she rambles about: gratitude

Our brains are constantly creating categories, cycles and systems and when we continually implement and reiterate the same thought cycles, they become habits. These habits become so deeply a part of our subconscious that we don’t even know they exist anymore, which can be really helpful when we have to remember which drawer we put the silverware away in, but when we’ve created some deeply rooted negative cycles, they can affect us in almost every aspect of our lives and we aren’t even aware they exist anymore, let alone know where to start with “reversing” or “fixing” them anymore.  

For me, this is a very true reality with the succession of (not so positive) thoughts I’ve allowed myself to believe about my appearance and short comings for years and years on end. It’s to a point where these cycles feel larger than me…un-fixable even. But I know now that feeling isnt rooted in truth or fact. Someone once told me “Don’t ask a mountain to move, take a pebble each time you visit” this quote helps me visualize that small progress is still progress, regardless of how slow the process is. So If you want to become better at something, (for instance, starting to view yourself more positively) do it intentionally and consistently every day for a month. There is something about consistency that rewires the brain and allows our bodies and minds to follow suit and accept the new routine as “normal”. I learned this firsthand through implementing the Whole30 diet into my life and watched it not only transform my thought processes, habits, relationship to food and my ideas about health but my husbands also (which is a miracle coming from his LOVE for fast food haha). Things that were SO hard slowly became easy and then we became hooked on this newfound  possibility that anything we want to implement can become a reality if we do it consistently for 30 days. Bad habits we struggled with for years slowly changed through our mutual commitment to consistency. 

So here’s when the good stuff comes in:

Then newest practice I want to implement and allow to transform my perspective is a daily practice of gratitude. And on a deeper level than just “thanks for my family and my house and my car.”… I want to implement a spirit of gratitude daily, even in the HARD. I want my mindset to always be triggered to positivity even when I’m in the midst of bad days. I listened to a podcast recently on embracing the idea that we are the “heroin of our own story”. It was about this idea that if we embrace the lessons learned through our personal experiences, both good and bad, we develop a point of view and a voice that is uniquely our own. I know that isn’t necessarily a new or even lifechanging statement… but it was about what comes next that is important: He said that when we accept and appreciate the value of our experiences because they brought about lessons, and lessons are the miracles that create opportunities for us to connect and GIVE to others through what we’ve learned… than we truly come to a place of gratitude and acceptance, even in the face of hardship. Gratitude for the hardships that have brought about a refined perspective and the ability to help and serve others better. Giving… in every way that we can, helps us stop living under the assumption that life happens TO us, or that life happens FOR us. Instead, gratitude helps us to accept that life happens THROUGH us. We are a vessel and life and experiences and blessings flow through us when we are able to give back through our lessons and experiences, even if we had to learn them in our darkest moments. Suddenly we have intention behind every thought, every hardship. There is value in seeing the positive teaching points, not only for us and our kids and our families but even strangers we come across.

So my hope for this upcoming year is that I get into the habit of implementing a daily gratitude practice, and write down thoughts, lessons learned and lists of blessings and silver linings. I’d love for you all to join me! I put together some cute journals because I want them all