Dear %%FIRST_NAME%%,
How are you getting on with the Miracle Of Gratitude so far?
We’re planning to spend the next few months together on this journey and today I wanted to share with you one of my personal secrets for staying motivated, when I want to create a new habit.
And I won’t keep you in suspense:
The secret to keeping yourself motivated is knowing your “Big Why?”
When you know why you want to do something, it’s so much easier to find the time and energy to do it; to make those changes.
Here’s a simple exercise that can help you figure out your “Big Why?” and how to make the most of it, to help keep you motivated over these 100 days – and beyond.
The Secret To Keeping Yourself Motivated
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Grab yourself a piece of paper and something to write with and allow yourself a few minutes to think and write down your answers to these questions:
- Why have you signed up for the Miracle Of Gratitude?
- What do you hope that practising gratitude each day is going to do for you?
- How are you going to notice that it is working for you? Which behaviours, which signs, which emotions are you going to be tracking to feel the progress you are making?
- What kinds of barriers can you foresee already that might get in the way of you finding a few minutes a day for your practice?
- Before you go any further with this project, what are you going to do about those barriers?
- What time of day do you think might work best for you?
- Do you need to clear anything out of your schedule? Or ask for help? Or delegate something to create that time, a few minutes a day?
- And let the answer to this next question bubble up gently for you – don’t rationalise it… Complete the following sentence:
I choose to spend time focusing on gratitude each day because…
And when you are ready, write that whole sentence up somewhere. Pin it up around your home or around your office. - If you notice distractions getting in the way of your practice, you can remind yourself:
I choose to spend time focusing on gratitude each day because……
You might be surprised how often that allows you to prioritise your gratitude time over the distractions.
If you need to get support to clear time for this project, now is the time to do it, before you start having to make excuses. Tell your family:
“I choose to take time out for a few minutes a day to do my gratitude practices, because…”
The word ‘because’ has an amazing power to get people to listen to your request and to help you. When they understand why you want their help and why you want them to support you, it makes it much easier for them to buy in. You might be surprised how much friends, family and co-workers do want to support you. Some of them might even want to join in with you.
The key is to decide when you are going to do all of this, where and what you need to clear out of the way to allow you to do that, and to remember why you’re bothering.
I’m curious: what’s your “Big Why?” Could I tempt you to share it with us, over at the forum? We would love to hear from you.
Thank you!
Namaste,
P.S. Want to go a bit deeper? Here are 3 essential steps to make that new habit stick.
Reminder of your Week One Project & Useful Links
Week One Gratitude Project
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- Take a deep breath and breathe out with a sighing ‘ahhh’ sound.
This helps you to let go of tension. Repeat 3 times, if you need to, to help you relax. - Smile a gentle smile – a ‘half-smile’.
‘Half-smiling’ helps you to let go of any stresses, to rebalance your body’s sympathetic nervous system (‘fight or flight’ / adrenalin) with your parasympathetic nervous system (relaxation) and it gently starts the releasing of endorphins – your body’s natural ‘feel good’ hormones. - Think of 3 things you feel grateful for.
It doesn’t have to be ‘big’ or ‘serious’ – whatever comes to mind. Think of one at a time, pausing on each one for at least 20 seconds, allowing yourself to fully experience a sense of gratitude – an inner ‘thank you’ – for whatever it is.
If you’re stuck for inspiration, how about starting with the fact that you’re alive, you’re breathing and you’re able to somehow read this message? - Thank yourself.
Thank yourself for taking the time to practice gratitude today. And make a date with yourself to do it again tomorrow. - Release the practice.
Let go of the practice. There’s no need to analyse, critique, judge or tell yourself stories. It will most likely feel different each day. And that’s ok. What matters is consistency – doing it as many days of the year as you can remember (hopefully these emails / the forum / the Facebook page will help with that!).
Here’s the members-only community (private) and even the Facebook Page (public), where you can ask questions, share your experiences and support others who are joining in with the Miracle Of Gratitude.