Being grateful

  I would love to work part-time, or for myself…or for an organisation that I feel passionate about. I’m working toward this but meanwhile I work for a government organisation whose practices leave me with a strong sense of unease in my stomach and heart. Where managers and leaders are seemingly randomly promoted on the whim of some other manager whose motive is most likely securing their own position not enhancing the work of the organisation. Where accountability and transparency are espoused but not acted on in reality. It can get you down.

I have a good friend who works for the same organisation, but in a different area to me in the same building. We were talking earlier in the week about our jobs and how much it seems to be getting us down. We both agreed that we knew the limitations of the job and were working toward change so why were we both so down and discontent, negative even, when really we each have so much to be thankful for. My friend, like me, knows that negativity is toxic, that it sabotages action and advancement.

We decided to undertake an experiment in gratitude. Everyday we sent each other an email listing 3 things we were grateful for.

And it works! By the end of the week we were both so much more positive, more mellow and accepting, and feeling more content. We both noticed that in sending each other our little list of gratitudes our thought patterns turned to noticing things that we glad about instead of focusing on the things that were bothering us.

And it was lovely to read her list of things she is grateful for. My favourite was this one:

I’m grateful that I could feel the breeze on my face this morning.

It’s such a simple thing but since she wrote that I’ve become more aware of the breeze on my face as well…

                      …and I am also grateful to feel it!