Holiday Gratitudes

I participated for the first time, in Gratitude Month on Facebook, posting a gratitude every day of the month of November.  It was really a gift to put my attention on the things I feel good about in my life.  The gratitudes from others also went by on my feed... and some days I just felt like I was rolling around in glitter from all the smiles and nods and feelings of happiness.  

There are two things that have contributed to the big shifts that I've experienced around gratitude this year.  

• Learning to find the gift in everything... no matter how difficult, sad, frustrating, confusing, joyous, visionary, or neutral.  Obviously, sometimes it's easier than others.  And... the biggest, clearest gifts of my last year have certainly been in the difficult, sad, scary category.  They have been the ones that have taken the longest to find, required tenacity, and trust.  I've also been the most grateful for them once they've been located.  I've been doing this for a loooonnnnggg time... but this year it seemed to click for me in a new way. 
• Appreciating myself.  My friend, Carla H. Brown, Laughter Yoga Trainer and Joy Coach (you met her in some videos we made together before my last local talk), introduced me to the amazing gift of daily appreciations... for my own accomplishments, abilities, and willingness to learn more about myself every day.  It might sound a little strange at first, but truth told it's a transformative exercise.  Luckily I had support for this one... or surely I would have quit when my Inner Critical Voice got active.  The accountability to this small group practice kept me going... and it was part of how I re-organized my own brain to allow me to pat myself on the back sometimes.  It increased my sense of being capable, resourceful, resilient, and successful.

I also had a few serendipitous discussions and inspirations over the holiday... and I am feeling the muse handing me a new possibility... but I'm going to save the details for next week.  I will tell you that I'm feeling excited!