How can gratitude, attitude, and service help us when we stumble to get up, shake it off, and move forward?

I recently supported a community event serving veterans and first responders. As a volunteer coordinator for a couple hundred folks, there were lots of moving parts, coordination, communication, and deadlines. Overall, volunteers and participants had a great experience. Yay! So how come I felt exhausted, disconnected, and was self-critical afterwards?

I realized I’d let my inner critic slip into perfectionism mode and run amuck. Leading me to ruminate on my mistakes and beat myself up for not knowing all I needed to. I’d forgotten to implement the mindfulness tools and gratitude practices that shifts our brains from a scarcity perspective to one of abundance. 

After the event, I received a message from someone I respect that said, “take some time to look at the experience with joy…it is an intense job, and at the end it got done, the sun was shining, people needed this…and you were part of giving that to them.” 

His comments reminded me when we find ourselves going down a negative rabbit hole, because our brains are wired to look for the negative (and mistakes will happen), we have an opportunity to refocus, reset, restart, and move forward as many times as we need! 

I was then able to shift my perspective and attitude to refocus on the present. I read peoples comments, connected to their experiences, and enjoyed their pictures/stories. I felt such joy and the gratitude welled up!!

Research shows gratitude helps us feel more positive, remember good experiences, handle adversity, and build closer connections. Gratitude helps us see beyond ourselves because we can help each other grow and learn. Gratitude even changes our attitude. As gratitude becomes a habit, it will become our primary way of being. The more we radiate positive energy, the more we attract positive experiences in our life.

Similarly, being of genuine service creates a ripple effect when aligned with who we are because it shapes our positive choices and intentions; thus, helping to create more positive experiences and opportunities for us, others and our community.

PositivePsychology.com shares several excellent tips to practice bringing more gratitude into your life: Keep a gratitude journal. Do random acts of gratitude. Every time you catch yourself dwelling on something negative, remind yourself of 1-2 things you're grateful for. Send a thank you note. Meditate. Practice mindfulness to gain awareness of your negative thoughts and feelings to see they are not necessarily accurate (giving us freedom to respond differently in the future).

Life won’t always be smooth sailing. When we choose to practice mindfulness and reframing, over time, it enables us to learn, grow, and trust in the process…so we can get back up, tinker/adjust, be present and move forward again from a positive mindset.

Now when I think of the event, I am so grateful to all the hundreds of volunteers, sponsors, and participants. I feel in my heart the impact we will make in the lives of veterans and first responders.

How can you get back up, recenter, begin again, and continue to move forward from a place of abundance? Practice gratitude, attitude and being of service. It will help to rewire your brain from looking for the negative to seeking out the positive.

What are you grateful for?

(Original Article: Gig Harbor Living Local Magazine, November 2021, page 24)