Living in Gratitude

This article was written a few years ago, and I’m republishing it now because lately I’ve noticed a kind of gratitude deficiency in many people—including myself. House hunting in the nearly impossible Southeast Pennsylvania market has forced me to take stock of what is already good in my life, rather than focusing only on what I want.

Over the past nine months of searching, I’ve wandered through countless neighborhoods, towns, and streets. I’ve found myself coveting certain things—a larger studio, more land, a different kitchen, another view out the window—while at the same time becoming increasingly aware of how much I already have. Perspective has a way of arriving when we least expect it.

I already live in a lovely home with a functional studio in a small, safe town filled with good food and interesting people. My family is close by. There’s a park with miles of trails at the end of my street, a farm with animals that I talk to, and almost everything I need to live life is within walking distance. These are not small things. In fact, they are the very things that create a meaningful daily life, though it’s easy to overlook them when chasing the next possibility.

Of course, there are still many things I want. Desire doesn’t simply disappear because gratitude enters the room. But for now, those things will have to wait until the market turns. And perhaps that waiting is not entirely a bad thing. Sometimes we want things in our own time and don’t receive them, only to discover later that what eventually arrives is far better than what we were originally coveting. Patience, is indeed a virtue. 

In the meantime, I’m trying to steep myself in gratitude—to pay attention to the abundance around me—and work on redirecting my restless energy toward updating my bathroom.

Read on for a simple idea to help you focus on gratitude.

Living In Gratitude

I've been thinking a lot about gratitude. It's such a cliche, really, so new age-y to discuss gratitude. And I must admit, it's for these reasons that only until a few years ago, I never really considered it a part of my life. Sure, I'm grateful and always have been, I'm certainly not an spoiled ingrate.. but I never really considered what Living In Gratitude meant and how practicing this simple concept could change my life.

I was introduced to gratitude as a practice when I took Alyson Stanfield's Art Biz Bootcamp (now a segment of her Art Biz Success Course.) Taking this course and later, becoming a part of her Inner Circle were two of the best things I ever did for my art business. So much of Art Biz Bootcamp was helpful toward building my art business and many of the lessons learned have remained in my daily, weekly and monthly business tasks, including my gratitudes list. I had often heard that writing a daily list of gratitudes was helpful, but I always thought it had to be this profound list of great and wonderful thoughts. What Alyson impressed upon me the most was that the list of gratitudes can really be quite simple. To illustrate how simple, I shared 20 (plus 1) of my most repeated gratitudes below. I make this a list of them everyday before I go to bed and I always write them with pen on paper-writing them is important as it reinforces the idea. Also important is to write them as complete sentences beginning with 'I am grateful for..' or 'I am thankful for..' Alyson suggests five gratitudes a day, but I usually write only three. You can make your gratitudes in the morning or evening—it’s best to do them as a start or finish for the day-these are the best times for reflection. For me, writing my gratitudes at the end of the day provides me opportunities to take note of positive things taking place throughout the day Noticing these moments helps me get through with a more positive outlook, even on the worst days when nothing seems to be going right. Overall, since doing this, my mindset has greatly improved. I'm able to see the half full glass, smile and be more relaxed even when I feel like exploding. Take it from a skeptic, Living In Gratitude really does work!

1. I am grateful for the sun shining on my face.

2. I am grateful for the time to hike and the beauty I discovered today.

3. I am grateful I feel inspired and painting is going well this week.

4. I am grateful my car still runs and takes me to far away places where I can escape.

5. I am grateful for the pain of the last few months and the opportunities it has opened for healing old wounds.

6. I am grateful for pizza and chocolate chip cookies.

7. I am grateful the flowers are blooming outside my window.

8. I am grateful for my caring friends who listen.

9. I am grateful people forgive.

10. I am grateful I am a strong person.

11. I am grateful I didn't get a ticket even though I was way speeding.

12. I am grateful I have a comfortable bed to come home to.

13. I am grateful I saw the moon and stars tonight.

14. I am grateful for random heart shaped things on the trail on my hikes.

15. I am grateful my work is sought after and appreciated.

16. I am grateful I got to sleep late today.

17. I am grateful to be in the studio all day today.

18. I am grateful for the cool thunderstorm today.

19. I am grateful for my freedom and to live in this country.

20. I am grateful for new art to look at and for artist painting trades.

21. I am grateful I get to do what I love everyday.