitude. If we would take time to be more aware of what we’re grateful for.
Here are some easy exercises that you can do to make gratitude a part of your daily practice. Keep a gratitude journal. One of my clients, Alexsys Thompson, she has the Trybal Gratitude Journal: Manifesting The Life You Are Meant To Live. I love this journal and highly recommend that you get it. The Trybal Gratitude Journal by Alexsys Thompson is a great way to start. It teaches you how to practice gratitude. Say thank you often, particularly those who serve you. Something that you think is simple, say thank you.
One of the things that I love to do every time I go out, the first thing I do is ask my server’s name. I call them by their name. My little girl, my fiancé, and everyone I know they know me for this. I don’t do it because I want them to feel good, although I do too. It’s about the connection like, “You’re serving me and I appreciate that. You’re not just another being, you’re a person. I want to acknowledge that. I want to respect that.” It is about them feeling valued, but it’s also about me contributing to their value. Say thank you more often. Say the name of that person who is serving you. Linger on thoughts of positive moments from the day. Sometimes we have to take a moment.
Everything is happening for you, not to you. Click To Tweet
One of the things we do around my dinner table, Lauren, she’s my five-year-old, when we sit around the table, she’d be like, “What was the best part of your day? What was the worst part of your day? What are you grateful for?” We all go around, share and take that time to think about, “What was the best part of my day? Was there a worst part of my day? What am I grateful for today?” Those simple things start sharing around your dinner table and you’ll be able to linger on those thoughts that are positive and those good moments throughout the day that we can often forget about because the overwhelming and bad moments can take over. Write down a letter of thanks to someone who’s made a difference in your life.
When I was pregnant with Landon, at my shower, all of my friends got together and wrote me a note. My girlfriend who hosted the shower sends me these throughout the year. I just got one and I had him several months ago. It’s not a note of thanks. It’s a note of love and encouragement. It inspired me to start sending out notes. I’ve done it to my team and some friends. It is something that we don’t do anymore. We might DM and send a text, but to write a handwritten note and send it to someone, it makes you feel good and it makes them feel super special. This is a big one, which is practicing not gossiping, complaining or judging for a day, a week, or can we make it part of our lifestyle. That is how we can express gratitude by not feeding into the negative energy that everyone else in society loves to play into.
Write down what you appreciate about yourself. Would that be amazing to take a moment and write down what you appreciate about you? It’s easy to look at what we appreciate about other people. It’s easy for us to feel like we’re running ragged trying to keep our heads above water, taking care of our families, ourselves, our businesses, but you are amazing. There’s so much that you can be grateful for about you. Write down those things and feel good about that. There’s no shame in appreciating the amazing human that you are. Express or show gratitude to your partner. Lastly, think about what you are grateful for each morning.
I often will go upstairs after the day and I will meet my partner up there and my kids. I’ll look at him and go, “Look at what we have, our life, our home and our ocean view.” I feel grateful for all that I have. I’ve lost it all. I’ve made it back. The year 2020 has challenged us in more ways than we ever could have possibly imagined. We are heading into a new year, where things might not necessarily change, but we can. We can show up differently, happier, more abundant, and more ready to take on what comes next. We are resilient. We are strong and we are truly capable of creating anything that we want to.
That’s where gratitude comes in. It’s like, “Thank you for allowing me to create whatever it is that I envisioned for my life. Thank you for the abundance of love, finances and people around me that support the vision.” That comes back down to intention setting, getting clear on your intentions, what it is that you’re calling into your life, and then practicing gratitude for those things when they show up because they will. I want to say how grateful I am for you, if you’re a new reader, or if you’ve been with me for a long time. You have no idea how much you mean to me. I hope that this show continues to inspire you, to dream it, to live it, and to be it. In order to create what it is we want on the outside, we need to continue to work on the inside.
There are lots of ways that we can connect. I want to invite you to our private Facebook group called Ignite your “IT” Factor, where soul-centered entrepreneurs come to learn how to show up authentically, how to share their message, and how to show up as the powerful leaders we are meant to be. There’s not a lot of places I feel that celebrate who we are and what we’re capable of. I want you to succeed in more ways than you can imagine. I would love it if you would leave a review, but I would love it even more if you will learn to practice gratitude and make this a part of your day moving forward as we go through this season and the next one that’s coming around the bend.
Important Links:
- Episode four – Inspired Living with Keri Murphy
- Trybal Gratitude Journal: Manifesting The Life You Are Meant To Live
- Ignite your “IT” Factor
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