How to Begin Creating Lasting Positive Change

How are you caring for yourself today?

Did this question make you stop and think about yourself for a change? Most of us tend to put others before ourselves (our boss, our children, our partner or our spouse). But what about you? What you are doing today to care for yourself? If you can’t think of one thing, then it’s definitely time to reexamine your life and your habits. It is not wrong to think of yourself first. In fact, it is healthy to think of yourself first.

Creating positive change in your life doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, dedication, and perseverance to determine the best path forward. Below is one practice, if relied on consistently, can transform your mindset and life.

Find gratitude for three things every day.

There are many positive benefits of implementing a consistent gratitude practice into each day.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the benefits of a daily gratitude practice can improve sleep, mood, and immunity. Being thankful can also decrease depression, anxiety, chronic pain, and risk of disease.

With such obvious amazing benefits, it’s hard to believe that so many do not make this practice an important part of their day.

This does not have to be a complicated practice, or one that you dread. This will become a more natural practice after you’ve been doing it for a while.

It doesn’t matter what time of day you find time to be thankful. Instead, find a time that works best for you and then focus on consistency. Your time might be first thing in the morning. Or for someone else, it might be right before going to sleep at night. Others might want to identify three things they’re thankful for during their lunch hour or when their children are taking a nap.

The things you find you are grateful for are often the simplest gifts life offers (and rarely material items). It might be someone who made you smile, or held a door open for you, or slowed down so you could merge into their lane. It might be your first sip of coffee in the morning, or a beautiful sunrise, or a hug from a friend, or a great review from your boss. It might be your past experiences for they helped you grow into who you are today. Everyone’s list is different, but equally as important and valuable to their mental health.

If you don’t want to keep a journal or notebook, then there are other ways to practice gratitude.

Keep a gratitude jar. Every day, write down three things you’re grateful for on a slip of paper and drop it into the jar. Whenever you need a boost, choose a paper from the jar and read it.

Find a memento and keep it with you every day. It might be a bracelet or necklace or a tiny rock in your pocket. When you touch it, silently say three things you are grateful for.

No matter which practice you choose, make it your own and then believe in its power to slowly transform your life and attitude. As Mary Davis once said, “The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.” Are you ready to see more beauty?

Now I have one more ask of you today. Repeat this phrase three times either out loud or to yourself:

I have a blessed life.

Pay attention to how this makes you feel after you repeat it three times. It will bring you peace and the knowledge that life brings you exactly what you need … exactly when you need it.

Vicky DeCoster is a Certified Life Coach based in Omaha, Nebraska, who specializes in helping her clients both locally and nationwide to move past obstacles, create a plan for happiness, and cross the bridge of transition to find a new and fulfilling direction in life. To read more about her and her practice, visit her at crossthebridgecoaching.com.

Replacing Fear with Gratitude

Fear is one of those emotions that lurks in the shadows, just waiting to make itself known, especially during uncertain times. Unfortunately, fear is a powerful emotion with the potential to be unrelenting and all-consuming. Sometimes it may seem like fear is like a heavy curtain that covers the window to hope and possibilities. But what if there was a way to replace this all-consuming emotion with another one that helps us move our thought processes in a more positive direction?

What if we could replace fear with gratitude?

Replacing fear with gratitude is a practice that takes immense self-control and a willingness to let go of old behaviors. Plutarch once said, “What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.” What are you willing to change internally to implement this practice into every day and ultimately transform your reality?

Let’s pretend for a minute that you are feeling fearful about the current state of the economy, the health of your family, or your job. As a result, you may have a variety of thoughts dancing in and out of your mind—all that imagine the future with a negative outcome. When your mind begins to fill itself with these thoughts, whether you like it or not, you hold the power to transform those thoughts into moments of gratitude.

Stop and contemplate what you have, not what you don’t have. Do you have clean water? A warm bed? Some food in the cupboards? A friend to call? Someone who still believes in you despite all your silly mistakes? Do you have a talent that keeps you going during tough times like creating beautiful art?

Once you think of three things you currently have in your life that you are grateful for, write them down. These things don’t have to be complicated or material. They are simple gifts that you have taken for granted—until now. Now look at the list. Breathe in and out, slowly. You are grateful. You are alive. You are part of humanity. You are part of this big, complicated world that is sometimes challenging. Most importantly, you are the one who chooses how you want to be and how you want to move forward.

The Roman philosopher Senaca said, “Count each day as a separate life.” In following his wise advice, you can:

Be a friend to yourself and others.

Be a helper.

Be an inspiration.

Be a light in the world.

And above all …

Be grateful.

When counting every moment of this day as a separate gift that holds possibilities of a better tomorrow, we can replace fear with gratitude and, in turn, create a new beginning with every sunrise.

We will get through this together.

To learn more about the practice of gratitude, I invite you to watch this inspiring video.

Vicky DeCoster is a Certified Life Coach based in Omaha, Nebraska, who specializes in helping her clients both locally and nationwide to move past obstacles, create a plan for happiness, and cross the bridge of transition to find a new and fulfilling direction in life. To read more about her and her practice, visit her at crossthebridgecoaching.com.