I was also grateful that, although I’d recently moved to New Hampshire, only a few weeks had passed since I’d finally found a primary care physician.

I was grateful I’d just signed up for a quality health insurance plan that would pay for most of the costs related to this injury, unlike the poor plan I had years ago. A plan that required me to pay more than $30,000 to cover an illness.

I was grateful for the crutches in my basement that my sister had just stored there while she was moving.

Additionally, my birthday was in a few days, so I had just put David Bowie’s new CD “Blackstar” in my Amazon queue to purchase. Sadly, Bowie died that day; yet, I lived to have another birthday, and for that I was grateful.

In that moment, with my ankle throbbing, gratitude kept me calm. It allowed both pain and appreciation to exist at the same time. I believe gratitude even helped me heal faster.

After many years as a conscious practitioner of gratitude, I’ve built a strong gratitude muscle. So, though I didn’t like the reality of being awkward and moving slower, this situation opened my eyes as to just how much gratitude has seeped into my life. Now, gratitude is my religion and the foundation for the business work I do.

Yet, as far as I’ve come, I still have miles to go and lots to learn. With every talk I give and workshop I lead, I understand even more about gratitude than I did before. I am compelled to offer what I’ve learned to others. I’m also inspired by the few who are truly experts of gratitude.

I still yell at my cat, swear at my husband, and get mad at my grown kids. When I catch myself in these states, I simply double down on my gratitude practice. The trick is to self-identify when I’m not grateful. I have a tool for that, that I use and teach. The three step gratitude shift.

It’s been said by those much wiser than me that the best teachers are those for whom the lesson did not come too easily. For me, the lesson came slowly and sometimes painfully, but it also paved the way for developing the tools I use with myself and with clients (like the SMART Gratitude). 

Gratitude isn’t about always being happy or joyful, rather, it is acknowledging the reality of the world. So, when all else fails, I look up. And when I look up, I know that I am not six feet below the ground. When I look up, I can see the beauty of the world and the wondrous mystery of this beautiful life.

This is a modified excerpt that I updated from my first book, Leading with Gratitude.   I will be hosting a free 50 minute executive briefing on it that summaries the key points, to sign up email me or click here, it’s part of the GEMS service I offer. Hope you can join me and share your story (if you want).