Are you feeling ‘stuck’ at the moment? It’s something that many of us feel at some time or another and it’s a situation I come across a lot in my work as a career coach. It’s difficult to separate the different parts of our lives – if career isn’t working for us it’s going to impact on our general happiness and likewise if we’re not feeling happy with other aspects of life, it’s going to influence the way we feel about ourselves and our work. Have you noticed how exaggerated everything can feel when something seems crappy?
About four months again I initiated a gratitude practice with a group of friends after hearing about Pam Grout’s practice on a Sean Croxton Sessions podcast. I’d been interested in gratitude for a while due to the positive psychology research proving that it can enhance our life satisfaction and wellbeing but had struggled to maintain a daily gratitude diary. Often as my head hit the pillow I’d remember that I didn’t record that day’s gratitudes. While I’d mentally note them, I found it difficult to be consistent.
Our current practice involves a daily text to members sharing three gratitudes. Not only has this helped me to recognise the many things I have to be grateful for, it has created the unexpected benefit of allowing me to vicariously live the joy of each member of our group. We recently got together and everyone agreed that the practice was positively affecting their mindset and quality of life. One of our members shared that she used to pray each night for help to fix her problems but as her practice developed has instead found herself thanking God for the great things in her life (what’s more she can so clearly see them now). The accountability of the group, the reminder from seeing someone else’s pop up and the regular injections of joy have been key to success.
Here’s the framework for our practice in case you’re also looking for more happiness in your life:
- 4 members (will go to a maximum of 5)
- Each person sends a text communicating 3 things they are grateful for each day at a specified time (eg. in the evening or you could do the following morning – we allow either)
- Ideally we can’t say the same thing twice, encouraging you to dig deeper and recognise more of the great things we take for granted
- Everyone needs to commit to sending the gratitudes even if they are not feeling it (that’s probably when it has the most effect anyway).
If you have any questions or would like to know more gratitude or planning a career, reach out at donna@careervitality.com.au or on 0419 120 601. Be happy!
“Every day may not be good but there is good in every day.” – Unknown