The Power Of A Gratitude "Live" Challenge: Fueling Your Courage While Starving Your Fears
I am an introvert by nature, so I naturally get my energy from doing things in solitude. Two of my favorite pastimes are reading and writing as these activities help me to relax, reflect and clear my mind. Author and speaker, Glennon Doyle says that “Reading is my inhale and writing in my exhale,” I can find no truer words to express my own feelings toward these activities. They give me life almost as much as the act of breathing does. So it would be infinitely easier for me to just keep writing blogs since it is naturally within my comfort zone. However, like the readers of my blog, I am always looking for ways to grow, which means consistently pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. With the thanksgiving season coming up I decided to do 30 days of instagram lives in order to challenge myself to get more comfortable on camera, while combining the challenge with the powerful practice of gratitude in honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving celebration that those of us who live in the U.S. will have this week. Below you will find 7 lessons that I learned while taking on this personal growth challenge. I hope these lessons will inspire you to attempt the things that you have thought you were not ready to try because done is better than perfect!
1. You can help someone even when you’re just learning
It was a messy start on instagram in my opinion as I said a lot of ummm’s, mispronounced some words, and probably spoke too fast, and who knows what other faults my inner critic wanted to find, but it didn’t matter because people were benefiting from the imperfect start. I have heard the expression ‘there is a message in your mess’, and though it sounds cliche, I learned the significance of this expression when people started to send me messages that the lives were helping them feel a little better about their circumstances in life. Somehow in my messy beginnings they found a message that encouraged their hearts. Just as I learned this past week, you too can help someone and bring enormous value even while you are still learning. (Check out this blog for tips on overcoming perfectionism and building courage).
2. Action inspires action
Once I took action and put myself out there, others began to do the same. It wasn’t everyone that I knew, but a handful. For most it wasn’t doing instagram lives (although a few of my friends started to do their own lives as well!) but things that were important to them in some way, including being more grateful for the people in their lives, or having the courage to apologize for an offense. Someone even re-focused their energy on their studies, which they had been feeling demotivated about. A lot of times our approach to influence others is to have a conversation with them, but I have found that watching other people take action is the most inspirational thing because they are role modeling what we may have a deep desire to get done.
3. Focusing on your purpose or your mission is the antidote for fear
Every time I felt a tinge of self consciousness before I started my live, I reminded myself of what the purpose was. The purpose wasn’t to come across as the smartest, most insightful person alive so that the world would be impressed by me. My purpose was two-fold, first to reduce my discomfort with being on camera which I knew could only be done by taking massive action to regularly put myself on camera and second to be of service to someone else. The inspirational messages that were tied to my gratitude exercises would hopefully inspire others to recognize and own how much they had to be thankful for as well. When I focused on the purpose and the mission at hand, I was no longer focused on myself and my performance so I was free to serve. As you think about where you want to stretch yourself to learn and grow, try focusing on your purpose or mission and see how it helps to shift your focus from inward to outward. Read this blog for more tips to overcome your fears.
4. Gratitude breeds more gratitude
When we focus on the negative, we just keep seeing more negative things but when we shift our focus to the positive, the same is true, we see more things to be positive or hopeful about. I learned this during my gratitude exercise and it became a fun adventure to discover what new things I could be grateful about or even better what old things that I have been taking for granted that I could be grateful for. I hope you will try this exercise yourself to see what a tremendous impact it can have to help you shift your perspective.
5. What you once feared becomes your comfort zone with consistent action
This is soooooo amazing to experience my friends. Day one was bumpy and a little scary but with each successive action it became easier and easier until the fear was imperceptible. In order to feel confident in a particular area we need to be comfortable about our competence level, but we can never be competent without sufficient experience. How do we build experience? By taking action, … consistently!! Just like the first time you drove a car you may have been unbelievably nervous but now it is probably something you don’t even think about since you have done it so many times it has become second nature. The same thing with your goals, you can’t wait until you feel confident to try them because confidence doesn’t come until your competence is developed and you don’t develop competence until you do act. So, you know what to do … just do it! Pretty soon your comfort zone will be expanded to include the thing that once intimidated you. For more tips on building your confidence, check out this blog.
6. Momentum in one area leads to momentum in other areas
Once I started to take massive action in challenging myself to do these lives, there were other areas that I just could no longer procrastinate on. I have wanted to embrace a more minimalistic life for at least 8 months but felt overwhelmed by all the things I would need to depart with. Somehow these things started to weigh me down so heavily that I could not tolerate them in my space anymore and started the process of purging them. I honestly can’t say that the instagram live gratitude exercise got me to this point all by itself. The truth is, I had been meditating (centering prayer) for months, I had a coach and an accountability partners in this process, and they all played a role in my taking action on purging things I have long held on to. However, the gratitude exercise put me out into the world on video and somehow I began to feel incongruent looking at people on camera (well at least figuratively) when I knew I wasn’t taking an action on something that was so important to me. So I got the bags and started purging. You will be amazed by what consistent action in one area of your life can give you momentum to address in other areas as well. Try it!
7. Gratitude is a magnet for miracles
Gratitude opens up our hearts to the greatest energy in the world, love. When we are grateful we start to fall madly in love with ourselves again, madly in love with the people in our lives, madly in love with all the gifts that life has already presented to us. Love is a powerful force that overcomes all negative energies, maybe not overnight but definitely eventually. This force of love is a magnet for miracles, in other words it attracts more positive things to our lives for us to be grateful for. In my experience after just a few days of gratitude I got a note that I was invited to an event that I have always wanted to go to, all expenses paid. Author and motivational speaker Gabby Bernstein says that the Universe Has Your Back, and I am in total agreement, for me that is God, who is love. I believe that as we are grateful for what we already have, love will bring us even more that we can be grateful for. I hope you will have a miraculous week and a Happy Thanksgiving for those of you who will be celebrating, because a grateful heart is a magnet for miracles!!
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My gratitude challenge isn’t over so you can still join me on Instagram live or check out the replay on my instagram stories!