I am all in on gratitude and the idea of wanting to feel it as much as possible. Sometimes I feel like this week each year we are supposed to “flip the proverbial switch” and get into a blissful attitude of deep thanks, as if it’s somehow automated. With the hustle in most of our lives, this idea can seem a bit far reaching. The good news is that we can help ourselves out with a small dose of intention and action.
Did you know we cannot feel the full expression of gratitude available to us when our emotional and physical environments are filled with clutter? Yep, science backs up that “getting to gratitude” is challenged by the world around us. (By the way, that would be the world that we allow” around us, since we get to decide what we allow in our lives.)
So, as you move toward absolute gratitude, think about what you can eliminate… Whether it be the contents of the junk drawer or the high standards you have for yourself. There are no doubt a number of items that can be stripped out in order to free up your energy, heart and mind.
Some other ideas…
Declutter relationships. Are yours serving you well?
Declutter the fears and anxieties that keep you up at night. Name them and claim them “gone” from your mind and, if necessary, make an appointment with a counselor to deal with those that you can’t seem to release on your own. (I have found that especially helpful.)
Declutter the frustrations of the past. Decide to allow forgiveness to yourself or others …and move on.
Declutter bad habits. The extra dessert, hitting snooze too many times, not keeping the commitment you made to yourself to exercise even on cold days and nights…
I know I have a few areas to focus on. I am looking forward to freeing up my schedule a bit so I can think and be mindful of what really matters to me… the people I love and who God placed in my life.