Episode 16: The Power of Gratitude – how you can change your life drastically with a small practice

„Janina what about an episode about gratitude?“

Yes! I am definitely in – and was super surprised that I haven’t talked much about gratitude in my podcast yet. Even though gratitude is an important element of each of my days.

 

Why is gratitude so essentiell?

 

For me being grateful has something to do with values, with general attitude, with perspective, with appreciation. 

 

And sometimes with being humble.

 

I can be in the middle of a huge traffic jam and very upset about it. I can be angry abut my shrinking time buffer. Or just NOT.

I clearly remember my last big traffic jam. I was on my way to a client. On my navigation I could see the remaining time and I was already thinking about calling my client and to let him know about my potential delay.

I was happy about not being stressed. About my time buffer that I chose generously. Was super grateful. Also about being able to just call and calmly explain my client that a big accident had happened. I was so grateful that we were building the spontaneous emergency lane and that the ambulance could drive by quickly. That this continues to work better as soon as traffic comes to a halt.

And when I saw the accident scene I was so so grateful that I didn’t leave my house a few minutes earlier. So grateful. That I could just drive past it, that I wasn’t involved, that I was fine. Felt deep humbleness.

I arrived relaxed at my client’s site. Also a reason to be grateful.

 

A grateful view allows us to have more love and ease in everything.

 

To be with ourselves, to feel grounded and happy.

And gratitude can change your life completely. The small change of perspective just changes everything.

 

How can we integrate gratitude in our everyday-life?

 

There are just so many options. I myself love to start my day with gratitude.

I already told you in my last episode that I used to get up before my feel-good wakeup time. I used to snooze in the morning. A lot. The alarm went off, I snoozed, dozed off, jumpingly woke up with the next alarm, fell asleep again. Maybe you know this. I got more tired this way, somehow grumpy and I was also upset with myself, because this is so not efficient. I could have just slept longer. One day I just changed this habit. I chose my wakeup time wisely, with a length that was good for me and that was possible in the morning. And since that day I just press the snooze button once. I start thinking about ten things that I am grateful for, stuff and persons, events, from the past, the now and the future. By the way, it’s not important to be super creative. There are a lot moments where I was super grateful for my cozy blankie. Well, I come up with ten things and get up lightly. I am doing this since several years. And it didn’t happen a lot that I fell asleep in the meantime.

 

You can just start in the morning to think about what you are grateful for. You can also write these down, in your journal or just on a piece of paper. It actually doesn’t matter HOW you do it. It can be more powerful in your handwriting. I know a trainer who is working with a technique where you share your moments of gratitude with others, for example in whatsapp groups.

 

I love the version just with myself, in the morning.

 

Another option: Maybe you like doing this on your way to work. And you can especially think about what you love about your work and what you are grateful for.

 

Especially powerful is this:

 

 

When you are upset about someone or stressed by someone or something or when you are having a conflict you can have a look at the three things that you are grateful for. I bet you always find something.

And if sometimes you can’t find anything you can create a game out of it, with your friends or family – to find aspects for you to be grateful for. And welcome playful ease and a bit humor to it.

Sometimes a little distance of time might also help to find something you are grateful for.

 

Here are some more example how life looks like without gratitude – and how it looks like with it:

 

After a relationship that didn’t work out great I can be furious about being one year older after it, disappointed … Or I can be grateful that I learned so much about love and self-love.

After my bicycle accident I can be super upset about my enormous pain, about the misdiagnosis, look for someone to blame, can be angry about the lost revenue, lost time, can calculate the costs of it.

Or I can be grateful: for having the money for it, learning even more about how to take care of my body during my client appointments and in my workday, can be grateful that my insurance covers so many treatments. For the wonderful service of my physio therapist and my osteopath. That my Taiko teachers allowed me to start with just ten minutes of practice, that I was allowed to stop as soon as I needed to, that I could participate in class little by little until I finally was able again to make it through a whole hour.

In situations that go so different from what I wanted I can be disappointed – or I can be grateful for the opportunity of having clarity.

 

While being grateful it’s not about massive things. It’s especially about the small things. The things that we normally take for granted. In Germany this could be: streets that function, electricity from the power socket, internet, running water, enough food and so on …

 

We can be grateful for the people that packed our delivery at Amazon. For the person that came up with our favorite song. For the person that just prepared our coffee to go. Friends for a lovely text.

 

These little exercises are a start to practice gratitude. And then it becomes your second nature and you realize how easy it is for you to be grateful. To have more love in your heart. Then gratitude is no longer a practice but a life philosophy.

 

Really important: Gratitude doesn’t mean you are not allowed to first be angry or upset when the emotions are there. And it doesn’t mean that you have to remain in a shitty situation as you can see positive aspects. But with your heart filled with love you can act with more ease and take better care of yourself.

 

What are you grateful for today?

 

Feel invited to post this underneath my related posts, on instagram, facebook and also in my „love what you do“ facebook group.

 

I wish you a wonderful time with a big heart full of love and gratitude!!

 

Be happy & be light

 

Love Janina