I was (re)listening to Brene Brown’s Power of Vulnerability teaching yesterday and I was struck once again by her comments about gratitude. I know many of you already know about my passion for all things gratitude but I’d like to reiterate this important difference between a gratitude practice and an “attitude of gratitude”.
Some of us have an “attitude of gratitude” in the same way I have a yoga attitude. I have the Namaste shirt, the LuLu Lemon yoga pants, I even have a very nice pink yoga mat (that my friend Diana will tell you has seen very few downward dogs). But there is a difference between a yoga attitude and a yoga practice. I couldn’t tell you the last time I actually practiced yoga (with Diana or anyone for that matter) and guess what… that namaste “attitude” lasts right up until I actually have to deal with another beautifully imperfect person (so pretty much my family, friends, neighbors, postal workers, etc). An attitude doesn’t do me any good because it is dependent on my mood. But a practice… that is a horse of an entirely different color.
Brene Brown says that in her many years of studying what she calls “the wholehearted”, she has never once encountered a person who described themselves as joyful who did not actively practice gratitude.
When you practice gratitude it changes you. It creates new neural pathways in your brain and it makes you more hopeful, more positive and ultimately more grateful (gratitude begets gratitude). That is why I preach gratitude. It’s why I created my gratitude journal, why I teach and lead classes. My mission is to help people live more abundant lives and I know without any doubt that gratitude is the cornerstone for joy. It is always at the heart of what I do.
I’m getting ready to lead my next class, Principles of Joy, and guess what is on the syllabus for week one? There are six principles that I truly believe and practice faithfully but gratitude is the foundation. The class will run for just a bit over forty days – which is a great amount of time to begin a habit (and solidify it – the myth of 21 days is just that, a myth). It also happens to concur with Lent, so if you want to add something that will not only make you more joyful but create a cascading effect of happiness for the people around you, I’d like to invite you to join me. There is more information on the class here, but if you have any questions feel free to shoot me an email.
I hope you will take the leap from attitude to practice! I promise you will see the difference!