What is gratitude? More importantly, what does gratitude mean to you? Gratitude relates directly to the ability to feel and express our thankfulness and appreciation. With a rollercoaster year including a global pandemic, civil rights uprisings, and a historic presidential election, this season of Thanksgiving could not be a better time for each of us to practice gratitude. In my podcast this week we’re focused on gratitude…and how to apply it to your everyday life as well as your business. 

Lean In to Gratitude—Beyond the Obvious Stuff

Gratitude is not just about being thankful for the obvious things like being alive, being healthy, or enjoying a thriving business. I encourage you to think about all the things that really make a difference for you…big or small. Embrace that feeling! Your appreciation will change your mindset. Did you know there are proven benefits to practicing gratitude, such as your improved physical, emotional, and social well-being? I’ve even found that leaning in to gratitude ultimately makes me happier too!

I know that the COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on all of us. Whether you own your business or work for someone else, whether you have children or other family members living with you, whether you were already working from home or commuted to an office pre-pandemic, it is this time in our lives when gratitude truly matters most. 

We’ve faced challenges related to working from home, homeschooling, and just generally being around our loved ones 24/7. Let’s turn inward and reflect on what’s most important to us. Is it family? Your business? Your personal growth? Although it can be easy to get stuck in the mindset of scarcity and emotional overload, over the years I have learned to prioritize and practice gratitude daily. 

How Gratitude Changes Your Perspective

When you practice gratitude, it changes you. You start to see the world through a different colored lens. Challenges become opportunities, fear and scarcity become hope, empathy, and abundance. This is true in business and in life. 

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, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am to still be able to do what I love every day even through the current economic ups and downs. I’m so fortunate that I get to inform and inspire others to create a significant impact and income in their businesses. Being able to do this truly fills my heart.

Get all 5 of my gratitude practices. Listen to the full podcast HERE!

Whether or not you already have a gratitude practice, don’t miss this episode.

8:50 – Get my first tip of the 5 easy ways to practice gratitude. Make gratitude a part of your daily rituals for a happier, healthier life plus abundance in your business.

9:40 – Linger in thoughts of thankfulness. Use a gratitude journal to write down what you’re thankful for every day. I recommend the Trybal Gratitude Journal: Manifesting The Life You Are Meant To Live, by Alexsys Thompson.

10:28 – Write a letter of gratitude to yourself or someone else. This is a great way to stay connected with friends and family and show them how deeply you appreciate them.

11:20 – No gossiping, complaining, or judging—for 24 hours! Learn more about how I started this practice and eventually made it part of my everyday life. 

11:47 – Appreciate yourself. There’s no shame in loving yourself for who you are and all the wonderful things only you can do. Listen to how I implement self-love in my own life.

It’s been a year of great awakening—an opportunity to reset and re-examine what’s most important in our lives. We’re spending more time with our families. We’re returning to old hobbies that we once loved. We’re reliving memories that are meaningful to us. While it’s easy to get stuck in the overwhelm of life, I encourage you to create a personal gratitude practice that you can engage in daily—not just during this season of Thanksgiving, but all year long.