Cultivate Gratitude
Most of us go around our day, and from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to bed, we are functioning on autopilot. We have the same routine and do these things in the same sequence without much thought. I am not a morning person, and I used to wake up cursing, "it's too cold," "I need coffee, "F**K This," and the first thing out of my mouth were negative thoughts, then overthinking and dreading my day right from the start. Another huge one is after my divorce and a series of wrong partners, I started saying, "all men suck; they are all the same.." guess what type of partners I was attracting..exactly Mr. unavailable and Mr. inconsistent, Mr Man child.. etc. We are what we attract so if we change our words and our mentality and instead of cursing, we start saying positive phrases or mantras like "Today is going to be a great day" "I got this" followed by uplifting affirmations. We have a higher chance of starting our day right which then pours into our routine.
I used to put more value in unnecessary things when I was younger, I was materialistic, and there was a time I would have been considered a negative person. I was toxic because I always wanted more and never was satisfied with my life. I expected the worst-case scenario, and since we are what we attract and our thoughts become our actions, I knew I had to change how I viewed life and myself positively.
I started listening to uplifting music or a podcast on my way to work, or while I am getting ready.
I made a list of positive affirmations and I started collecting quotes and making inspiration boards. I now have something positive to remind me to be grateful and to expect great things to happen throughout the day. I have post-it notes with my favorite quotes and Bible verses on my work desktop to look at throughout the day. I read motivational books and follow podcast speakers on Tik Tok to expose me to a positive mindset and healing journey content. These are all little things, but consistency and exposure really make a difference.
You have to find what works for you. What are you grateful for?
When was the last time you thought about how lucky you are…
I challenge you to make a list of the things you are grateful for, take it a set further, and find a life motto or mantra you feel represented in. It can be cliche, but it's also personal.
Mine is "She believed she could, so she did" it's simple but whenever I feel like quitting or resetting to the negative mindset phase, I look at my phone lock screen with the quote. My work computer lock screen is "It always seems impossible until it's done". There are just little examples of one small habit.
The truth is, life isn't easy, and it seems like the older we get, the more responsibilities, challenges, and difficulties, so why not take a moment of our day to appreciate and be grateful for all we do have instead of concentrating on the bad?
