A Month Of Gratitude
November is officially upon us, and with November comes button-popping holiday feasts and the giving of thanks. There could not be a better time to center in on gratitude. The outer world that you experience is a direct reflection of your inner reality. When you carry with you an attitude of gratitude, you begin to experience the world through a new lens.
This is why we would like to challenge you to make gratitude a daily part of your life for the rest of the month of November. This challenge will incorporate a brief gratitude practice into your morning, afternoon traffic and evening routines. Overall it will take about 10 minutes each day to employ.
Gratitude challenge
Morning: First thing upon waking up in the morning take a moment to set an intention to focus on gratitude throughout the day. As simple as this is, the act of setting an intention will shift your outlook as you will be actively searching for ways to feel grateful in each moment.
Afternoon: Often times we find ourselves burning time waiting in traffic or long lines as we move from point A to point B. While this waiting time can feel like a burden in the moment, these instances actually provide us with great opportunities to practice gratitude. Next time you are waiting at a stoplight, run a mental inventory of everything that you are grateful for. This list can include items as small as the morning dew droplets forming on your window. The contents of your list are irrelevant as long as they allow you to fully step into the feeling of gratitude.
Evening: Each night put aside a couple of minutes to jot down a list of three moments that made you feel grateful that day. Writing down these moments trains you to see the silver lining in every situation. Even the worst of days come with gems of their own.
My experience
Throughout the month of October I decided to make gratitude a part of my everyday life. I began by pressing a "Gratitude" Manifestation Tattoo into my wrist and following the daily gratitude practice outlined above.
Honing in on gratitude for a month trained me to search for the beauty happening around me in any given moment- the elderly woman beaming as she watched two young children play in the grass, mustard yellow leaves falling from the branches of a maple tree, a man pulling to the corner of the road to take a picture of that picturesque fall scenery from his car window. As I moved through the month, I became attuned to these indelible moments taking place in the most mundane aspects of day to day life. I also began to see time spent waiting in traffic as a prime opportunity to practice gratitude. Rather than mulling over my impending lateness, I admired fall colors and found an appreciation for the warmth of a matcha latte in my hand.
Setting a conscious intention to focus on gratitude and having a "grateful" Manifestation Tattoo pressed into my wrist as a visual reminder of this intention steered my attention away from everything that wasn't to my liking and helped me to see the many things that were right with a given situation. This shift in perspective was subtle, meaning that it may not have been immediately recognizable to an onlooker, yet it was powerful in the way that it anchored me in the beautiful simplicity of the present moment.
If you have been looking to make positive changes in your life, it is important to remember that change begins from within. Incorporating a daily gratitude practice into your life will help you create a positive internal world that will lay down a powerful foundation for any goals that you would like to bring to fruition.
We would love to hear about your experience if you do give this gratitude challenge a whirl. Let us know about any shifts that you noticed in your day-day life via the comment section, Facebook or Instagram.
Best wishes to you on your gratitude journey!
Amanda,
Conscious Ink Staffer