Assist PT Coach Annette teaches the benefits of being grateful and how you can do it too.

For me, gratitude began as a practice that looked for all the things in life that made me feel happy, supported, appreciative or loved. Anything that served a purpose to make my life better. In 2012 I found myself at a two day workshop to help me become a better mindset coach. It was ran by one of Dr John Demartini’s facilitators and as part of learning the Demartini method, we worked on ourselves. What I did over those two days helped me clear some really deep traumatic times in my life that lead me down the path of self pity, sorrow and abusive behaviours. I looked into the events that had rocked my souls foundation to see how those experiences served me. Could I find gratitude in the things I had encountered that caused me great pain? What did they teach me about myself and about my life? How did it push me to where I am now and why? And why can I be grateful for that? The outcome of what I did over those two days was truly life changing, making me aware of why these things happened and how they were able to serve me. As painful as some of those moments from my past were, I considered myself incredibly lucky to have endured through them that shaped me into the person I am today.

From that moment, I viewed gratitude as a very powerful tool, not only for myself but for our clients too. Breathing, mindfulness and meditation are all great ways to help us become more grateful, especially if you work in a high stress role.

Practicing gratitude is a very powerful tool. Often we look at gratitude being something we express because of what surrounds us, people, things, circumstances, events, our environment, things we can do but how often do we express a deeper gratitude for ourselves, more than just the physical.

Am I grateful for me?

Being a personal trainer I’ve always been grateful for physical aspects of myself such as my health, the way my body functions and how my organs serve me, how I’m able to heal and recover, produce energy, lift weights, go for walks or run but it goes beyond that. Are we grateful for what we bring to the table, for who we actually are as a person? As you explore this thought, the good and the bad of what you bring to the table, you will no doubt come up with a list of traits that make you who you are, things about yourself that also challenge you to be a better person. Some things to consider:

• What are your good traits?
• What are your bad traits and what are those traits telling you to change?
• Write a list of 30 things you are grateful for about you
• Write a list of 30 things you can do to show appreciation toward yourself

Back in my 20’s I fell into some dark times where I really struggled to think of 3 things I could be grateful for. However, finding gratitude for yourself can be much easier than being grateful for your surroundings and becomes much easier to do when you take time to reflect on the qualities you display in situations that not only make you happy but also challenge you.

Here’s an example of a grateful list I prepared for myself. I am grateful for me because:

• My words and actions are driven by love
• I am genuine
• I help myself
• I look out for the needs of others
• I am respectful
• I’m a good listener and seeing how I can help others
• I’m a great teacher, coach and motivator
• I help people change their lives
• I treat people fairly
• I am passionate about health and wellness
• I am direct
• I am authentic
• I am a loving wife
• I am a mother and nurturer
• I facilitate growth
• When I don’t make things happen I take actions that keep me accountable
• I look for the lessons and learnings
• I laugh at myself
• I make people laugh
• I am in a constant state of learning
• I can manage my anxiety and mindset
• I am empathetic and compassionate
• I have a body that works toward healing itself
• I can look within for answers
• I am open to natural alternative therapies that have helped my health and wellness
• I work hard
• I built a successful business that’s driven by love and care for others
• I have a good set of lungs to help me breath and function
• I am wise
• Because I live in this life when I previously just allowed myself to exist in it.

Things I can do to show my appreciation of me:

• Keep my body hydrated with clean water
• Spend time in nature
• Go for a short walk
• Diffuse essential oils
• Burn a candle
• Clean my house
• Keep things tidy and in order
• Train
• Eat nourishing foods
• Stretch
• Meditate
• Practice gratitude
• Go to the beach
• Spend time with my family
• Do my hair
• Dress nicely
• Put on a little make up
• Get a pedi
• Spend time with friends
• Get a coffee, cacao or tea somewhere nice
• Allow myself time to do a creative hobby like making beaded jewellery again
• Write
• Visit a cafe for a nice meal
• Eat fresh organic produce
• Take time out to appreciate my achievements
• Breathe
• Affirm that I am good enough
• Allow myself to accept help
• Sit up tall/stand up tall
• Treat myself like my best friend

Sit down with those questions and write your own list now. We are very blessed to live in the Yarra Valley where we have so much to be grateful for, while still only being an hour drive from some amazing beaches. What can you come up with? If you would like to work with Annette, you can join her for one of her workshops available online and face to face.