The other day I managed to lock myself out of the house. Did that ever happen to you? I had just come back from holiday and I was talking with a colleague on a planned video call. I had been expecting a furniture delivery but it wasn’t scheduled until later. Of course on this occasion my furniture arrived EARLY – and sure enough I had to get some cash from the bank around the corner for the delivery fee. I came back into the building, and when I got back to my front door I realised that I had left my other key on the other side of the door and therefore I had locked myself out! What to do?! – Time was I would have panicked and stressed out, giving myself a hard time about how foolish I had been. Fortunately for me this problem was easily solved as my upstairs neighbour was home and could help me connect with the landlord. Everything was sorted out super fast, and I got back home easily. What a relief!!. Yes, I had spent a few hours hanging around waiting but globally I felt extremely lucky, it was so easy and straightforward to solve it, and I was feeling grateful…..
Grateful for all the people who dropped everything so I could get back in to my home, grateful that I could get into the building so I was warm and dry, grateful that I have somewhere nice to live, that I can pay my rent, that Id had a super holiday, that I was feeling calm, healthy, alive – the list is long once you get started!. I wasn’t remotely bothered about the time I had lost that day – I was so grateful to be home again. Yes I had to reschedule my call but the other person was understanding once I told them what had happened.
What I m noticing is that once I take time to feel grateful all those other voices – the ‘inner critic ’ voices – I am sure I am not the only one that has them – don’t need to be heard so much – I am so busy feeling grateful that they go a way of their own accord – how marvelous is that!!
And as a follow up to this little story, This morning, on my way to my office, I realised that perhaps I had gotten out of bed the wrong side as I wasn’t in a particularly good mood, and I had just missed my bus – there wasn’t another one in ages, darn it!! So I decided to walk – it was a beautiful sunny morning –a bit cold but the exercise was good. I realised that it was time to start practicing what I am on about – Get grateful! Its a practice – which means that sometimes gratitude is not spontaneous when you start -its like showing the mind the groves in the track s look over here – GRATITUDE – you know you feel great when you feel grateful –
What am I grateful for today? – well actually this walk, being out in the sunshine on this cold day is pretty good to start with, I am fit and healthy and I love walking . Its Friday today and I have some nice plans for the weekend, starting this evening , and then the mind takes over finding more and more things I feel grateful for. By the time I got to my office I was in a great mood and ready for a full day ahead of me.
What are you feeling grateful for today?
Please Share in the comments below
Here are some tips to get you started:
- Start paying attention to your triggers. Get curious about them, as if you are an investigative journalist trying to make sense of the situation.
- Keep a trigger journal and reflect on the situation. You might discover what is causing it. It will get you pretty far just by noticing what is triggering you and how you are reacting.
- When you catch it in the moment, try and bring yourself really present. You can start by noticing things like:
- Your feet on the ground
- The sounds around you
- The points of your body that are in contact with the ground or another part of the body
- Your breathing
and to be aware of whatever bodily sensations you are experiencing.
- Feel your own sense of being a person who is bigger than this thing that is triggering you – it is a part of you that is triggered – you are so much bigger than that!
- And be kind to yourself for having to deal with this challenging situation.
I’d love to speak with business leaders who are seeking support and insight into keeping their emotional reactions focused. If you are seeking some 1-2-1 coaching, please get in contact. I’d love to chat with you!
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