Gratitude is my Attitude!

Picture taken while expressing gratitude towards the opportunity to experience God’s Beauty, over morning coffee, with my dear husband, on our boat. Felt like magic 🙂 What a Magnificent Sunrise!

One fundamental rule I’ve acquired while working with Sheri Lynn is that two things can not occupy the same space.  I often use this reference in terms of food, however; it also applies to thought.   If we are grateful for our body, we will dissolve judgment and negativity towards it.

By filling that one space with gratitude, we would push out judgment, guilt, negativity, loneliness, sadness, anger, resentment and impatience.  All of those thoughts lead to stress, anxiety and depression.   If these thoughts are gone, what else disappears?  Could it be so easy to remove thoughts of shame, guilt, negativity, judgment and loneliness, simply by choosing to BE….grateful?

Let’s experiment:   One space, two thoughts, we choose which thought wins:

Thought #1 –  My thighs and gut are so fat, I am so upset with myself, once again I failed and didn’t journal my food, I ate sugar, ugghhh – I just can’t gain control of my life.  My coach probably wants to fire me, I’m probably the only one that can’t do what she asks of me.  I suck at self care, I don’t even feel like exercising in public, I’m so ashamed of my body.    

Effects of these thoughts = guilt, resentment, judgment, shame, comparison, loneliness…all leading to stress. Sometimes followed up with quitting on self-care.

Thought#2  I am grateful for this remarkable gift, my body.  This body allows me to show up and help others, it allows me to exercise and move in a fashion that makes me feel good, this body changes as I feed it differently, this body sends me signs and signals like an ache, pain, allergies, fat storage, high blood pressure and fatigue when I’m not making choices to support it’s highest potential.  I am in awe of this powerful machine and incredibly grateful for all is does for me.   Even when I treat it poorly, it gives me a sign to change course and is so forgiving of my actions, it never judges, it simply sends me signs to change my choices.  I love taking care of this remarkable body, what an honor!

Effects of these thoughts = happiness, joy, ease and grace 

IF, we choose to fill the space between our ears with thought number 2, not any single little PART of thought number 1 can encroach on that space.

Try this technique with coworkers, spouses, children, family and friends.

When you contain gratitude for a coworker, it’s impossible to judge them, compete with them or be jealous of them.  How would your workday change if you were  filled with gratitude for a colleague verse negativity, annoyance or jealousy?   If you typically  jump to conclusion or negativity when working with a particular colleague, you cut off opportunity and possibility to create and work as a team.  You put yourself into a box of judgment rather than thinking outside of the box with possibility.  Being filled with gratitude for your boss or coworker opens yourself up to possibility.  You begin to operate from a place of abundance vs. lack.

When you exude gratitude for your spouse, it’s impossible to be upset with their behavior or resent them for “not doing as much as you do”.  How do you know this anyhow?  Are you with them all day?  When you are grateful for your husband being an amazing father, grateful for him getting up early each day and doing his best to contribute to your family’s basic needs, grateful for his ability to make you laugh, especially when you’re trying to be stubborn about something.  Getting grateful for these qualities will allow you to accept him or her for who they BE.   It opens you up to be filled with love, compassion and acceptance when you’re grateful.  You can’t get upset about dirty laundry on the floor when you’re full of love and gratitude for the funny, loving, hard-working guy you married.

Anytime you choose to BE grateful, you also choose to let go of stress, the illusion of control, anxiety and depression.  We choose who we be, every second of every minute, every day.  Choose gratitude and notice how your world becomes brighter, happier, easier and enables you to be more of you.

Happy Thanksgiving, I am SO GRATEFUL for each and every one of YOU! 🙂

Katie Surjan

Genesis Transformation Coach

katie@genesistransformation.com