Appreciating what you have is the prequel to getting what you want.

Do you want to know the single most important habit to change your life for the better?

Do you want to feel more at ease about where you are and excited about what’s next?

Then this article is for you!

In 2007-08, I hit rock bottom in my life. Many self-help books I read at that time suggested a daily gratitude practice to improve your life.

I tried writing out lists of what I was thankful for a few times, but the act of writing felt forced and it seemed like I was faking the gratitude.

One day, I was feeling particularly ready for a shift in my life so instead of listening to music on my morning walk, I began listing all the things that I am grateful for. I tried doing it in my head  at first, but the thoughts were jumping all over each other.

So I decided, screw it, I’m just gonna speak my appreciation out loud, even if I look crazy!

After 20 minutes of walking and jogging while listing all the things I adore in my life, I felt so freakin’ good that I decided to make this gratitude walk a frequent practice.

For the next few years (and still frequently now), I would walk out my door early in the morning and begin my gratitude rampage.

I usually start with something easy, like “I am so grateful that I live in Southern California where I can enjoy sunshine and warmth year-round.  I love living so close to the beach!  I love all the Palm trees swaying in the wind…”

I continue to list all the things in my environment that I love, appreciating my incredible friends, recounting something amazing at work, etc.  If I stumble on something that doesn’t feel good, I simply go back to an earlier statement that felt great.

The goal is to keep the momentum of feeling good moving upward, taking it higher and higher.

Some days it’s easy to think of a million awesome things, and some days I really stretch to think of five.  Either way, I ALWAYS feel better after a gratitude walk.

Soon after I began this practice, I began noticing things in my day that felt wonderful and taking mental notes so that I could mention them in my morning gratitude outing the next day.  Living in this newly-found state of appreciation was quite magical!

And because I raised my overall inner state, I was having all kinds of awesome manifestations in my life that reflected the shift in me!

I went on to discover many other ways to make the gratitude walks even more rewarding.

I began appreciating not just the things that already happened, but the situations and manifestations that I wanted to invite into my life. That took the morning movement+gratitude practice to a whole other level!

Even when I didn’t fully believe what I was saying about my future accomplishments, it felt pretty amazing to state it in present tense and to feel like all those dreams were more possible because they were so real in my imagination.

When I started living with my then boyfriend (now husband), we would sometimes walk in the mornings together and play a gratitude relay. I would say something I’m grateful for, then he’d pick up the baton and add what he appreciates. We would pass back and forth, feeling more and more exhilarated, in love and joyous.

My husband’s  willingness to look at life with an eye for appreciation was one of the main reasons I fell madly in love with him and why we now have a family together.

The more grateful I felt, the more I attracted people who felt the same way.

Those who frequently complained or judged were phasing out of my life and new friends who felt good about themselves and their lives entered the picture.

I felt so much more present, more satisfied,  more aware of opportunities and more in love with life!

There have been times in recent years when I experienced the kind of inner peace, exhilaration and love that I did not even believe was possible for me in this lifetime!  And now the best part of having a coaching practice is that I get to experience it with my clients as well!

Reflection Time

How often are you aware of the things you appreciate in your life?  Would you like to invite more experiences that have you fall on your knees and kiss the earth in gratitude?!

Then try out these suggestions:

1. Set Yourself Up For Success the Night Before

Before falling asleep, think about how good it feels to be in a warm, comfortable, soft bed. Bring to mind the highlights of the day and practice drifting off to sleep feeling appreciative for the simple things in your life.

2. Wake Up on the Right Foot

Upon waking up, say to yourself: “It is my dominant intent today to look for those things that I want to see”. This is a powerful recent addition to my morning practice that I learned from an Abraham-Hicks workshop.  Boy, does that put you in the driver’s seat of your life!

3. Walk the Talk

Get outside and begin listing all the things that make your life meaningful, joyful and delightful.  Don’t worry if at first you have to start with something as general as “I appreciate having eyes that can see and taste buds that can taste delicious food…”  Like any practice, start slow with something easy and then build up strength and momentum.

Eventually, you will be able to be grateful even for the challenges in your life because you will know from personal experience that those situations bring the biggest growth and insights to you.

4. Paint the Picture of Your Future and Pre-pave Miracles

If you are feeling particularly awesome after step 3, list things that you would like to feel grateful for, that are not yet here.  For example, this morning, I said: “I am so grateful for the amazing home by the beach where my family and I can walk a few steps and jump in to surf or swim any time of day or night”.

I know that this dream is going to happen a whole lot faster because I am bringing it  to my waking reality by imagining it and appreciating the hell out of how good it will feel!  This predisposes my conscious and subconscious mind to look for ways to achieve these dreams and sends a clear message to the universe that I am ready!

5. Gratitude for Gratitude

Close with gratitude for yourself for doing something so wonderful to set the tone for the day.  Then go forth and conquer!

Now I’d love to hear: What are your favorite gratitude practices? Comment below!