Hey, Scott Colby here with another episode of the daily gratitude minute. When you're on an airplane, the flight attendant instructs you to put your oxygen mask on first, before helping others. This is an important rule for insurance survival, because if you've run out of oxygen, you can't help anyone else with their oxygen mask.

It's a great metaphor for those of us who run around taking care of everything and everyone else except ourselves. It's a great reminder for everyone that if you don't take care of yourself, you can experience burnout, stress, fatigue, reduced mental effectiveness. Health problems, anxiety, frustration, inability to sleep and even death.

We often feel selfish for putting ourselves first. Well, I'm here to tell you it's not selfish. Consider this permission for you to take care of yourself on a regular basis. So let go of the guilt you feel for meeting your needs. You've got this. I'm scott colby with say it with gratitude and this has been the daily gratitude minute cheers

Welcome back to the daily gratitude minute. This is Scott and you know, we've been having some beautiful sunny fall weather here in Knoxville, Tennessee. Uh, saw a beautiful sunrise in the smoky mountains on Wednesday morning. And, you know, I've been trying to get out as much as possible. Take advantage of the nice weather.

And remind me of an article that I read recently. It was a research article and the subject to the heading of the article said, Stress. Take a 20 minute nature pill. You know, there are so many positive benefits of being in nature, backed by research. It's a little surprising that we don't Outside and immerse ourselves in nature even more than we already do.

You know, it helps with things like reducing stress. Decreasing obesity, improving eyesight, increasing mood. Decreasing sadness, anxiety and depression, stimulating creativity, and thought and much more. So next time you need a shot of something good in your life. Find some greenery. Look for some trees and enjoy the sights sounds and smells of being in nature.

I want you to definitely go outside and do this. Take this to heart. I'm Scott Colby with say it with gratitude. And this has been your daily gratitude minute. Cheers

Welcome back to the daily gratitude minute. This is Scott. And, uh, today I was interviewed. For a podcast called the stay hungry podcast. And I was talking about getting out of your comfort zone. And how, when you do something. Uh, physically challenging You're a little Afraid of doing. And you complete that mission that can expand your mind of the possibilities of what else you can do. So you start to think about what else has been holding you back in life, and this can create a breakthrough. So I told a story, uh, several years ago on an adventure trip that I was on, that I put together.

We were whitewater rafting and the guide took us to a bank and said, you know, we could get out of the RAF. He pointed up to a cliff and said, we have the opportunity to jump off the cliff into the freezing cold. Colorado river now, cliff jumping. Isn't really my thing. Free falling. Isn't my thing either. And that cliff was about 30 feet high. So I was definitely scared. Something that I didn't really want to do.

But I actually did it and it helped me get me out of my comfort zone. But what I want to share with you is how gratitude can play a role in helping you. Overcome your fears. And a lot of times our fears or anxiety, right? We're we're anxious. We don't know what to expect. We sometimes think of the worst case scenario.

So think about this, they say that you can't be grateful. And anxious at the same time. So for something like this, while I was waiting for my turn to jump off the cliff, instead of being anxious and worried. About things that I can't really control, I could turn that around and use gratitude to get me through this moment.

So the thing that you could do is to start to say things like I get to. So how would I complete that sentence? I get to jump off the cliff. I'm healthy enough to jump off the cliff. I get to experience the exhilaration of being in the Colorado river. I get to swim back to the whitewater raft. I get to celebrate with the other people that were on that experience.

That I N they did the cliff jump. I get to see what the future hold for me. After I jump off the cliff and achieve this personal breakthrough. And you can go through a number of, I get to and just fill in the blank. And that will lead you to start thinking like, Hey, this is actually an awesome opportunity that I get to do this, that I get to cliff jump that I get to do something that's exciting. So next time you're anxious about something.

Of course it doesn't have to be cliff jumping or anything physically. Uh, uh, daunting. It could be anything that you're anxious about in life. Turn it around and start to say, I get to and see how many I get to you can come up with related to the thing that you're anxious about. See how the, your mood and mindset change. I Hope this helps you i'm scott colby with a daily gratitude minute and we will see you tomorrow

Hey, it's Scott back with another episode of the daily gratitude minute. Thank you so much for joining me. Want to tell you a little story? Real brief. Uh, about my morning yesterday. So I set my alarm for 5:15 AM in the morning, got in my car at 5 45. And I drove to the smokey mountains in the dark. So I could see the sunrise at newfound gap, which is one of the prettiest spots to CA smokey mountain sunrise.

And as you can imagine, it was a really joyful morning watching the sunrise, even though I had to get up at 5:15 AM, which I'm used to anyway. For my early morning workouts. Um, I drove for an hour and 20 minutes to see the sunrise and it was actually 31 degrees outside. So it felt a little bit like winter.

But of course all those are part of the experience and none of them were any good reason not to watch the sunrise. But in life, we have a lot of decisions to make every single day. And sometimes it's hard to know what we say yes to. And what do we say no to. Often when we say yes to something we're saying no to something else.

When you think about the decisions you make in life, I recommend filtering them through your values. So for me, I value adventure. I value the outdoors. I value nature, mountain views. So it was easy for me to say yes, Go watch the sunrise, even though I could have spent that time, you know, doing some work.

But work can wait. Right? Perhaps though saying yes to something takes away from family time. And that's your top value? And that example, it should be easy to say no. So as you go through your weekend through the month of October, And want you to start filtering your decisions through your values, if they yes. Aligns with your values.

And it's something that gives you joy, then go for it. But if a guest seems inauthentic to your values or takes away from another value, like family, turn that yes. Into a no. And don't make apologies for, I know sometimes we want to people please and say yes to everything and everybody. Don't make apologies your number one, make yourself a priority and only say yes. To those things important in your life i'm scott colby was say it with gratitude and this has been your daily gratitude minute cheers

Hey, it's Scott here. Welcome to the daily gratitude minute. You know, I often talk about the importance of making myself a priority. First thing in the morning. I think you should as well. You know, by doing something for you, meditation, walking, yoga. Gratitude journaling, just to name a few examples.

And I noticed I really started to take my morning routine seriously after reading the miracle morning by Hal Elrod. Which outlined how to set up your morning for success. If you haven't read the miracle morning. Definitely recommend it. Uh, and when I think about how it reminds me of another lesson, I learned from him, his five minute rule.

How's five minute rule, helped him get through one of the toughest times of his life. When they got hit head on by a drunk driver, going 70 miles an And being in a coma for six days. Here's his five minute rule. When things go wrong. Give yourself five minutes to feel. Sorry for yourself. You can complain moan cry, punched the wall.

Whatever you need to do. When the five minutes are up. Take a deep breath and say, can't change Three very powerful words. I can't change it. Therefore, I'm not going to feel bad about There's no value in dwelling on something in the past, whether it was five minutes in the past five months, five years or five decades ago, you've got to accept it.

Be at peace with it and move on. And how applied that to his car accident. He couldn't change it. It happened. The best he could do was not dwell on it and make the very best of his situation, even if he could never walk again and was going to be in a wheelchair his entire life. Powerful. Talk about perspective and appreciating what you do have. This is the ultimate example of gratitude.

Now, is there something in your past that's holding that you're holding onto that. You're still mad about. If so don't dwell on it. Let go. It's in the past. And if it's a person that made you mad, you could even send a card to them expressing your appreciation for them, even if they did you wrong.

Try that cause there's nothing more powerful. I'm scott colby with say it with gratitude and this has been the daily gratitude minute cheers

Welcome back to the daily gratitude minute. This is Scott Colby. I want to share. A quick story with you. So during my outdoor workout with the group of guys that I work out with last Thursday, we had to complete 40 pushups as part of our circuit, and then began to get a little challenging for me. After I completed 25

I had 15 left. And that's my message for you today. Most of us are going through a challenge in one fashion or another. We might be trying to achieve a life goal, might be working on a project for work, or even trying to complete 40 pushups. But often when things start to get tough. You're closer to the finish line. Then the start line, that realization makes it easier to push on through to the end.

Knowing that I only had 15 pushups left when things started to get painful, allowed me to push through to the finish line. So this week, take a look at a challenge that you're having and see when it starts to get difficult. Make a mental note, how close to the finish line you You're often closer than you think. I'm scott colby was say it with gratitude and this has been the daily gratitude minute cheers

Hey, welcome back to the daily gratitude minute. This is Scott Colby from say it with gratitude. Hey, if you're looking to write more handwritten, thank you notes, which I'm a big believer in. But maybe sometimes you don't know what to write and you're staring at that blank card and no words come to you. I've got a few prompts that may help you get started.

With your handwritten. Thank you note. So I'm a big believer in writing these notes, just because, uh, so instead of always writing a note because somebody got you a gift or they did something for you. Just do it. Because you want to tell the person how awesome they are. So here are a few prompts to get you started. You could start by saying, I remember the time when.

And then share a memory that you and the other person had or an experience, or even think back to when you met the other person that way you're bringing them into, into a shared memory. You're getting those same feelings as well to good connection point. Another way you might start your handwritten note. What I appreciate most about you is.

And then. Right out all the things that you like about this person, their personality, their characteristics. What do you appreciate? About the person that you're writing the note to. You could also use this pump without you. Without you and then just speak from the heart or right from the heart. What would your life look like without them? Maybe you wouldn't be the person you are today.

Without their influence in your life. And then if you want to take a even deeper, you can think about this. If today was your last day. What would you want them to know if today was your last day? What would you want them to know? So these are a few good starting points for your handwritten note. Really? I'm wanting you to think about writing to connect. So you're going to be appreciating the person in the card that you're writing to, and also just connect from the heart and that'll be a great.

Uh, way for you to feel a deeper bond between you and the person you're writing the note to. I'm Scott Colby. From say it with gratitude and this has been the daily gratitude minute chairs

Welcome back to the daily gratitude minute. This is Scott Colby from say it with gratitude. Got a question to ask you, do you hit the snooze alarm several times and then run around frantically trying to get lunches made breakfast, eaten, showered, dressed, and off to work on time. Or do you wake up in plenty of time to practice some self-care such as meditation, reading, yoga or morning walk followed by a shower and a healthy breakfast.

How we start our morning can set the tone for the entire day. When you take the time for some self care in the morning, you're setting yourself up to have a good day. I'll often in the morning, take a walk to downtown Knoxville. Get a cafe LA and bring my goal setting journal to write down what my goals are for the day or for the

I'll sit by a little stream of water and a park downtown. And reflect on my goals and my life. It's a wonderful way to begin my day and it puts me in a good You have the opportunity to spend time on yourself each morning. It's just a matter of making yourself a priority. And even if the rest of your day proved to be challenging, at least you've done something good for you to start the day.

So this coming week, I want you to make yourself a priority. First thing in the morning. By doing something that feels good. Feed your soul, something positive. I'm Scott Colby. With say it with gratitude and this has been the daily gratitude minute cheers

Welcome back to the daily gratitude minute. This is Scott Colby with say it with gratitude and I am a member of a workout group. Uh, every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 AM. I do an outdoor workout with a group of guys for 45 minutes. Saturday, we meet at 7:00 AM for an hour. And it's been great getting pushed by these guys, which helps me give my best effort.

And these outdoor workouts have really improved my mental and physical health over the past several months, I started in January, 2020. So right before the pandemic. And have been going consistently, ever since, except for when we were told to stay home. Um, But I wanted to mention, we take turns leading the workouts and I led the workout about a week ago.

And at the end of the workout, the person that leads a workout gives an inspiring message or just something that's on their heart. So since I led the workout last Thursday, I gave the message. And what I talked about was the need to disconnect, to reconnect and to really be present. You know, in the technological world we live in, many of us are addicted to our phones. Unfortunately, my self included.

We're often more worried about notifications and reading our messages or seeing who has liked. Our Facebook posts, then connecting with a person right in front of us. It's hurting our relationships. It's hurting our productivity. It's we're suffering in the workplace. We're getting less sleep or more stressed.

And there's too much negativity getting into our brains. Like I mentioned, it's hurting us in the workplace. We're a lonely society. Fewer meaningful connections than ever before. And it's affecting our work. I actually talked about this in my keynote talk that I delivered on Tuesday in Spokane, Washington.

So my message for you today is to disconnect, to reconnect. Get away from technology for a while, unplug and connect with the people in your life that matter to you most in a more meaningful way you got this. I am scott colby was say it with gratitude and this has been the daily gratitude minute chairs

Welcome back to the daily gratitude minute. This is Scott Colby with say it with gratitude

Over the past few weeks I've been putting together a keynote. That I'll be giving at a conference. Uh, in, well, one in late September and one in October.

And. The keynote, the talk is about gratitude in the workplace, but it's also about connection in the workplace and the fact that many workers, in fact, most employees are lonely. And part of that reason is due to lack of meaningful connection, the worst Pikes, and really in humanity in general. We're pretty lonely society. And so been reading a book called connectable. They've got many great tips on how to create meaningful connection in their workplace. I don't want to give you two easy ones that you can start doing today.

Number one. They say, be where your feet are. So wherever your feet are be present. So if you're at a meeting, I be at the meeting. Don't be checking email. If you're at lunch with a friend, be at lunch with your friend, don't be checking social media or your text messages. So that's the first tip to be more connectable is to be where your feet are. The second tip I wanted to give you.

His trade in high tech for high touch. So most of the communication we have with people are high tech, right? We're emailing them. We're sending them text messages. We're D M in them. Trade one of those types of messages. For a high touch. Communication. So instead of emailing or texting call somebody, remember what that is. You actually using your phone for its intended purpose.

Call somebody do a video chat with somebody, or even get together with somebody in person. So be more connectable this weekend and next weekend going. Towards the rest of your, um, of your year. See where you can be more connectable by being where your feet are and trading high-tech for high touch.

I'm Scott Colby with say it with gratitude. And this has been the daily gratitude minute. Cheers.