The secret to making your gratitude practice more impactful

Not many people know this, but I actually lived in the US for a little while. Due to this, and the friends I made there, I was fortunate enough to experience two American Thanksgivings, a decade apart.

Whilst the origin of this Holiday is problematic, to say the least, what I took from the experience was the way in which Thanksgiving reconnected family, friends and loved ones, and the overarching theme of gratitude.

As someone who tries to actively practise gratitude daily - and I actually posted about this on LinkedIn yesterday - I love how Thanksgiving seems to amplify the practice of gratitude: it’s a natural point in the calendar to pause and reflect.

Do you practice self-gratitude?

During my reflection this year, something occurred to me: how often am I displaying gratitude towards myself?

The answer? Almost never.

On a daily basis, I am mindfully grateful for the people in my life, food and shelter, and events that happen but I hardly, if ever, am mindfully grateful for myself.

I’ve spent years hating my body, yet it carries me where I want to go, enables me to experience the joy of dance and has been a vessel for all sorts of pleasure. These are definitely reasons to be thankful!

And even though I’ve been showing up for myself this year, learning to be my own best friend, I haven’t really acknowledged my progress. I'm more compassionate towards myself, and I have prioritised self-care but self-gratitude hadn't really occurred to me.

As an introvert, constantly receiving societal messages that I am strange, or lacking in some way, I’ve spent more time doubting myself than appreciating the unique qualities gifted to me by my introversion.

So, whilst I am sure most of us could benefit from practising self-gratitude, I think it's even more important for introverts; combined with affirmations it has the power to transform our mindsets and improve our wellbeing.

I am grateful for…

I've therefore been reflecting upon what, specifically, my I am grateful for in relation to my introversion and I'm going to share what I've thought of so far with you - maybe you can relate?

I'm grateful for (and listing the typical qualities introverts have in bold):

Listening

My ability to listen deeply, with empathy, and my skill in combining that with my intuition to be able to fully understand what is going on below the surface for others, and how I can best help them. This enables me to make a meaningful impact in my coaching and facilitation.?

Being quiet

Being naturally quiet, which enables others to open up to me. I also excel in one-on-one situations, and this means I can bring out the best in others.

Creativity and critical thinking

How creative I am, and how quiet time - whether that be in the shower, walking in nature or even completing chores - facilitates an outpouring of ideas. Now that I am finally learning to take imperfect action, I know I am going to have a lot of fun bringing my ideas to life! My ability to problem-solve and innovate has also helped me to successfully navigate some very sticky situations.

Being independent

That I am incredibly comfortable with my own company. This makes me unstoppable: I travel the globe freely, and never miss out on doing anything I want to do because I don’t need anyone to go with me. I’m so comfortable that I’ll actually now choose my own company over the company of those whose company won’t enhance the experience (if I’m spending time with you then you’re special ??); there is nothing I don’t enjoy doing alone. Heck, I even took myself to the Maldives one NYE and was the only person on the whole island not on Honeymoon or a special, romantic, holiday! I’m completely independent, in every area of my life, and that’s both liberating and a reason to be proud of myself.

Autonomous, analytical and disciplined

Whilst I may not be the world’s best team player, my preference for working alone means I am often substantially more productive than others, because once I am focused I go DEEP! I’ve also developed a broad range of skills (I love nothing better than figuring out the solution to a problem) and innovate easily. I self-motivate, and when given autonomy I am driven, focused and detail-oriented.?

Command of prose

My preference for writing over speaking, along with my life-long love of reading, has enabled me to hone my written communication skills.?This has helped me to more easily create content that resonates with others, as well as enabled me to add value in previous workplaces (I've been the unofficial copywriter and proofreader at numerous workplaces!) and help friends and family enhance their own written communication skills.

My challenge to you

If you aren't already practising self-gratitude, my challenge to you is to find some time over the next week - this could be time where you would usually journal - to try self-gratitude practice.

This may feel awkward, or uncomfortable, at first but that's okay! This is entirely normal. It's also a sign of growth ??

Take a piece of paper, or fresh journal page, and start by listing, or mind-mapping, qualities about yourself: physical, mental, skills and/ or competencies. Then aim to develop them so they're as specific as possible, as I have above.

Alternatively, if you are already listing 3-5 things you are grateful for each morning, or evening, aim to make 1-2 of these self-gratitude items.

Like many aspects of mindset work, it's a muscle that you need to keep flexing to make stronger!

Let me know in the comments if 1) you are already practising self-gratitude and, if so, what the impact has been or 2) you are taking up my challenge, and how you find it!

Black Friday Offer!

Continuing with the Thanksgiving theme, I have a Black Friday offer. I'm running an online workshop on 15th December and am providing a 50% discount on tickets for those who book before 1st December 2022! Book your tickets here .

I am also opening up two new coaching slots; I do very little coaching, as my coachees receive a lot of time and investment from me as part of their packages. These packages aren't being discounted out of respect for my current clients, and because they are fairly priced for maximum value, but spaces don't become available often, so DM me if you would like to register your interest.

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About Me

I help introverts develop authentic confidence, through coaching, training and digital products, so that they can thrive without having to change who they are, and companies through training, coaching and consultancy, to address the workplace bias towards extroversion.

Through developing my own authentic confidence I have been able to build a life on my terms, working part-time for full-time income, travel solo around the world, work with companies like Google and speak, with confidence, to entire auditoriums. I've already helped thousands of individuals, across 169 countries globally, to develop confidence and communication skills, as well as manage Imposter Syndrome and limiting beliefs. Helping others feel enough is my passion.

If you are an introvert looking to feel more confident, set boundaries to help you balance your time and be able to understand, and communicate, your value to others; a leader looking to better support your introverted talent; or a company committed to achieving intersectional equity and inclusion, DM me or?visit my website , to find out more about how I can help you.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to my email list for additional updates and inspiration; I periodically send out free tools and resources to my email subscribers to help with their transformation. Sign up?here .