Seeing 2020 with an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’

November 16, 2020

It’s that time of year again. As an American I think of Thanksgiving and Gratitude. It’s been one year since our last Gratitude blog, and boy has 2020 tested us! I’m sure most of us are just waiting for 2020 to be behind us.

It’s been a difficult year for many of us, and for some more than others. When times are hard, it’s naturally more difficult to keep a positive mindset and focus on the things we’re grateful for when so much is going wrong around us. But that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to encourage ourselves and those around us to proactively practice positive thinking and an attitude of gratitude. So what better time to revisit gratitude, looking for the positives and encouraging everyone to reflect on what we have to be grateful for, despite the year we’ve had.

 

Finding the Positives in Difficult Situations

This can be really tough. We all know that when you’re going through a rough time, your outlook and perspective can make a world of difference. If you’re not careful it’s far too easy to descend into a spiral of negativity which affects the other areas of your life. Forcing yourself to look for the positives in a situation is not easy but helps us to improve our outlook, see things in perspective, and help us to get through our troubles.

Mental Health America has a useful guide on this, suggesting a process of:

1. Identify - what’s causing you to feel this way?
2. Reframe - what lessons have you learned? What silver linings can you take from the whole experience? What positive messages can you tell yourself?
3. Practice Gratitude - Look for other things in your life you can be grateful for, which will help to move your focus and give you a lift.
4. Reinforce the Positives - Find ways to remind yourself of the positives and your reasons for gratitude.

 

Flipping your perspective - What do you GET to do?

 Something I heard recently was a great lesson on the language we use framing our outlook. Often we find ourselves moaning about something we HAVE to do. “Ugh I have to get up extra early tomorrow to prepare this presentation because I haven’t had enough time to …”.

Instead of a ‘have to’ mindset, force yourself to have a ‘get to’ mindset. “Tomorrow I GET to give a presentation to my manager because I have a job where I’m valued and which gives me a good quality fo life’

What do you 'get to do' each day that others less fortunate don’t get to do? Next time you feel stressed, try flipping it around and reflecting on how you’re actually blessed.

 

Practicing What We Preach

Each month we release a Free Printable and this month we’ve created one this month named ‘A Year Of Gratitude’. This encourages us to look back on the last 12 months with an Attitude of Gratitude. Having gone through the process myself, I wanted to share some examples with you.

Reflect on What you have to be Grateful For

What are you grateful for? Here are a few questions to get you thinking...

• Are there people you have been able to reconnect with through technology during lockdown?
• Have you been able to spend more quality time with your family?
• Have you got work done around the house?
• Has your work benefited in any way? Increased flexibility? Working from home?
• Has Covid forced you to reflect on any areas of your life for the better?
• Have you discovered any places closer to home that you wouldn’t have otherwise?
• Have you been able to read more? Catch up on your favourite shows?

One thing I’m SO grateful for, is that I have finally found the perfect way to stay connected to my 3 best friends from college in a way that works for all of us across multiple timezones. This year has seen the emergence of multiple apps for staying connected, and Marco Polo means we are now closer than we have been for years - and for that I am truly grateful.

 

Reflect on Who you have to be Grateful For

We often think of people we are grateful for, but have you told them recently? We all know how nice it is to feel appreciated and to receive acknowledgement. Life is too short to hold back on passing on thanks. Think of 5 people, think about why you are so grateful for them and reach out to them.

At Hello Day we are SO grateful for our customers, for their support and positivity, and all the messages we receive on a regular basis. Below are our ‘Rockstars in the Spotlight’ from the last 9 months. We are so grateful for your enthusiasm for Hello Day and we are proud to have you as our Rockstars.

read more about our Rockstars and their achievements this year

 

Acknowledge your own Achievements 

In our planners every Friday we encourage you to focus on your week's wins. It's so important to recognise your successes and the progress you make in achieving your goals.

What have you done this year that made you feel truly happy in yourself? 

I think this year is the most stressed I’ve felt about the planner launch back in September for the 2021 planner range. We knew we wanted to release some new ranges, but really struggled to get the designs finalised. And I stressed over being able to match or improve on last year’s spirals. But thanks to everyone involved, this year’s launch was the best yet - and I found myself riding on a wave of positivity for days afterwards. 

Find some positives in some of your more difficult experiences this year

The global pandemic means I have not been able to visit my family in America for a year and a half now, we missed a family wedding and my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. I miss my family so much and it makes me sad sometimes, BUT thankfully we never actually bought our tickets. Looking on the bright side we were able to spend that money on our house and bring forward some projects I’ve wanted to do for so long. These things bring me happiness on a daily basis.

  

Make sure you download our Free Printable 'A Year of Gratitude' and then share with us on social media some of your positives from the last 12 months.

 

 

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