Practice Gratitude
Happy New Year everyone!
Today's blog post will focus on gratitude as it is something that I've thought alot about over the past few months. Since practicing gratitude on a daily basis I have felt so much happier and motivated.
Do you ever find yourself feeling really dissatisfied in life sometimes? Feeling like you just aren't content or happy, even when you do reach your goal or something good happens? I had this recently and it made me wonder why I was so down. Sometimes it can get so crazy and busy in life that we start to take things for granted and forget to stop and reflect on the good things that are happening, because there is so much happening. I had this with opportunities in music. It began to get so busy that I started to worry about everything rather than appreciate everything. It is only when I watched a kurzgesagt video that I had a revelation as to why I was feeling so down. The video was called 'The antidote to dissatisfaction' and it impacted me in a very positive way. It explained why we often feel dissatisfied and says the antidote is indeed GRATITUDE.
I began to do an exercise everyday called 'practicing gratitude.' This was writing 5 things down in a book a day that you are thankful for. At the beginning I struggled to think of anything and wrote things like 'a good cup of tea' or 'I got to pet a dog in the street.' After writing these things I was amazed at how it did make me feel that I'd had a good day. Finding positives even in the most average days made me realise how important it is to practice gratitude on a daily basis. Doing this every day has made me more grateful for the little things and I began feeling gratitude towards opportunities again.
This was another day that I found myself feeling grateful! Who doesn't love pancakes!? Whilst doing this exercise I also realised how important it is to be kind to yourself too. I was so busy in work that I started to neglect my mental and physical health. Careers are so important but to do them well it is vital to rest and to have what my sister calls 'a chill day.' My sister has one day a week where she does NOTHING or she does a few odd things but has her own time. I actually wrote 'I had a me day' on my last gratitude list! If you are reading this thinking 'I am going to try this but I don't know if I can make time for myself in the week.' I'd encourage you to try, even just an hour, spending time with yourself and taking a break from work bits.
This is my dog Obi. He is always happy when he is around his family. Dogs are so loved and adored because they love and adore anyone. I always say to my friends and family that I'd love to have the same gratitude that a dog has!! They are happy and grateful for everything! After practicing gratitude for the past few months and having some time to myself, I have been so much happier. It has caused me to write even more songs too. I am sharing this post with you as I feel it has been a huge break for me personally and I hope it helps you even in a small way. Since being grateful for the little things, I have found myself in less of a slump and I have also been more productive.
Since I last wrote I have released another single. I have been asked back to many venues and festivals this year and it has been going very well. In honesty, without practicing gratitude I doubt I'd be very satisfied in my job. In a job where not only are you the boss but you have to entertain, it can be extremely and tiring. Hard work certainly does pay off. I am a firm believer in this. Although this is a great way to be, it is also great to rest and recover so that you can continue to be motivated, especially on the bad/quiet days. The last post I did in November actually addresses being content in the quite times of life. This links quite well as it is important to have gratitude in the quiet times also.
This week give this exercise a go and I promise it will help. It may be simple but I do believe that having gratitude is the key to being happier in life and appreciating the little things more. I hope this blog continues to encourage you and that you are loving my new single 'Since You Left.' I am so excited for this year and I hope to write more blog posts!!
- C