Happy Thanksgiving week, *|FNAME|*!
It’s our last week of our series on some heavy psychological practices of goal smashing, and I wanted to wrap it up with a quick little (appropriately-timed) post on gratitude. J
Many of us avoid really showing up and trying to achieve our deepest desires because of a sense of foreboding: in our culture of deeply-ingrained scarcity, we have a sense that when everything is going well, something catastrophic is lurking around the corner – that the joy won’t last. We often mentally sabotage ourselves for no reason this way!
Key to defeating this is by understanding two things:
1. Happiness and joy are different – happiness is a feeling in response to our circumstances, whereas joy is a way of engaging with the world. Joy comes from a place of knowing that, yes, anything can be taken from us at any second, but that we are choosing to acknowledge how wonderful and how enough it is right now, because right now is all we have.
2. Gratitude is a game changer – in any moment, when everything is a disaster or when everything is perfect, we can choose to acknowledge that every single thing and person and situation in our lives is working to develop us, and we are thankful for every opportunity to level up. Gratitude is key to achieving anything and everything in life.
Gratitude and joy are spiritual practices bound to a belief in human connectedness and in a power greater than ourselves. We can combat the sense of foreboding, soothe the pain of defeat, amplify the bubble of joy, and increase the love around us by acknowledging how truly grateful we are for the person, the situation, the connection, the beauty, the moment around us. Gratitude allows for joy – which requires uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. When we are thankful for what is presented and accepting its flow, we engage with the world in a childlike, joyful state. And the best part of all of this?
WE GET TO CHOOSE.
In any moment, at any time, in any situation, we get to choose to believe that there is enough and that we are enough. Gratitude is the practice (because we get better at it over time) of acknowledging this in any and every situation, no matter how high or how low. It’s the antidote to the emotional rollercoaster of life.
Choose to see the joy of the ordinary moments this week: don’t get too busy chasing the extraordinary that you miss the joy of the giggle of your children, the smell of your grandma’s pumpkin pie, or the way your dog wags his tail and grins at you even after he just destroyed your couch because he wanted to love you so hard.
If you get a chance, show me something you’re grateful for on social media using the #StrongBySteph hashtag. Stop and notice the little things! ‘Tis the season. J
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! THANK YOU for being part of my journey – you make all the crazy so much more fun!
