Even In The Midst Of The Madness

This week my wife and I have spent time discussing and contemplating gratefulness.

You may be wondering why gratitude would be a focus for us in the midst of the chaos going on in the world right now?

My response to that question is this -

To live with a spirit of gratefulness is not to ignore what is happening or to turn a blind eye to the hurt and pain that is all around us. It does, however, impact where we put our focus. 

My wife shared with me this quote given by psychotherapist Elaine Smookler when she writes:

"What does it mean to be grateful? Thankfully, it doesn’t mean convincing yourself of some bogus notion that everything’s fine and dandy. Living your life with gratitude means choosing to focus your time and attention on what you appreciate. The goal is not to block out difficulties, but to approach those difficulties from a different perspective. Appreciation softens us. It soothes our turbulent minds by connecting us with the wonderfully ordinary things, great and small, that we might otherwise take for granted."

My wife and I have found that when you choose to take this approach and practice gratitude, your world will change.

One of the habits we have adopted is to make gratitude a consistent practice in our marriage.

We seek to thank each other and show gratitude for even the smallest things like making the bed, pouring a cup of coffee for the other, or emptying the dishwasher. We can both attest how those small intentional moments have vastly improved our relationship and we consciously and consistently look for things for which to be grateful.

If you find you are struggling with the current state of things in the world, with your job or a relationship, find something that you can be grateful for each day and watch how your perspective will change.

If you want some inspiration on this topic, I encourage you to listen to the story of Dr. Angela Mulrooney, who lost her childhood dream, but has a spirit of gratitude despite the circumstances.

On the journey with you,

Carlos

This edition was first published in The Life Design Newsletter on LinkedIn.