Gratitude is the Light During Dark Times

Coming off the heels of a turbulent year, Winter 2020 was a dark time for a lot of us. I think it is important to honor this shared experience that all of us can relate to. For me, I was dealing with a lot. I had just left a long-term relationship, there were fears of my grandparents catching the virus, and it was one of the loneliest times in my life. I had never had such a long time to sit with my own thoughts and to think hard about where my life had led up to that moment.

It was a time of reflection, introspection, and oddly enough…...gratitude.

“Appreciate Everything, even the ordinary. Especially the ordinary.” - Pema Chodron

During that time I was reading Jay Shetty's 'Think Like a Monk'. I learned that monks practice daily gratitude as one of their central teachings. This had a big impact on me. I realized in my state of dark times that even in the worst of times there is so much to be thankful for!

From the shoes on my feet to the ability to draw on an expensive iPad I was starting to see how ungrateful I could be. I decided that I was to list three things every morning in order to foster more gratitude.

Here are 5 lessons doing this routine taught me and how it benefited my creativity.

(As well as what it could do for you!)

5 Lessons Taught By Gratitude

1. Grounded in the Moment

When you're present in gratitude you cannot be anywhere else. Of course, I'm guilty of this too, when I get lost in the future or stuck in the past my mind spins in the what-ifs and what could've been of life. Gratitude helps me to be hyper-present and realize that the only moment that exists is now.

2. Set the Tone

I am a morning gratitude person and that means that my day begins with gratitude. Beginning my day with gratitude sets the tone for the day, the week, and the month. It means knowing that however my day may go it always starts with gratitude in mind. Grateful for the good and the bad

3. Honor Your Life Experience

For me, gratitude is part of a bigger web of honoring my life and those people, events, and moments that have put me here.

Being grateful to those who have helped me along the way is a way to honor them and to show my gratitude for what they have done.

Sure, they may not know it or feel it in the cosmoverse but it helps me to know I'm honoring their work.

Plus it may be a bonus if they do know how grateful you are so sending them a text, it may be the crux to turn their day around.

4. Appreciate the Boring

Most of life is boring…and that's ok.

Post-college life was something that I was really excited about because it meant that I could finally be free to do all the exciting things I wanted to do. Spoiler alert.

It's not like that—most of life is mundane and slow.

That’s okay because that is where the work comes from, that’s when we’re doing deep work to advance our work or our vision.

Those mundane moments are worth some gratuity because it means there is no turbulence, no immediate needs.

It means I'm not struggling to put food on the table or shoes on my feet.

Next time you're feeling bad about a boring life, take some time and write down why that is actually good and appreciate the mundane.

5. It makes you a better creative

Yes, it does, and here is how…

Grounding myself in gratitude allows me to more clearly express my ideas.

It allows me to be more authentic with my work and to be able to express those ideas better.

If you're an illustrator or lettering artist "what am I grateful for" is a great prompt for sparking ideas.

Keep Yourself Accountable

If gratitude is something you're looking to explore, figure out a way to keep yourself accountable.

Here are 3 ideas you could implement:

Send your partner or best friend a text every morning saying three things you're thankful for…
Take a page from the YAMZ book and post on your story every morning.

For me this has been a way to express my gratitude for my audience and give a little insight into my life.
Keep a gratitude journal!

There are many journals you can buy, like the 5-minute Journal, that allows you to write down your gratitudes…

(Or you could just write them down in any journal.)

Whatever you do, make it easy and accessible.

Make it something you can reflect back on when you need it.

The daily, weekly, and lifelong practice of gratitude can have an immense impact on your life…

AND YOUR CREATIVITY.

Start small and grow it from there.

You never know when you will need gratitude and the gifts it can provide.

Salud,

YAMZ Aka…. Brayan

5 Reasons Why Gratitude is Your Best Creative Tool