Skip to main content

Practice Gratitude

My favorite mode of learning is from other people's examples. On Monday I was reading my little sister's weekly letter from the mission field, and I really liked this part:
"My new companion is Sister Kira Barker--and I couldn't be happier! She is always happy and I asked her how she stays so happy all the time, and she says she is just super grateful."
Super Grateful. The wheels in my mind began to turn, and I felt like I wanted to put this to the test. Although I have been taught countless times to show gratitude, it is so easy to slip into the "wo is me" attitude. I really have LOVED these past four days because I have been SO much happier and more my true self.  Here are some examples of ways I have changed my thought patterns:

  1. "I can't believe Marshall is gone again and this time I do not know when we will see each other again," to "I am so grateful Marshall has a great job that he is good at, and that we are so good at having meaningful conversations even over the phone."
  2. "Ugh, I have to go to the rink three times to coach in one day. How am I going to get anything done at home today?" to "I love seeing my skaters and working with them, and the fact that I get to go three times today means I can ride my bike to the rink and spend more time enjoying the beautiful fall weather we have been having!" 
  3. "We have twelve days left before we get paid again and I only have this amount of money left for groceries. I hope I can make it stretch sufficiently." to "I have this much money left for groceries and I have all this food in the fridge and freezer. We are so blessed!"
  4. "The lady we bought eggs from on a weekly basis just told me she is not selling her eggs anymore. Where are we going to buy eggs now?" to "I am so grateful for the wonderful service this lady has given us! I have been blessed by her generosity and delicious eggs. I know we will find another family who sells eggs." (side note: After only a couple of phone calls, I have lined up a new egg service to replace our former one!)
See how easy it is to switch a possibly stressful and ungrateful thought to a productive and grateful one? It is so contagious!! 
The easiest way for me to practice gratitude on a daily, even hourly, basis is to smile through all things. I've noticed that I have laughed more, and for that I am grateful. 

Want More Goodies?
This talk is an excellent one about having gratitude in our life. Let me know what you think!

1 minute highlight:

Full-length talk:

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hoping for a Rainbow

I'm really not sure if I ever thought this day would come. The day that I made it past 13 weeks pregnant without losing the baby. #miracle.  I know I am not out of the woods yet, and honestly, when are we really? I am just trying to live every day with gratitude for the life inside of me, living with hope for the future.  Part of me wanted to wait until next week, when I was past 14 weeks and officially in the 2nd trimester, but I couldn't wait any longer. I've been getting a little thick in the middle, which is getting more difficult to hide, and I feel like I haven't been able to be completely honest with friends when they would ask, "how are you doing?" All I wanted to talk about was how nauseous I was or how nervous I felt. So now, the news is out, whether or not you already suspected something was up.  Seriously though, the 1st trimester is not for the faint of heart! There were many instances when I thought I would lose the baby, but dee...

Grandpa is Always Right | Gender Reveal |

I was hanging out in our rental apartment in Salzburg, Austria with my sister when my dad walked out of his bedroom and announced that I was having a girl. I was only 11 weeks along at that point and while I was wishfully hoping for a girl, I was preparing myself for a boy. His strong conviction of the gender of our child without any hints from an ultrasound surprised me. My dad seems to always be right about things, so I secretly hoped he was right this time too. Today during my scan, my favorite sonographer announced that we were having a girl. Grandpa is always right. I never imagined our family starting with a baby boy. I don't know why, but a baby girl seems to fit just perfectly. Now I just have to keep calm and stay healthy for 19 more weeks.

The Love of a Cousin

Swimming Babes-2006 " What do I do when I get pregnant again?"   I asked. My sweet cousin was on the other end of the phone call when I sought out her wisdom and support.  3 years younger than me, she is in her 3rd pregnancy and ready to deliver her first baby in less than 2 months. She was the first person I wanted to talk to when I miscarried the first time, just 2 months after her ectopic pregnancy back in the spring of 2015. For some reason, I just had this connection to her, like maybe because she was born in the same generation as me and going through similar circumstances, that she would understand. Now, 13 months after my first miscarriage, I find myself going through mental exercises every day to prepare myself to trust my body for my 4th and hopefully successful pregnancy; part of that exercise today was to call my cousin up and have a nice chat about our lives and try to get some insights. We were both strong-headed children growing up--often getting ups...