Many of us are unwinding after a holiday where we expressed what and who we are grateful for. This is such a fulfilling practice anytime of the year. Expressing our gratitude, internally to ourselves, and externally to others, has many positive benefits.
To continue practicing and feeling the fulfillment of gratitude as we wrap the 2023 year, I invite you to uplevel your gratitude practice by tuning into the question of “why?”
When we ask ourselves WHY we are grateful for that event, interaction, thing, action, person, etc., to really identify WHY it is important to ME, we can UPLEVEL and deepen our sense of real, genuine gratitude. This allows us to tune into HOW that gratitude makes us feel while reinforcing how/why it/they matter.
For example, if you are grateful something went well within your day, take a moment to ask WHY are you grateful for that?
Let us practice here:
“I am grateful that the Thanksgiving dinner went really well at my brother’s house.”
Explore further and ask, WHY, what did I do to help that event go well?
“I arrived with a positive attitude and a tray of delicious deviled eggs. Everyone loved them, and me! I contributed and it impacted our time together.”
Or,
“I am grateful for having a meaningful conversation with my niece’s new boyfriend.”
WHY?
“Even though it can be uncomfortable to break the ice to talk to someone new, I made the effort to approach him and make him feel comfortable. I enjoyed learning more about him. Next time it will be more comfortable for each of us.”
Reminding ourselves of why we are grateful for something, especially when we can connect ourselves to that “thing” feels really, really good.
Making a connection between gratitude and the actions we take can lock in and solidify more gratitude for ourselves. This uplevels our gratitude practice.
This upleveling can inspire our brain to recognize that our itty-bitty thoughts and actions lead to results.
As we uplevel our gratitude, we develop and reinforce our self trust, confidence, and hope.
This is a non-paid endorsement inviting you to consider how you can uplevel your appreciation for WHY you are grateful.
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
- Oprah Winfrey
These images were captured in July, 2023 when I spent time in Black River Falls, and in Bloomer, Wisconsin. Within taking time out to witness different perspectives, cultures, and ways to live this life, I found an opportunity to uplevel my appreciation and gratefulness for aspects of my life. I can imagine when others view my way of living, they have an opportunity to appreciate aspects of how they live their life. May we all honor, respect, and love our own path, as well as the path others choose.
More connecting reflections from this time away, and in setting up a schedule for the new week:
