Every day I read something in one of my devotions about the art of #gratitude or the attitude of gratitude. And every day, I find at least 5 things in my life where I express how #grateful to have it in my life.
However, a few months back I had something come to me: Why is it that we can be grateful for all the things we have and can do, yet rarely do I hear people actually praise their bodies or themselves more specifically for things they have done or accomplished that day?
For example, in the past I found myself saying that I am grateful I have the physical ability to go and workout like I do. What I learned is that it was more challenging for me to say, "Wow, I did an amazing job doing those 150lb squats!"
So, I took on what I saw to be "hard."
I made a decision to create a "Praise" Journal. In this "praise" journal, I chose to write down at least 5 things I could praise myself for doing that day. It could be that I got myself out of bed. It may be that I drove the speed limit that day. At first, it did start out with things that made me giggle. The more I did it, however, the deeper I got.
I praised myself for creating positive thought processes over negative. I praised myself for choosing loving and supporting thoughts of others over judgement. I praised myself for accepting who I am, where I am, for what I am and for what I am not. I found that by keeping a praise journal, I was able to deepen my love for myself.
Once I took my practice to the next level with praising myself, I had people ask me what I had changed— because I was beaming! I smiled—I knew all I had changed was how I talk to myself. Now, each day I express gratitude for the things I have in my life—AND I express #praise for what I have done that day in my life.
Many of us, especially women, tend to be critical of our physical bodies. Every time we look in the mirror, we may say to ourselves, "I wish I was skinnier," "I wish I had a smaller this or a bigger that," and on and on. When we focus on these negative thoughts, those thoughts begin to run our lives. Rather, when we praise ourselves, we generate loving thoughts of each and every part of our body and our lives—which in turn, creates peace and love within. It also creates a confidence that attracts others.
What if you started your own daily gratitude #habit? Then you could turn it up a notch and add a praise #journal. You could even write gratitude on one side of the page and praise on the other. See what shifts begin to happen!
Change starts on the inside. You may amaze yourself.
With Gratitude,
Lindsey
#Resource I highly recommend the 5-Minute Journal. This comes in two options. A physical book you can order from Amazon or you can download the App for a small fee. It is worth every penny.