There’s a lot of bad stuff happening in the world. Just take a look at any news website, or the US Presidential race and the latest insults swirling around, and it’s enough to make you want to hide out in some monastic cave until things calm down.
But the thing is, there will always be stressful situations, challenges to address, and fears to conquer. (This has nothing to do with your relationship status – single or coupled, we all have similar stresses.)
We want to improve things, to build empires, to make more money, to find love, to have more options. That’s the stuff of life that never goes away. We are all a work in progress – our countries, our neighborhoods, our individual selves.
This is where gratitude comes in.
Instead of playing into our fears and feeding that scared part of our brain even more, gratitude helps us shift our thinking to what is GOOD in the world. What we love. Who we love. What we care about. What we HAVE ALREADY.
Gratitude shifts our minds to a state of peace.
There’s nothing more important right now than maintaining a sense of inner strength, peace and calm. It’s not a talent, it is a learned practice, kind of like exercising at the gym. If you stop going, you lose all that muscle strength you worked so hard to get. So you have to keep it going, just a little every day, to reap the benefits.
So that’s why I’m giving myself a gratitude challenge. It’s not for New Year’s or anything specific – it’s just for me, so I can start doing my “attitudanal” workout every day. Shaping my mental state from frenzied to calm. That’s the goal.
So, here it goes – 5 things I’m grateful for RIGHT NOW:
5. Going hiking in beautiful L.A.
This is L.A…really.
4. Getting to write every day, even the days I don’t like what I write.
Gus!
3. My cute dog Gus
2. My new Stitch Fix subscription box (It gives me pleasure just to get the box in the mail), because I loathe shopping.
1. Late night dinners with my husband <3
Me and my man at High Bar, Venice Beach.
I invite you to join me…write 5 things you are grateful for EVERY DAY for one week. What are you grateful for in your life right now? Who are you grateful for?
Leave your comments here, or keep them to yourself in a journal or whatever makes you happy. Then, let’s see if we generate a little more peace and contentment in our lives.
XO,
Kelly
About Kelly Seal
Kelly is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, CA. She blogs about dating, relationships, personal growth and what "healthy living" means to her. You can follow her on Google+, Twitter @kellyseal or through her website www.kellyseal.com.
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