What are you grateful for? Gratitude is one of the most important keys to success and happiness. In her book The Charisma Myth , Olivia Fox Cabane talks about the importance of gratitude to have a positive presence and to project an energy that will make people want to partner up with you and be your friend.
“Gratitude puts you in touch with the things you already have and are happy with, resulting in a wave of confidence that smooths over many a furrowed brow.”
– Olivia Fox Cabane, Forbes.
In moments of turmoil or stress, it can be easy to lose focus about all the wonderful things around you, we sometimes tend to focus n the issues rather than on the opportunities that those issues can represent. Finding strengths in what others perceive as weaknesses (the premise of David and Goliath) and trying to flip adverse circumstances in our favor are some of the most powerful tricks to stay positive.
But why is gratitude so important, besides boosting your charisma? Dr. Robert Emmons explains in his book Thanks! that gratitude helps you put things in perspective, lessen your need for wanting more all the time, strengthen relationships and even improve your health. Watch a short video about his research on the benefits of gratitude here.
On the workbook of exercises for The Charisma Myth, you can find the following task:
For quick gratitude access, find three things you can approve of right now. Scan your body and your environment for little, tangible things you could be grateful for.
In the spirit of getting in touch with my most grateful self, here are some of the things I am grateful for:
- My dog is awesome and she has helped me get a new sense of responsibility towards nature and all living beings.
- I have an incredible husband that inspires me and who I would go anywhere with.
- Chocolate.
- I’m healthy.
- I live in a place where the photos above illustrate a winter day.
- I feel hopeful and excited about the future.
- When I started this blog, I wasn’t sure what kind of audience it was going to have, but as time goes by, I find smart and interesting people that read it and encourage me to work harder.
- I’m glad I didn’t chop my eyebrows off when I was 12 and insecure about looking like a hairy monster.
- Indian food.
- Roomba.
- Living in a very low crime city.
- The mountain behind our apartment.
- Today.
- My high-waist Levi’s cutoff shorts.
Some of these are not “little” or “tangible”, but they serve the same purpose.
The photos were taken in Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo, which is 15 minutes from where I live. Sundays was a wonderful sunny day in SLO and the dog beach was packed with hundreds of dogs. I ran barefoot and played with Mikey in the water, a great weekend indeed and I am grateful for it.