An Ah-Ha Moment For Me On Gratitude

I had an ah-ha moment about gratitude the other day on my porch with a bee.

I've had various forms of gratitude practices over the years.

I remember years ago when I was going through a hard time I was reading a lot about studies on how practicing gratitude is so beneficial to how we feel.

At that time (and many other periods of time since) I dedicated myself to writing down several things I was grateful for every day for a period of time.

I'll be honest and tell you that many of the days that I wrote things down that I was grateful for, I just didn't feel it.

Even though I was writing them down & acknowledging them, it didn't mean I was really FEELing that gratitude, nor did it seem to lift my mood in the moment.

Total honesty here - In my periods of dedicated gratitude practices, I often wondered if I was wasting my energy.....why didn't I feel better already?

Back to my ah-ha moment...

The other day I was sitting on my porch where many pollinators visit. I see bees and hummingbirds daily on my porch in the summer as I always plant lots of flowers that they like.

As I watched the bee on my lavender plant, I thanked him for all the work he does.

Pollinators have an important job, and we humans would not make it on earth without them.

It dawned on me in that moment that thanking the little pollinators was something that I naturally did often when I see them, and how much practicing gratitude had become so normal in my daily life.

Having a gratitude practice is not just about going through the motions of finding something to be grateful for to lift my spirits (although it is often that too!).

It's about rewiring your brain so that you naturally find gratitude in the smallest moments of your day.

It felt like an ah-ha moment for me because as I watched that little bee, I recognized how naturally I do this every day now in my life.

It's like second nature, and it truly does make a world of difference in how I feel in my life every day.

So, all of that gratitude journaling that I've done over the years has really worked to wire my mind in a way that has benefited me more than I could express here in words - even when that journaling felt monotonous and sometimes even pointless when I was in a disconnected mood.

Why am I sharing this?

2 reasons....

#1 - Developing a regular practice of gratitude, however that looks for you, is important work. It really is a life-changing practice to dedicate yourself to.

#2 - I think it's really important to remember that all of the small steps we take in the area of personal growth don't always feel as powerful as they actually are in the moments you are doing them. Sometimes you might feel like you are just going through the motions, and what's the point?
The point is that you are slowly rewiring yourself to operate in the way that you want to, and that takes time. Whatever you are focusing on, have some patience with yourself. Great things don't usually happen overnight, but with consistency, you will have moments where you can feel that work settle into your bones. Those moments are the reasons that we do the personal work that we do.

Sending you love and gratitude for reading this ❤️

Shelly