Gratitude Challenge

Today is a wonderful day to initiate a ‘gratitude challenge.’ It’s a simple practice to execute that becomes habit very quickly. The habitual practice of reflexive gratitude you get from accepting this ‘challenge’ into your life is freedom from the restlessness associated with excess; namely overspending, a scarcity mentality, and discouragement.

This is accomplished simply by committing to a daily one minute exercise for even just a week or two, which will impart tangible improvements to your ability to live in the moment. That ability to live in the moment is like working a powerful core muscle: going through your day mindfully and present helps regulate your impulses, eliminating those emotionally charged decisions such as overspending and hoarding.

As a psychotherapist, this is a topic I could go on & on about, but let’s keep it simple for today: gratitude is an essential component of leading a leaner, more minimalist lifestyle! Furthermore, as Catholics, we know the effect of gratitude on our spiritual lives. It stands to reason that God instructs us to have grateful hearts, seeing how gratitude is beneficial for our lives in a myriad of ways!

The practice: For the next ten days, keep a notepad by your bed and jot down three things that made you smile that day.

Be free to keep it simple. Record moments like smiling as you picked up the phone for a friend or seeing a cute dog walk past your house. Very quickly, your mind will be attuned to to noticing those ‘smiles’ throughout the day- in real time.

It’s so much easier to confront your goals and commit to a simplified life when you are present to all those blank-and-you’ll-miss-them joys of ordinary days.

And this is just the beginning. Start your gratitude challenge today and see what it yields!