“Gratitude”, it’s one of those major buzzwords that seems to be everywhere these days– I’d dare to say gratitude is the new meditation. What was once on the fringe of alternative wellness and woowoo is now hitting the mainstream as more and more supportive scientific evidence emerges. In my personal experience, a gratitude practice didn’t need much hard evidence to sell me. Once you start understanding the power of gratitude, you’ll never go back to any other way of being. I practice gratitude daily, and encourage my clients to do the same, but there’s something exciting about the change in season and our collective shift in focus towards gratitude during this time of year.
It’s a time of reflection, and I’ve been reflecting a lot on my journey and how excited I am about where this path has taken me.
Incredible people and experiences aside, some of what I’m most grateful for is what is completely intangible. It’s the stuff that’s really changed my life in every way imaginable–not just in my career. It’s what I’ve learned that I often find myself most appreciative of. Inspired by obligatory seasonal gratitude, I felt inspired to share what exactly it is that I’ve learned that has me feeling all the feels!
1. You have the power to heal
This idea is the single biggest game changer that I experienced in my own life as well as with clients. Our medical system is broken, I’m not sure I know anyone on the spectrum from mainstream to alternative health that would argue me on that. What I’ve learned, both personally and professionally, is that you don’t have to accept a broken methodology. YOU have the power to heal yourself, if you’re willing to do the work. I see so many people who don’t realize this and, because of it, have spent years either stagnant or working backwards in their path towards vitality. A feeling of powerlessness is the biggest obstacle in so many areas of life, not just health. The big secret is there is always power hiding somewhere.
2. We can’t be afraid to take ownership and responsibility
We operate in a system where we’re told to hand over everything to “experts”– from medicine to mechanics. What we often forget, is that we don’t have to hand over our ownership/responsibility with it. At some point we stopped trusting ourselves and put all of our eggs into the basket of complete strangers who we trust without question. What we forget is they’re humans too who, despite being experts in their field, shouldn’t just be blindly trusted because of it. We assume that they know best because they’ve been formally trained so we go against our gut instinct to question anything they say. I see this time and time again with clients, they’ve been told something is impossible when, in reality, their situation isn’t impossible at all. It’s just that the expert they’re consulting with on the matter, doesn’t have the right tools for the job. In health, it’s taught me to be trusting but also discerning at the same time. If someone doesn’t have the right tools to do the job, the answer isn’t to just accept a faulty method. I’d argue that medicine is one of the areas in which we are quickest to accept less than ideal methods. If you took your car to a mechanic and they didn’t have the tools to fix it, wouldn’t you find someone who did? We don’t do that when it comes to our bodies. Part of taking ownership is remembering that it’s our job, no one else’s, to find the right person with the right tools for the job.
3. Be relentless, step into the fear of healing
The first and second things listed here have taught me how to approach the third valuable bit of wisdom I’ve gained. Healing is scary and takes a relentless attitude. It’s also a constant process that doesn’t require perfection. Sometimes it feels like every time you figure out one thing, the next issue is dumped in your lap. If you want to heal, you can. However, it takes a certain relentlessness in order to keep moving forward, despite all these setbacks. You will succeed and you’ll also fail. Continuing to move forward despite failures is what creates real and lasting positive change. Doing something powerful, whether it’s healing yourself or putting yourself out there, requires a certain sense of risk and daring. This has been a lesson I’ve carried with me into everything from business to parenting. Stepping into fear often leads to transformations we never thought possible.
Lastly, one of the things I’m most grateful for is YOU! I wouldn’t have learned any of these things if my readers weren’t there to inspire me, challenge me, and fuel me to new heights. I’m honored to be able to do this work and have an audience to share it with. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and please know, I’m eternally grateful for each and every one of you!
