Team HopeThis is Thursday, Attitude of Gratitude day. Anyone who listens regularly knows how passionate I am about gratitude. Today we have the pleasure and privilege to host Heather Vickery who has taken gratitude and gone in a new direction.
Heather is a Success Coach and the host of a podcast,The Brave Files. Each week she interviews people from varied backgrounds about the bravery they have shown in their lives. It can come in the form of a first responder on the day of 9/11, or someone who is sitting with their child who has cancer, or being a surrogate mother for someone who can;’t have children.
“When we know that we can turn our fear and leverage it into intentional bravery, we can choose bigger, our success is grander and it’s contagious. I use this idea with my clients who come to be coached to success. Usually they don’t recognize their fears when they begin. I ask them: What do you want? What does it look like? And why don’t you have that picture of success yet? That is where we get to uncover their fears. From there we disprove them and make a plan.
Heather has published a book on gratitude geared to children, a Daily Gratitude Journal geared to adults, which is a 180 day guided journal to expressing gratitude.
“I want to see families setting aside time for conversation and reflection. Every parent wants to have real conversation with their kids. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out how and when and exactly what to do. The book I wrote gives a platform, and tell you how to go about it. What went well todayz/ Why did it go well? What are you grateful for? What quiet pleasure are you grateful for today? It brings the gratitude to the consciousness, so they can be aware of it. It teaches children that they have some measure of control of their happiness, to be able to calm themselves, and to alleviate stress and anxiety.
In her book Heather proposes: “Imagine if you will, a generation of adults who have been taught to experience gratitude and gratefulness in their ordinary lives. An entire generation of adults that take the time to notice the beauty and gifts that are naturally their even when things are difficult. Can you envision a generation of adults that freely and joyfully express their gratitude for others. Imagine how this would impact communities, world views, families and overall happiness. This is what I call upon you today to build a more grateful and connected world and we can start today.”
The uniqueness of Heather’s approach is to bring it into the home and build it up from the children. Raising a generation of people who will naturally look at life with an eye of appreciation for what they have and to deal with what they are challenged with.
Although gratitude does attract happiness, Heather believes that if you stop there, one misses out on so much more. It will teach us how to be grateful even for the difficulties that we face. Everyone has a choice how to react to their lives and where to put the focus.
“It doesn’t mean that you won’t feel bad or things aren’t going to be hard. These things happen and its okay to take a moment and honor the feelings you are experiencing. Learn from them, but then make the choice to focus on the positive. Feel your feelings and acknowledge them, but don’t wallow in them. Make space for what’s not working and then make space for the gratitude.”
Heather has a Facebook group, a launch team which will turn into Grow Grateful Gratitude Group where stories will be shared and support given.
She believes that we can prevent crises when we practice gratitude and we can gift this to our children.
There’s nothing to lose – you can only gain. Get the journal , start practicing and bring it home to your family.
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