A Secret about Courageous Self-Care

How are you doing with your thoughts and words about time? In the last post, I talked about the first Foundation of Courageous Self-Care, which is essentially treating time like your friend. If you missed it, you can read it here.

Today I have another juicy secret for you about Courageous Self-Care, which just so happens to be Foundation #2.

Take a big breath so you're ready to receive this earth-shattering news...

Gratitude Changes Everything

Ok, so this is not new information for most people. However, when you decide to devote more of your energy to actual gratitude practices, your life truly does change for the better.

I've been speaking with women recently about gratitude and asking them what their gratitude practices are. Mostly, they say things like, "I say thank you," or "I try to feel grateful throughout the day."

Those are great places to start. And here's your chance to take it a step further.

Gratitude has a magical energy. When you express gratitude to something or someone, it makes you feel good. It also makes the receiver feel good. Already worthwhile, right?

Here's the bonus about gratitude. When you devote consistent time to gratitude practices that go beyond saying thank you and trying to think about being grateful, the Universe (or whatever word you use to describe the Infinite Intelligence), gives you more things, people, and circumstances for which to be grateful.

That's a pretty nice bonus, don't you think?

Practicing gratitude helps us increase our capacity for receiving as well (and it never hurts to get better at receiving).

To help you move from thinking about gratitude to making it an actual practice, here's an action step for you. 

Gratitude in Action

Before each meal, pause and allow yourself to cultivate gratitude for everything it took for that meal to arrive on your plate.

Feel grateful to the farmers who grew the food, the truck drivers, ship captains or pilots who brought the food to you, the grocery store or market employees who created a space for you to purchase the food. Feel thankful for the person who created your meal, particularly if it was you!

Imagine all the people it took to get that food onto your plate, working together, cooperating, focussing on the greater good... it's the United Nations in every meal!

You can also consider the elements in your pre-eating gratitude practice; the sun and rain, minerals, dirt, wind, weather. Feel gratitude towards our amazing planet that nourishes us three times a day. That's a lot to feel grateful for, right?

Since you're already eating, this gratitude practice is easy to add on at the beginning of each meal. Simply pause before digging in. I also like to sometimes put my hand on my heart while feeling grateful before eating. It helps me feel more connected to my gratitude.

This simple gratitude practice increases your awareness for the everyday miracle of mealtime and all the energy and effort that goes into our food. It takes about 3 mintues total each day. Plus it makes your food taste better.

Put that gratitude in action and notice the extra good that starts coming your way!

Stay tuned for Foundation #3 next time.