Attitude of gratitude
As you may have heard, Hurricane Michael tore through Florida and then ran up the coast, leaving a path of destruction and power outages in its wake. Everything here was fine, though I had been caught unawares and didn't realize how dangerous the situation until the school system I work for let the high schoolers go early, which as you can imagine is rare and therefore got my attention. Thankfully, we did not suffer any damage to the house or any of our close family and friends. We did lose power for several hours, but to my delight, it cut off right as I was stepping out of the shower. Had it been any earlier, being on a well and electric water heater, well that would've been the end of that, no matter how much shampoo still foamed on my head. What could have been a stressful situation, turned into a fun chance to get out the candles and actually talk. This simple acknowledgment of luck shaped the way I viewed the power outage, and that is the core principle of the attitude of gratitude; perspective.
This past week I've been using this tool I picked up from another blogger, Tiffany Jenkins and it has helped me so much that I wanted to pass it along to others. First, let me start by saying Tiffany Jenkins runs a successful blog, Youtube channel, and has self-published her book High Achiever to rave reviews on Amazon.
I have found her hilarious, helpful, inspiring, and a great reminder that it's never too late and the obstacles are never too high. You can check out her blog here, Facebook page here, and Youtube channel here.
One of the many things that she has shared with her followers is called the attitude of gratitude. Now, you may have heard of this saying, but be unfamiliar with the technique as I was. Since learning about it from Tiffany, I have found this approach to stress one of the most useful things I've tried. Here's the trick:
When something causes you to stress, say out loud why you are grateful for that very thing.
Here are some examples from my past (chaotic) week:
When the power goes out:
“I am grateful I got to take a shower. I am grateful I have candles and bottled water. I am grateful my family is safe inside from the storm.”
When my toddler throws his dinner all over the place while screaming for his dad who is away on business:
"I am grateful I have a healthy son and can afford food to feed him. I am grateful my husband has a job."
When my toddler fights tooth and nail (again) to wear his dinosaur pajamas to school, which we are now late for:
"I am grateful I have a healthy son and can afford to buy him things he loves. I am grateful I can afford a school he and I both love."
When traffic slows me down on the way to work, and I look down and realize I'm on empty:
"I am grateful I have a job. I am grateful I have a car that works. I am grateful I have money to put gas in my car."
When I have a challenging class who struggle to follow directions to, from, and at lunch (again):
"I am grateful my students get a hot lunch in a safe place."
When I have a challenging class period:
"I am grateful I have a job where my students are safe. I am grateful for the people who help them and me. I am grateful for the students who are trying their best."
When I'm feeling like death and have to manage to be a working, single mom for the week who has to teach history with no voice:
"I am grateful I have a job. I am grateful I can afford to buy all of the cold medicine and cough drops I need without thinking twice."
When I got zero time to write anything because of the obligations at work and then taking care of my son while sick:
"I am grateful I have a passion for writing. I am grateful I have a job. I am grateful I have a son. I am grateful I have a partner who is supportive of me and takes care of the home when he can, so I can write."
I could go on, but I think you see where this is going. It's all about perspective. I know that sometimes when we are struggling, having someone point out it could be worse is literally the last thing you want to hear, but this is framing things in a different light. Focusing on what you have and choosing to celebrate the light far outweighs dwelling on the negative. On a related note, while at a training for work on Monday, I mentioned my favorite word and its definition much to the surprise of the table with which I was sitting.
Heliotropism he·li·ot·ro·pism noun: the directional growth of a plant in response to sunlight. The tendency of an animal to move toward light.
To quote one of the teachers, “Deep.”
I forget where I first heard it, but I'm pretty sure I was in college. It resonated with me then and still does. If I were to overcome my fear of commitment and get a tattoo, this word and the definition would be on the shortlist. If a plant can find the light, then surely we can too. Even in work, writing, and the hard road to publishing.
Onward towards the light!
Kathryn
