I have found that cultivating an attitude of gratitude
results is one of the most profound ways I nourish myself on every level. It changes my mindset, my emotional responses, the way I feel physically and spiritually. When I am appreciative, life is seen and experienced through a very different lens.
The simple practice of keeping a gratitude journal, whereby one lists 10 items one is authentically grateful for each day can be transformative. If you aren’t inclined to write it down, share your list with a friend, or simply reflect upon what 10 items would make it on the list.
Another practice is to list the most positive influences in one’s life and ensure those who are on the list know the impact they’ve had.
Here are some of the most positive influences in my life to date, which I recommend to others:
- Nonviolent Communication – whom I first learned with Lynda Smith Cowan and subsequently with Miki and Inbal Kastan, John Kinyon, Marshall Rosenberg and Newt Bailey. I name these individuals as a way to honor their contributions. Learn more about Nonviolent Communication.
- The Weston A. Price Foundation, Sally Fallon Morell and the book Nourishing Traditions.
- The Hoffman Process facilitated by The Hoffman Institute
- The Nia Technique – whom I have learned mainly from Monica Welty Walker.
- My high school cross country and track and field coach, Jim Toomey, who introduced me to the books The World’s Greatest Salesman and Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
- The Bigger Game workshop I attended in 2005, which the Nourishing Our Children educational initiative was born out of.
What is on your list? What are you grateful for? Have you let those organizations and individuals know that they’ve had a positive influence?
Gratitude Journal
I invited and encourage you to keep a gratitude journal for one week, if you haven’t already and see how it nourishes you! Here is a Facebook community I am a part of The Attitude of Gratitude Project, that may inspire your expression of gratitiude.
Nourishing Ourselves 
Leave a Comment