Episode 62: The Importance of Showing Gratitude (even for the hard stuff)

This episode is being released just the day before Thanksgiving and so I thought what better of a time to show gratitude than Thanksgiving.

I feel as though the majority of us don’t show gratitude enough and by going back through last week's episode and re-listening to Paul's words, it has definitely helped open my mind that showing gratitude and feeling gratitude for the things in my life is an amazing way to cleanse your brain from all the negative energy that just comes from being a human being.

So within last week’s episode, Paul expressed a whole lot of gratitude for some of the people in his life that made the biggest impact...teachers. And I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t have a story about a person in their life who helped them...who pushed them...who believed in them. 

Paul talked about how grateful he was for having individuals in his life that showed him that he was intelligent in spite of the struggles he was having in school. People who believed he could be successful in a career that he never  imagined himself being in. And by him telling his story, it made me remember a quote by a very inspirational teacher named Rita Pierson. She says, “Every child deserves a champion; an adult who will never give up on them. Who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.”

And I know that’s why Paul has so much gratitude for his teachers and mentors...because they gave him a champion...someone to look up to and someone who believed in him.

But being grateful doesn’t always have to be about something positive in our lives. We can feel grateful for tough situations or challenging things in our life! Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that trying to be grateful for these trials in your life requires effort especially in really difficult times. But the more we choose to live in the discipline of conscious thanksgiving, the more natural it becomes, and the more our eyes are opened to the little things throughout the day that were previously overlooked.

And that is exactly what happened with Paul’s story which is what got me thinking so much about my own gratitude and what made me want to do this episode.

Throughout this episode, I chat about how to get your mind right about being grateful and showing thanks for the things, whether good or bad, in your life.

Here's some helpful tips:

1. Set time aside each day to make a list of what you are thankful for. Start with the tiniest details, and write down even just one thing.  
2. Tell other people “thank you” when they do something kind for you.
3. Don’t allow other people’s bitterness or negativity to influence your inner peace.
4. Anger, disappointment, failure, and frustration are parts of life, but don’t let them become your default emotions. 
5. Build gratitude around you with small, daily, unexpected, undeserved acts of love, compassion, grace, and forgiveness.

I hope you enjoyed this episode and I hope you will intentionally carve out some time to count your blessings.

Mentioned in the show:

What's Your Special Educator Superpower Quiz
Every Kid Needs a Champion youtube video

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