34 Gratitudes for my 34th Year

Somewhere along the way, the idea of a gratitude practice became part of my daily routine. In my habit tracker app, I have a check box for "Spontaneous Gratitude" which is meant to bring presence and awareness to the little joys of life. Unlike a 5-minute journal or other structured gratitude practices, I wanted to catch life in the moment, recognize it and appreciate it in the moment. Timing the subway perfectly, a stranger holding the door, a compliment from a passerby, an old memory of a lost loved one coming to me at the perfect time -- for each of these, stop and smell the roses (and check the box). Thus far in 2022 I have had great months where I get 87% of the days and other months where it's as a low as 56%. I think this spontaneous gratitude has an impact on my well-being and today on my birthday I put together a quick brainstorm to open the appreciation floodgates. This installment is for me, but maybe you have something to be grateful for today as well.

34 Gratitudes for my 34th Birthday

1. The support and partnership?from my wife Jessica Woodson, Au. D. over last 10+ years growing up together.
2. My daughter’s belly laughs, constant smiles and …thankfully long sleeps.
3. 7am dance parties each morning with said daughter who wakes up ready to party every day.?
4. The new ability to connect with other parents that I now have.
5. My parents who set the bedrock of my family-first approach to life.?
6. My siblings who learned the same lesson and reciprocate the effort to keep us cohesive.?
7. My many friends from all walks of life that I can share unique experiences with.
8. My partners from whom I get inspiration and grit each week.
9. The support of my team and the friendship that isn't always the case with coworkers.
10. The openness of teammates to share their struggles which builds a deeper trust amongst us.
11. The leveling-up of the team which affords me the time to expand my own reach.
12. My health and knowing to prioritize it more each year as it becomes harder to maintain.
13. The early morning serenity I have each day before the city comes alive.?Gym, Sauna, Breathwork, Dirty Diapers all before sunrise.
14. The book club?I launch with a friend a year ago that just had another successful meeting and structures meaningful non-work related conversation into my life.
15. Traveling this beautiful country in 2022 to places like Sedona for MTB and Zion for epic hiking.
16. Glad to be born in USA where it is still the land of opportunity.?
17. Gratitude inception…grateful that I have a gratitude practice.
18. Podcasts and books?that expose me to new areas of expertise.
19. Diversity of the people I work with who expose me to new ideas and ways to approach many situations.?
20. The healing power of a breathwork practice and my learned ability to regulate myself.
21. Sushi. Steak and a perfect Manhattan, UP.
22. The maturity of knowing when not to have that Manhattan.
23. The silver lining in a difficult/down market provides a learning opportunity in my business.?
24. The curiosity to want to solve new problems.
25. My growing professional network and the young people that reach out for advice, trusting in my guidance.
26. The return of normalcy in NYC after COVID.
27. Moving to my 4th different NYC neighborhood during my NY residency, love learning new streets and eats.
28. The return to office and the vibrancy of in person human interaction each day.
29. The apology from a client from a situation was previously losing sleep over.
30. All the successful transactions in a business where conversion attempts take months/years of effort and often fail.
31. The co-worker from a completely different office who reached out to me to be my mentor, coming from a place of selfless giving (thx SS).
32. More outlets for writing down my thoughts which helps me think more clearly
33. The Buddhist shrine in my office I inherited from a mentor and friend that acts as a reminder of his wisdom.
34. Mental health because last year at this time I was still processing the loss of a close friend and partner. It’s one of those things you don’t realize your in it until your out of it.?

34 and ready for more!