Gratitude Practice
It has been over 8 months since I started looking for job openings and sending my applications. There have been some interviews, some emails back and forth. However, professionally, I am exactly at the same place where I was 8 months ago. Nothing has changed.
Well, I have changed. I became more agitated, more anxious. I fidget and feel like I am losing my time. The journey hasn't been easy.
One thing that helps, though, is the practice of gratitude - counting my blessings. It is a powerful tool that has lifted me above the water line for the past 8 months.
Getting no emails for days – count my blessings
Staring at my empty calendar – count my blessings
No more phone calls or notifications – count my blessings
Receiving rejection emails – count my blessings
This is a powerful tool that can help shift our mindset in those moments when things get too much. It's an emotional intelligence hack that, when used regularly with yourself, can make a huge difference in your thinking patterns and actions.
In the past 8 months, I've still achieved many things:
- I am alive and breathing.
- I reconnected with long-lost friends.
- I completed over 20 online courses on multiple topics that boost my confidence, gaining knowledge in other fields, and I acquired a one-year subscription to LinkedIn.
- I managed to travel overseas for work a few times - thanks to my freelance gig as an outdoor facilitator.
- I'm as close to my family as ever.
- I am active with different volunteering projects at the moment.
Am I always happy and cheerful? No, maybe 50%.
Am I always sad and worried for the future? No, maybe 20%.
Where is my self-worth at the moment? Still here, it still exists. I know what my strengths and values are.
Where is my self-esteem at the moment? Still here, it still exists.
It's the power of Gratitude. There's no coincidence that gratitude rhymes with attitude. For those of us whose memory isn't the best, one way to remember to get back to gratitude is to check in with your attitude.
The next time you are feeling more negative than positive
The next time you see the glass as half-empty instead of half-full
The next time you think it can't get worse...
Practice one of these Gratitude Prompts from Wholehearted School Counseling.
And notice how your mindset shifts your attitude.
And your attitude shifts your behaviors.
And your behaviors shift your actions.
And you are back on track.
Pick one to take on right now.
And notice how better you feel within a minute of answering.