Accessing the Power of Gratitude - a coaching article by Morris Berg

see clock for UK time (Adobe® Flash required)

article index

to print, email or share this page - use this "bookmark" widget >>>

Accessing the Power of Gratitude a coaching article edited by Morris Berg

Menu

Isn't it better to have gratitude
than
a GRRRRR! attitude?

Morris Berg

The Practice of Gratitude

The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been popular in personal growth circles for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery. It is also immensely valuable in times of change.

But while we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. So many of us are trained to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a platitude. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. We have to let gratitude become natural. And that can take some time.

That’s why practising gratitude makes so much sense. When we practise giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.

Various religious traditions have emphasized the act of blessing as a spiritual practice. And if we are not religious, we can adopt the habit of noticing and acknowledging what is good in our lives and around us.

Remember that gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope.

There are many things to be grateful for: colorful autumn leaves, legs that work, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm jackets, tomatoes, the ability to read, roses, our health, butterflies. What’s on your list?

Some Ways to Practise Gratitude

Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.

Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures.

Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine.

Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.

When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.

Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, express thanks for gratitude.

As you practise, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover a greater sense of contentment and a feeling of hope. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work.

When Gratitude Sticks In Your Craw

Okay. Some of you have read this far and thought, "No - this isn't for me. I can't - or I won't - go around being grateful. I wish these people would stop telling me what to do. What should I be grateful for? And who specifically should I be grateful to? What does it mean anyway?"

If any of those thoughts resonate with you, that's okay. It just means you have some unresolved issues - and they are probably making themselves known because certain aspects of your life just cannot seem to shift, or you are repeating the same stuck patterns over and over again. Does that make sense?

That's where your coach comes in.

Gratitude Coaching

Gratitude coaching with Morris Berg can begin by examining what gets in the way when you think of appreciating or being grateful. The thoughts or feelings that come up can be helped to shift through methods such as NLP, Emotional Freedom Techniques and affirmation work. Deeper unresolved issues may require longer work.

There are specific EFT procedures that have been devised to connect with our gratitude for the self-help techniques we use, for the procedures (such as EFT itself) that your coach or other helper is using, and for anything or anyone else in your life that you wish to acknowledge with gratitude. The EFT gratitude procedures - as well as other methods of connecting with gratitude - can help shifts to occur when something seems suck.

If you wish, Morris can help you craft spiritually-inspired blessings to suit different areas of life or to facilitate your appreciation of life, people and nature.

Contact Morris for an initial exploration if you are interested in developing your power of gratitude. The result can be a greater sense of happiness that could have an impact on various areas of your life, giving you greater confidence and helping you to achieve what you want. Those around you will be grateful too!

Author’s content used under license, © 2008 Claire Communications
Edited with additional content by Morris Berg © 2009

For more details of coaching by Morris Berg see the various sections of this website www.sensitivenlpcoach.com

This article is copyright © Morris Berg 2009 and must not be reproduced on-line, in print or by any other means without permission in writing.

email Morris at hspcoach@gmail.com
to print, email or share this page - use this "bookmark" widget >>>