I am a huge fan of goal setting. No, really. I’m one of those crazy people who get excited at just the thought of setting goals.
And I always set monthly goals– just a handful of things I want to focus on accomplishing for the month. So imagine my surprise when November rolls around, and I have absolutely no ideas about what I want to do. Don’t get me wrong, I have some systems in place this to help me be more consistent this month in areas like health, blogging and Bible study. But those aren’t goals.
Check out this Facebook post from my friend Rachel Meyer. And that’s when I realized that I’m not working toward anything that’s scaring me.
After a couple of long walks and prayer, I came to the conclusion that I have a couple of major limiting beliefs that are holding me back from pushing myself to do scary things.
One of these is gratitude.
Don’t get me wrong. I try to be a thankful person. I even keep a gratitude journal that I write in every night, listing a few things I’m grateful for that happened that day.
But I’m also the one who grumbles about the weather.
Who complains when my 10-year-old SUV seems to have some issue every other month.
Who is aggravated when an unexpected bill arrives in the mail.
Who feels resentful when I can’t buy something small I want because we are on a budget.
Anyone else with me?
It is SO tempting to only see what we are lacking and to forget about what we already have.
And this attitude is like a rash. If I allow myself to think that way, I start to see everything through the lens of “why isn’t this better?”
So this month, I’m doing several things to help me cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
- Reading Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
- Completing the 14-day Power of Thankful reading plan on Youversion.
- Watching Tiffany Peterson’s Gratitude & Generosity webinar series.
- Listening to several podcasts on gratitude from speakers like Sally Clarkson, Brendon Burchard, and Brene Brown.
- Do four random acts of kindness.
I am five months pregnant and have a toddler at home, so these are good strategies for the season I’m in. But maybe you need something more hands-on like serving at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
So how do you keep a grateful attitude throughout the year? Share your thoughts and let us encourage each other. Like the Defeating Busy Facebook page to keep the conversation going and gain access to the helpful articles and videos I share.