Gratitude

Have you ever heard someone described as a person who “couldn’t get out of their own way?”

Have you ever been described that way?

Self-sabotage often comes from a lack of gratitude.

Gratitude means being grateful. And it’s an emotion that’s extremely powerful, has many layers and levels, and must be practiced.

We’re certainly not born with the ability to experience gratitude. And as we navigate the many challenges of life, our ability to experience it will be dulled. We must take time – every day – to sharpen our gratitude muscles.

One of my coaches and mentors recently did a training on the 5 Levels of Gratitude. It was one of the most impactful trainings I’ve ever attended.

Here they are:

Level 1: No gratitude. You’re so stuck in negative thoughts that you can’t even recognize things you should be grateful for.

Level 2: Recognize and record things and people you’re grateful for. It helps to do this every day. I always carry a notebook with me so I can write down things I’m grateful for when they happen in real time … but you can also take mental notes and journal these at the end of the day. Getting in the habit of doing this will help prepare you for the next level …

Level 3: Gratitude for what’s coming. This is higher-level thinking. It’s the ability to experience gratitude in advance … to be grateful for something that hasn’t happened yet, but that you know is coming. There’s a quote that goes with this level of gratitude that I love: “If you can see it in your mind, you can hold it in your hand.”

Level 4: Appreciation for what we don’t prefer. It takes a long time and a lot of work to get to this point, but once you do, life becomes so much easier. Once you accept that the world is always working for you, you can be grateful when things “don’t work out” … because you know they always do. Any circumstances you don’t prefer are not “the end of the world” or “a disaster.” They’re simply a necessary step in the achievement of your greatest success and happiness.

Level 5: There’s no such thing as good or bad. There are no problems. To call something a problem is your choice. 

I could – and should – write a whole separate newsletter on Level 5 alone. In a nutshell, experiences have no meaning until we assign a meaning to them. We get to decide what that meaning is. The thoughts and beliefs we associate with that experience result in certain actions, which create a result.

Don’t like the results you’re getting? Reverse engineer them and figure out what thinking is causing them … and what beliefs created that thinking.

I love this stuff and could go on and on. But if you’re new to this kind of study, start with Level 2. Practice recognizing and recording people and things you’re grateful for … and do it every day.

In fact, I can help you get started right now. Reply back with one person or thing you’re grateful for … I’d love to hear about it.

Coach Aaron