The word gratitude is being thrown around a lot these days…and frankly, that makes me pretty happy.

Being in gratitude is the best solution to readjust your attitude when you’re feeling down, sorry for yourself, angry or even fearful. Making a gratitude list puts you in the vibration or field of abundance. It brings more things to be grateful for into your life by the law of attraction. The more you think about being grateful, the more your subconscious and the Universe think you want to be grateful and they bring it on! (Think of it this way. You’re at a party and meet two different people – one is angry and one is happy. Who would you rather spend time with?) And, you can’t be angry and be in gratitude. You can’t be sad, if you’re thinking about how nice it is to have such a good friend, a great partner or a loving pet.

We have become a society of ‘what’s next” and lose sight of where we are today, right now, this minute. Take a moment to reflect on that. Where are you right now? Are you in any immediate danger, this moment? Is anything really terrible happening to you right now? Snap your fingers and say “this moment.” Snap again, “this moment.” Keep going. The moments go by and each moment you realize you are here, and safe and really, just fine.
Are you thinking about the future? That means you’re not being present right here, right now, enjoying this moment of being alive. Because if you were, the future wouldn’t be the future, now would it? I’m not trying to pull an Abbott and Costello “Who’s on First” on you; I’m trying to make the point that if you are present, you will spend less time worrying about the future. Simple. Right? Simple, but it can be difficult if we don’t exercise that tool regularly.

What can you do about the future in this very moment? Not a heck of a lot. What does worrying about the future accomplish, besides high cortisol levels, anxiety and fast breathing? Most fears are completely unfounded, made up fantasies about worse case scenarios. You will waste SO much less energy staying present.

Instead of worrying about the future, or obsessively thinking about the past (which we all do at least from time to time), use the quick Gratitude Check to get you to ride out those other two negative and energy-wasting options of the past or future.

Now, I’m not telling you to stuff your feelings down. Acknowledge your feelings. But also know, they are just feelings (more on that in later posts.) And you are the one in control of them. Not the other way around.
The Gratitude Check is simple. Wherever you are, simply begin thinking or writing about every tiny thing you are grateful for. It can be your new fuzzy socks, the leaves changing colors, the meal you have in your belly. Keep it going as long as you possibly can. Watch a little smile spread across your face, feel your breathing slow and feel the sense of contentment win over the anxiety previously writhing within.

And here’s the best part: The more you focus on gratitude, the more you will have to be grateful for. There’s a phrase we use in coaching, “Fake it til you make it!” – Basically, even if you don’t feeeeelllll the gratitude, pretend you do – and you’ll start. Try to feel grateful for the most microscopic thing. Keep it going. Eventually, it will become your default tendency, instead of the thoughts about the past or worries about the future. The more you are present, and grateful…the happier you will be. Simple, right?

Practice. Trust me.