Quieting Your Mind to Make Space for Gratitude
Find Quiet to Find Gratitude
Sometimes gratitude hits me out of nowhere like a punch to the throat. Leaving me overwhelmed and choked up with emotion. Other times it is a whisper of a thought that taps at my attention. Noticeable but just barely.
Often when I sit down to write down my gratitude for the day my mind is busy. It is often the first time of the day that I am intentionally reflecting on my day. My mind is a whirlwind of thoughts of the day, plans for the next day, thinking about the people I care about who care about me.
In that busy mind sometimes those moments of gratitude, the throat punches and whispers, line up to be counted. But other times the gratitude is buried in all those thoughts. This is when a little bit of meditation is what I need. And I am not minimizing by saying a little bit. Sometimes all it takes is a couple of breaths. I might close my eyes but not always. I might find a quiet place without distractions but not always. I might do more of a longer meditation, focusing on my breathing as a tool to immerse myself in the present moment.
The point is to find some quiet in my mind and focus my attention to my intention of gratitude. From this quiet state gratitude emerges for me. And because of this often one of the things I write down that I am grateful for is a moment of quiet. If nothing else I am at least grateful for that.
Meditation has helped me to form all my other habits, it’s helped me to become more peaceful, more focused, less worried about discomfort, more appreciative and attentive to everything in my life.
~Leo Babauta
What gratitude emerges for you after a few moments of meditation?
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[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]