What are you grateful fo
r?
The reason gratitude is so powerful is that we get more of what choose to notice. It is easy to notice all of the negative, yucky things in life. It is not as easy to notice all of the positive, beautiful things is life. This happens because we either take them for granted or we haven’t been trained to focus on gratitude.
When I was pregnant, I truly believed that the whole world was pregnant. I noticed every single pregnant woman who I came across. Now that I’m not pregnant, I don’t notice any pregnant women. They could be about to give birth and I probably wouldn’t notice. This is because I am not pregnant and they are no longer on my radar.
It’s the same thing when you get a new car. You notice every car that is the same make, model, color, and year. You notice your car everywhere. The number of cars like your car hasn’t increased, but your awareness has. Gratitude works the same way. If you look for things to be grateful, you will find them.
This does not mean that we ignore the negative and pretend that it doesn’t exist, but we make the conscious decision, and chose, to see the good. I truly believe that in any situation there is always good and that there are things to be grateful for. Even during times of tragedy, heroes are born and hope is spread, and that is something to be grateful for. I am a firm believer that good things come from bad things. There will always be good things happening, lessons to be learned, and even painful “growth opportunities.” I choose to focus on gratitude.
What are you grateful for?
Julia Manfre is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a National Certified Counselor. She has a Master’s of Education degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Florida Atlantic University. Julia is a psychotherapist, the owner of Self-Care Solutions, a private practice that specializes in empowering women, a podcaster, she hosts the Self-Care Solutions Podcast, a blogger, and a Keynote Speaker. She has years of experience working in substance abuse treatment, crisis, trauma, and women’s issues.
Julia’s mission in life is to empower women. She was a product of divorced parents and was raised by a single mom. She grew up in the DC area or the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) as it is affectionately known, in a small town in Maryland. She was brought up a die-hard Redskins fan. She loves beading, sewing, ballroom dancing, and Wonder Woman. She is passionate about women’s right and women’s empowerment. Julia is married, has an 8-year-old daughter, Lily, two dogs, two guinea pigs, and a hamster.