Do you ever feel stuck?
I don’t know about you, but I like to get myself good and mired sometimes, totally paralyzed by fear, imaginary problems, inflated anger or deflated ego.
I’m happy to report that I’ve finally stumbled upon a cure: Gratitude.
Whenever we act from a scarcity mindset — as though creativity, productivity, and love are somehow limited — we get stingy. We get ungrateful. And then we promptly get stuck.
Stuck means not knowing what to do next, or why. You can feel stuck whether you’re drowning in an abundance of dreams or starving for lack of them. It comes from a lack of trust that the universe will provide you with what you need.
When you focus on what the universe has already given you, that mistrust wanes. You realize you’ve always been taken care of. You realize you will continue to be.
The Magic of the List
An easy way to cultivate gratitude is to keep a Gratitude List in your journal. The list is a simple way to appreciate the gifts you’ve been given. You can put anything in the world that you’re grateful for on that list — big or small. Puppies, your sister, chocolate ice cream, seat belts, Saturdays.
Add items as you think of them throughout the week. See if you begin to feel a sense of movement, of abundance.
Yesterday I was reading an old journal entry. I had just suffered a nasty break to my leg and the physical therapist told me I’d likely never run again. (People should know better than to tell me what I can’t do.) I missed running — it was my therapy. At the time, all I ached for was two good legs and three miles of road.
Yesterday I realized, “Hey – I’ve got that.” And on the Gratitude List it went. Already I can feel myself loosening up, the sense of flow returning.
Try this at home. Let me know what happens.
