Learning to honor the good in our lives.
Imagine Ruminating about the Good
How often are your ruminating thoughts about the good that is happening in your life? If you’re like me almost never. I usually ruminate about my to do list, what other people are thinking, fears about the past or future, or the status of my bank account. There is a saying that what we think about we bring about. So if I am thinking about what I fear, what I am worrying about, etc. then I am bringing that into my life.
I am about to be starting a very intensive schedule because I am going back to school. Now that the final week is upon me I have found myself worrying more than usual. What works for me is to make a list of things to do related to the worries. Such as check my bank account balance, buy my books, go to the post office, schedule time with my friend. And while this is very effective for me, now that my worry has ramped up it isn’t quite cutting it.
Just today I began a new strategy. When I catch myself ruminating I try to find something I am grateful for about those thoughts. So for instance I was just ruminating about not having enough time to spend with a few friends. So I thought about what I am grateful for about spending time with them. Immediately my shoulders relaxed. It was really interesting because although the limitations of time still exist the simple act of reframing the worry into gratitude change how I felt about it.
I am going to keep doing this and I will let you know how it goes and how it develops over time.
PS
I was facilitating a workshop last weekend and a woman said that instead of counting sheep she counts gratitude by making a mental list of things she is grateful for. Isn’t that awesome?
Write the wrongs that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on marble.
~Arabic Saying
What are some good things that have happened to you today?
[su_button url=”http://www.ourgratitudecollective.com/members/antonia/” background=”#eaf62d” color=”#999999″ size=”20″ center=”yes”]Click for Antonia’s Shared Gratitude[/su_button]
[su_button url=”http://www.ourgratitudecollective.com/activity/” background=”#999999″ color=”#eaf62d” size=”20″ center=”yes”]Click to See Our Collective Gratitude[/su_button]
[su_note note_color=”#e7e7e7″ text_color=”#686767″ radius=”0″] My gratitude journey started in May 2011 and continues to this day. Thank you for being a part of it! A daily gratitude practice is simple. Write down three things you are grateful for each day. Download your free GratitudeGuide. My clients focus on gratitude and learn from their successes to make the positive changes they want in their lives. You can too. Call me to set up our first meeting 505.333.9336. [/su_note]