Gratitude

In my last blog I shared about My Magical morning Practice, inspired by Gala Darling. Part of this practice, is to share what you are grateful for each morning. I’ve always worked with Gratitude, whether it be writing a gratitude list each night before bed, listening & practicing during gratitude meditations, attending gratitude workshops. This practice has been a part of my personal work for around 10 years now.

It’s a deep value of mine, and in most things I do, you’ll find Gratitude at the core of my work.

So why does Gratitude work for me?

I’ve always been a glass half full kinda gal. I always see the best in people, I’m proud to say I choose to have a positive outlook on life. But don’t get me wrong, shit can go wrong & shit can get really fucking sad for me. I can find myself spiralling into self doubt, negative self talk, and the whole living so much in the past of why I made those past choices: that I can’t see the sunshine for days (like I said, I’m not void of having a shit time of life)

Gratitude… is my Go-To.

Gratitude brings me back to myself. Gratitude connects me back into my heart, which connects me back into what I love about myself & my life & all that I’ve achieved, connecting me back into what I’m grateful for. And if I can tap into those things that I’m grateful for… even if it is 2/3 things.. I begin to start to see my world a little differently, I start to think better of myself, I start to think better of what is around me, I’m more aware, I’m more connected to Source.. which is now heart opening on a whole new level!

What Does my practice look like when I’m feeling rough or feeling good: in it’s simplest form, I go for my morning walk, if I’m not up to a walk, I might sit with a coffee, or just lay in bed. While I’m doing my stretches for my walk (3 minutes) I start with trying to list 3 things that I’m grateful for. If I’m stuck and there have been times when I get stuck, I’ve said my family… then crickets… nothing else in my mind. I hold my hands to my heart, I look around: “what am I grateful for” I’m grateful for the fresh air. I’m grateful for the sun or even the rain: even thought I’m cranky because I didn’t wear my hoodie, now I’m going to get saturated.. But I know the rain is good for the earth.

Sometimes I use Gratitude to turn something I’m cranky/frustrated about, into something I’m grateful for. Then I keep listing: Grateful for the fact I have a lovely day planned, I’m grateful for the beach that I live near, I’m grateful for the friends I have and the call I had with my bestie yesterday… Here is where it starts.. and how ever I am are feeling: I can keep listing. Gosh this is my/your practice: It can be whatever you’d like it to be. It can be 3 things, or 33 things.. however you choose to practice Gratitude today.

Gratitude is free, it has no JUDGEMENT: gratitude grows, It’s a gateway back to your heart

In my Sacred Circles, Gratitude is always included. Whether it’s sharing as we introduce ourselves, or we deepen our gratitude and complete a Gratitude Depacho ritual, something I learnt from the lovely Rebecca Campbell. I have bought my Gratitude Circle to many women around Australia & it’s always deeply enjoyed, a moment or moments we can connect into our heart & voice that in which we are grateful for.

How do you practice Gratitude? Or have you tried practicing Gratitude? Let me know on my social media. I’ll have some posts there about Gratitude. I’d love to hear from you.

I asked my beautiful friend, soul sister + Gratitude Goddess, Sophie, her thoughts on Gratitude. And also guide you in where to start your own Gratitude Practice:

When Carly asked me to talk about gratitude I must admit, it was a bit daunting. How do I encapsulate such a huge concept? So, I started thinking and I suppose it’s like this… 

You and I might both be on top of the same mountain, but the view is different depending on where we stand. 

For me, Gratitude is a flagstone on top of the mountain where I choose to stand daily.

It’s a frame of reference that I intentionally return to in order to shape how I view the world and add meaning to my experiences in it in a way that’s beneficial to my overall mindset and attitude. 

As a species we are hardwired to both survive and preserve energy. Whilst clearly essential at times, it unfortunately means we tend to spot the negatives in life more readily than the positives and this can lead to unhelpful, ingrained habits if left unchecked.

A gratitude practice is like a filter that can help you see things in a whole new light. It’s exercise for your mental health.

Having an attitude of gratitude is choosing to view the world as abundant, understanding there is enough for everyone and believing it’s safe to celebrate the happiness and success of others because their abundance doesn’t threaten mine. It switches my default setting from looking for threats and lack to recognising my wellbeing and abundance which in turn helps me to operate in a space of increased freedom and flow. 

As someone who actively rejects the world’s Glorification of Busy, I find gratitude helps me to slow down and live more mindfully. The act of pausing to acknowledge what I have grounds me and helps me to savour, treasure, notice and enjoy life more. 

If you’ve never really had a gratitude practice before, the simplest way to start is by expressing your grateful thoughts at least once a day. Say something in the moment, call that friend and tell them, write a message, send a card, post a glowing review, or capture your thoughts in a journal.

If expressing gratitude in words is hard for you, try taking a photo of something you’re grateful for every day as a visual practice.

Like any new habit, it will start off as a very manual practice that you have to think about and remind yourself to do, and you may not feel the benefits straight away. But like any habit, the more you do it, the easier it becomes your default way of thinking. That’s why it’s a practice.

Keep accountable to your newfound habit by creating a ritual of asking others what they are grateful for. This can easily be incorporated into a meeting at work or for family, be done in the car, around the dinner table or as part of the bed-time routine. Even better, capture your grateful thoughts on little notes in a jar and enjoy reading them all out loud together at the end of the year.

I practice gratitude throughout the day. Rather than reacting by default to a situation (which gives away my power and can get me into a downward emotional spiral) I try to remember to flick the switch of gratitude as a way of interrupting the negative thought patterns and reframing my mindset to see & respond to things differently. The brain hates unanswered questions, so simply asking myself, “What can I be grateful for in this moment?” is like throwing a metaphorical tennis ball for a Labrador. My brain springs to action searching for all the possible positives it can find. 

Gratitude has retrained my brain to look for the good in everything and helps me keep things in perspective. Over time, this has increased the quality of my life, especially as I believe that what you focus on, expands. And even if you don’t take that view, you must admit that negative thinking will never make your life more positive. If you don’t acknowledge your current abundance, how could you expect it to continue or increase?

So, will I see you at the top of the mountain?

ABOUT ME: I’m Sophie and I’m an evangelist for living life with more intention and less obligation. I live in Melbourne with my husband, four kids and a grumpy cat. I’m rubbish at gardening but I’m brilliant at helping ambitious women clarify their next move and empowering them to see it through to fruition.