Attitude of Gratitude

Tough day today. Difficult meetings, traffic and tight schedule. Still I know I lead a very charmed life.

One of my friends Nate Collier had a great post on gratitude. Nathan and I share similar views and interests on many things. Part of his post is:

In whatever situation you find yourself, an “attitude of gratitude” and the “habit of happiness” will serve you in good stead. You would be worse off without them! Your energy levels would be lower, fewer opportunities would open up, and those around you would wish they weren’t.
We are NOT talking about walking around with your head in the clouds, totally divorced from reality. We are NOT talking about forgetting to do the hard work of preparation. We ARE talking about being open, flexible, and adaptable (”when one door closes, another door opens …”).

Your subconscious hears every word you say, attempts to conform to every belief you have. When you attempt “to pretend that you have abundance when you know you don’t,” your mind knows you are pretending and so…I’ve found it helps to start with whatever belief or visualization you are comfortable with, that you CAN believe (stretch it as far as you can but keep it reasonably real to you), and then move on from there.

I know that if I work out HARD for the next 6 months I will be able to lift at least 50% more than I can now. I also know that no amount of positive thinking will enable me to me to lift 50% more tomorrow. And I know that 6 months of hard workouts will probably go much better with a lot of positive visualization of successfully doing the last rep of each set, of focusing my thoughts on the benefits I’m working toward (and believing I will receive them). Putting a lot of emotional energy into “believing I will receive” the benefits I’m working toward helps me stay on track, disciplined, and focused.