Yesterday was another snow day here along the North Coast. I say “another” because we’ve had so many in the past two months, I’ve lost count. I love snow, I really do, but when we’ve had as much snow & cold as we have this year, even I find myself saying, “Enough Already!” As frustrated as I get with snow though, I am grateful for snow days, because they often bestow upon me one of my most valued gifts, the gift of time. Yesterday’s snow day resulted in the cancellation of an out of town meeting, freeing up five hours in my schedule – what a wonderful and unexpected gift!
I’ve heard people say you can tell what a person values by how they spend their money. I agree with that, but I would like to expand upon it by saying you can also tell what a person values by looking at what they are grateful for. As shared in earlier posts, I’ve kept a gratitude journal for a couple of years now as a means of encouraging a positive perspective. Recently I presented a 24-hour retreat for about 50 women on the topic of growing gratitude. During that retreat I shared the following with the participants:
The practice of gratitude has not only brought more happiness into my life, it has brought me greater sense of awareness. Through journaling, I have become more aware of what brings me the most joy and what I want to bring more of into my life. My greatest realization to date is around “time.” In writing my journal I continually found myself grateful for “extra time” to write, or “bonus time” to read, or “unexpected free time”. It quickly became clear to me that one of the things I valued most was “time” itself. It luckily didn’t take too much soul-searching to realize there were a number of non-essential activities and commitments that were taking up my valued time. Activities and commitments I could release and as a result create more of what I valued.
As a coach, one of the areas I focus on with my clients is getting clearer about what they value. This is important because knowing and honoring your values can result in you making more thoughtful decisions and leading a more authentic and fulfilling life. What do you value? What are you grateful for? How might having a better understanding of what you value impact you and your life?
Thanks for that post Andrea, so true, I too have been ruminating about gratitude and how much it can change the entire perspective of your life for about a year now. I have yet to be consistent with my gratitude journal, like everything else I struggle with its and on again off again habit. Thanks for reminding me to be “on” again and pick up where I left off, placing value on the things most important to me by naming them one by one and giving thanks for them. Julie
Julie, I’m so glad this post struck a chord with you. For me, focusing on gratitude has truly been life changing. It is all about perspectives – on the surface, my life hasn’t changed that much in the past couple of years, but how I view it has, and that makes all the difference. Best to you as you pick up where you left off!
Love this post about gratitude! Coming from a gratitude perspective makes every day better. I love your journal and how it has lead you to realize your important time perspective. As I journal I have found that importance of people in my gratitude. And I am grateful for our connection as you know! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Ellen! You brought a smile to my face. Grateful for you and our connection too!