black and white hands

Reflections on a Murder. How to Stage a Non-Violent Revolution in America

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After avoiding the nine minute video of the murder of George Floyd for over a week, I decided to force myself to watch it, knowing it would forever scar my psyche. As I sat there watching an innocent man suffocate to death by brutal force at the hands of a police officer, so many thoughts and emotions came up for me, as I assume it must for any sentient being who watches it.

 Officer Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck while he stared at onlookers screaming at him to stop, conscious of the fact he was being caught on video. It was almost as if he was flaunting his power to say, “See if you can stop me,” egged on by the sick, twisted gratification of being able to kill a man while others helplessly stood by. What type of hate inside an individual could lead to killing a man in such a violent way for no reason? I watched as the other officers did nothing to stop Chauvin from killing George Floyd as he called out for his mama with futility. The cold hearted indifference, inhumane violence and the complicity of it all was and is heartbreaking.

And then I felt the rage and anger surface in me along with a deep sadness about the low point we have arrived at in America. All of us live in a society where this type of murder is a regular occurrence – over 1000 people die by police shootings per year, committing 10% of homicides per year in the US. Police officers are more likely to use force, including lethal force, against Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian people than against White people. We live in a society where innocent people can be killed on camera at the hands of those who are there to protect them with little to no justice being served. And of course all of this is built on a foundation of racism, bigotry and hate that goes back to the time this nation was born. The wounding is deep, it is profound, and it is systemic. george floyd and police

Therefore, it is no wonder that millions of people have been compelled to take to the streets to protest this outrageous act. It is understandable why people in other countries are taking to the streets in solidarity. We are currently witnessing the collective outpouring of people coming together to say enough is enough. We do not want to live in this type of society any longer. We do not agree to this behavior. We are demanding a new societal agreement – one that is based in human rights, moral decency and social justice. 

Systemic Racism Intersects with Systemic Inequity

So where will all this lead us? Clearly there is no direction or leadership from the President beside dog whistles and a call for military action. The authoritarian tendencies he has alluded to could very well lead us down a dark path. Democracy itself is under attack from those who have sworn to defend it. Never have we faced such an enemy from within, even in the darkest days of the Civil Rights movement. But the day of reckoning has come – and the people are making their will known. 

However, systemic racism is not the only issue here. Racism intersects with economic inequality which intersects with gender discrimination which intersects with climate injustice. Which intersects with human rights of all vulnerable communities, such as Latinx, Transgender and Indigenous peoples. Capitalism itself is being tested as it has morphed into a system built to benefit 0.1% of the population, while the other 99.9% work to ensure the enrichment of the billionaire class. We might view the rioting, looting and vandalism through that lens – a collective middle finger, so to speak, to a system that is intended to keep most of us enslaved.

black people protest

 For decades this seemed to work without much push back or resistance from the working class. Many of us were and are still content to distract ourselves with consumerism, social media and celebrity news. Many of us are content to work our entire lives, pay our fair share of taxes to afford a nice house, drive a nice car and send our kids to overpriced universities. Many of us are fine working for companies that make billions each year, knowing full well that a few people at the top are making 1000 times more than we are and not paying taxes. A majority of people in the United States have been suffering from a lack of access to food, shelter or basic health care for decades, without anyone really doing anything about it. 

Many of those people come from the same marginalized communities who are disproportionately targeted by militarized police and a prison industrial complex that basically amounts to modernized slavery. So perhaps what is enfolding in front of our eyes is the collapse of the entire system or as Cornell West recently stated, “We are witnessing America as a failed social experiment….it’s capitalist economy could not generate and deliver in such a way that people could live lives of decency.” If we are to demand justice, we must look to the root cause – a corrupt capitalistic system and fascist government which cares only about defending this corrupt system at all costs, and if necessary, with military force.

Learning Lessons from a Velvet Revolution

This moment reminds me of what took place only two years ago in a small country you’ve probably never heard of – Armenia. As a post-Soviet country, it has seen many trials and tribulations, including a massive earthquake that killed tens of thousands in 1988, a severe economic depression that took place after the fall of the USSR, a war with neighboring Azerbaijan, and a take-over by powerful, oligarchic regimes that lasted for nearly thirty years. Armenians are also all to familiar with experiencing deep racism and hatred – 1.5 million Armenians were massacred in the first genocide of the 20th century at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. 

Although a small country, it has historically been supported by Russia. Putin has ensured that Armenia stay obedient and subservient to Russian forces. It gave rise to the oligarchs and corrupt officials that maintained power for decades. The people of Armenia tried several times to stage peaceful protests to no avail and resulted in lives lost. However, two years ago, a man named Nikol Pashinyan decided to step up and lead a non-violent revolution. He began walking in a town called Gyumri, 120 km away from the main capital of Yerevan. He walked through village streets and urged people to join him. And they did. By the time he reached the capital, thousands of people were walking beside him and they joined thousands more in Yerevan as people began to stage peaceful protests all around the city. 

yerevan velvet revolution 2018

Over a period of two weeks, mothers came out and put their bodies on the line. They brought their babies and parked strollers to block intersections. Young musicians sat in the middle of streets and played music. At night, people banged pots and pans to show solidarity for the movement. People had nothing to lose and everything to gain and they stepped into their sovereignty and took back their power as a collective. Thousands put their bodies in front of tankers, police cars and prevented them from reaching crowds. At one point, they even captured Nikol and put him in jail, but that emboldened protestors even more. Within days, the Prime Minister resigned and the oligarchic regime came to an end. 

There is much to learn from this peaceful, non-violent revolution that took place in a tiny, remote corner of the world. What was once thought an impossibility became possible. In the same way, Americans at this moment cannot and must not sit back and allow the corrupt, oligarchic, pro-fascist regime that exists today in the United States to continue. We cannot and must not allow our country to descend into fascism. We cannot and must not allow a military dictatorship to rise up from this perceived people’s revolution. We cannot and must not stand or defend an administration that has repeatedly demonstrated its abhorrence for black, brown or vulnerable communities. We cannot and must not continue to feed a system that is sick to its core, one that is collapsing in front of our eyes as we speak.

The Time is Now to Take Back Our Power

It is time to design a new societal contract that is based on racial, climate, and economic justice. It is time to reimagine what our world might look like if it was rooted in values of love, compassion, kindness and tolerance. We must hold a vision of what our society could look like if we adhered to the notion that “all men are created equal,”  as it states so clearly in the Declaration of Independence. We must believe that change is imminent and that We the People will be the bringers of that change – not leaders who continuously fail to address these challenges in any meaningful way. It is up to the masses to continue to demand a new path forward and work tirelessly to bring about the healing necessary to jumpstart the process in the right way. We must continue to build on the non-violent vision of Martin King Luther Jr. and the activists of the Civil Rights movement, the Women’s Rights movement, the Gay Right’s movement, and the Transgender movement.

Martin Luther King jr Protest

How we do that is up to us. Will we continue to only fight for justice or is there a different way? Can we achieve the same goal through non-violence – through dialogue, active listening, acknowledging the past, apologizing for our complicity and asking BIPOC communities for forgiveness? Could these acts be enough to jumpstart the healing that is so necessary for us to move forward? How can those with privilege lead the way, initiate those discussions and engage more actively instead of putting the burden of fighting for justice on those that have been disproportionately affected by racism, bigotry and police brutality? These are the questions all of us should be pondering and taking steps to initiate within our  communities. Once the fires, tear gas and pepper spray have subsided, we must roll up our sleeves and get to work. It will require everyone’s active engagement – our artists, healers, the indigenous peoples, musicians and our religious leaders to unite us around a common cause. We can and must work together, leading our own way, lighting our own path. The time is now.

Women who work from home

Working from Home is Here to Stay. 7 Tips to Ensure Women in the Workplace Thrive

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Any society that fails to harness the energy and creativity of its women is at a huge disadvantage in the modern world. -Tian Wei, CCTV News

It’s becoming clear that the global pandemic is quickly turning into an economic crisis for women with unemployment rates rising to numbers not seen since the Great Depression. The unemployment rate for women stands at an unprecedented 15.5%, the first time ever that U.S. women have faced a double-digit unemployment rate. For Black and Hispanic women, it’s worse: 16.4% and 20.2%, respectively.

The unemployment rate for men is 13%; for white men, it is 12.4%. 

A lot of this disparity goes back to the gender gap – most of the non-essential businesses such as nail and hair salons, hotels and restaurants employ lower-wage jobs held by mostly women. For those women who are still employed, they are finding themselves having to juggle working from home and raising their children, which is essentially a second full time job.  And with school closures potentially extending to the fall or winter, there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight. If mom guilt weren’t already a thing, it’s now definitely something women are having to contend with.

So how do women deal with the economic, mental and physical challenges they are faced with during this time of upheaval? With companies announcing permanent work from home scenarios, is there any upside and what can companies do to adjust to the new reality for both men and women? How can companies ensure that women aren’t stuck with a double-double shift as Sheryl Sandberg recently pointed out? 

working women

“Over my lifetime, women have demonstrated repeatedly that they can do anything that men can do, while still managing traditional women’s work at the same time. But the same expansion of roles has not been available to men.”  Anne-Marie Slaughter

Here are some ways companies can begin tackling this issue (and a few tips women can put into practice in the meantime.)

1. Run Meetings More Efficiently

One thing that we can all agree on is being on back to back Zoom meetings is just as draining and soul-killing as in-person meetings, if not more! Many organizations are meeting heavy, oftentimes involving too many people and not using meeting times efficiently. Of course keeping in close contact with your team is important when everyone is working from home, but it’s important to find a balance. Take an audit of all the standing meetings you are responsible for – are all of those necessary or can you cut down the frequency or length of those meetings? Are you sending out detailed agendas beforehand? Are people coming to the meeting prepared? Or does it take half an hour just to warm up? Establish meeting protocols that ensure you’re using your time wisely, where everyone’s voice is heard, and decision makers are present (otherwise you might repeat the same meeting twice!) Running meetings efficiently can save a lot of precious time for all employees, but especially for mom and parents that are homeschooling and have to provide child care at the same time.

organized online meetings

2. Increase Paid Time Off

If organizations are going to expect employees to perform well and keep productivity high, then they are going to have to invest in their health and well-being. Paid vacation in the United States sadly trails most other industrialized nations. The key reason why the U.S. lags so far behind is because it is the “only advanced economy that does not mandate any paid vacation time for workers. Given the extra pressure and stress of having to homeschool and provide child care while juggling a full time job from home, companies must increase vacation days for their employees, and put a vacation policy in place if it does not currently have one.

3. Enforce Paternal Leave

Another way that companies can create work/life balance for their employees is to enforce paternity leave benefits. Many companies now offer paternity leave (and for those who haven’t joined that bandwagon, it’s time they did), however many organizations don’t require men to take paternal leave and therefore many don’t take advantage of it. Research has been shown companies that enforce paternity leave benefits actually have more women on their boards. Doing so encourages fathers to share in the responsibility of childcare instead of putting the burden solely on mothers which limits career advancement, otherwise known as the “motherhood penalty.”

Enforcing Paternity Leave

4. Wellness Check-ins & Subsidies

One thing many companies like Google, Facebook and others do well is they offer yoga classes, on-site gyms, healthy food options and other perks to make sure employees stay healthy. Without these benefits available to employees, companies need to innovate in the way they ensure the health and well-being of their workforce. Managers can build in wellness hours by scheduling yoga or meditation classes for their team via Zoom or pay for online subscriptions. They can provide bonuses or monthly stipends to cover healthy food delivery to employee homes (and support local businesses at the same time). And managers can do wellness check-in’s with their employees to talk about how they are handling stress and social distance and asking about emotional wellbeing, provided they have the training to have those conversations in a productive way.

well being

Some things just cannot wait. Men have to stand up now for women’s equality.  – Rick Goings, CEO Tupperware Brands

5. Create a Culture of Belonging

Creating a sense of belonging and inclusion should have been a priority pre-pandemic especially for those organizations that prioritize their people and understand that their workforce is the most valuable asset they have. It’s become that much more important to prioritize this because let’s face it, it’s hard to feel belonging when we’re physically separated. Providing managers with the leadership skills necessary to create a culture where everyone feels safe to speak up, contribute and feel  their ideas matter is essential to ensuring high performing teams stay that way.

6. Don’t Be Afraid to Delegate & Ask for Help

Women are notorious for taking on more work responsibilities just to prove their value and worth. They tend to take on a lot of administrative and lower-level tasks. This creates a catch 22 – now you have double the work than your male counterparts and you’re not getting the higher visibility work that can help you get noticed for a promotion. It’s so important to make sure you’re asking for help and not taking on extra work just because you want to be “nice” and seen as a “team player.” Look through your list of responsibilities and delegate those that aren’t the best use of your time. Build accountability to ensure the work is being done in a timely and efficient manner by those you delegate to. Say no to projects or tasks that are going to be time suckers but not amount to any value for key decision makers and stakeholders who might be deciding on who gets the next promotion. This way you’re able to take on higher-visibility projects when they come up or ask your boss for opportunities to build your skills in a new area.

delegate tasks

7. Let Go of Perfection

Women can tend to be perfectionists and because of this end up putting more pressure on themselves to be perfect wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends and employees. In the new work from home reality, the pressure to be perfect could lead to a situation that just isn’t feasible. Needing everything to be perfect can lead to micro-managing workloads and getting too stuck in the details. It can be exhausting and isn’t a good way to leverage your time. Letting go of perfection and settling for “good enough” can be one way to relieve the pressure of having to impress everyone around you. Own your gifts and let go of having to prove your value through needing to be perfect.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

Whether you are in a decision making role or not, whether it affects you or not (I’m looking at you male allies!), you can begin to advocate for these changes in the companies you work for and the teams you manage. The companies that are going to survive and thrive will be listening to their employees and the ideas they bring to the table around how to handle these changing times. With all the capital they will be saving on real estate, they should be thinking about how to redirect those funds to increase their bottom line through investing in the health and well-being of their workforce and creating cultures of inclusion and belonging for everyone, including women.

Why we have too few women leaders | Sheryl Sandberg

 

 

practice mindfulness

10 Simple Ways to Practice Mindfulness In Our Daily Life

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“Look past your thoughts, so you may drink the pure nectar of This Moment.” – Rumi

These days as we are all learning to adapt to a new normal of staying indoors, I’ve been personally finding it difficult to focus on what is going right with the world instead of what is going wrong. I find myself sometimes getting sucked into hours of scrolling through my social media feed to read the latest news (which is mostly all terrible) or to feel more connected to friends and family. With all the unknowns of what the future holds, it’s easy to get stuck in negative feedback loops which ultimately breed stress in the body. And right now stress is the last thing we need if we want to boost our immune systems and keep a healthy mental state.

mindfullness meditation
So in this blog post, I want to talk about how to train your brain through mindfulness practices to stay focused on the positive, lower stress, and keep yourself mentally healthy during this uncertain time we’re going through. 

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the ability to stay in the present moment and to focus your thoughts on what is happening in the here and now. It’s our ability to not think about the past or the future but to instead observe what is happening in the moment. 

Why Should We Practice Mindfulness?

There have been many prominent teachers like Deepak Chopra or Eckhart Tolle and others who teach us about the power of mindfulness and why it’s so important to incorporate it into our daily practice. It has many proven benefits from reducing anxiety, depression and chronic pain to improving sleep and reducing stress. Mindfulness also helps us in achieving our goals such as weight-loss or starting a new project. And from a leadership perspective, mindfulness can help us stay centered in order to more effectively manage people or deal with external challenges. All in all, mindfulness is an important practice for us to cultivate to lead happy and meaningful lives.

yoga and mindfulness

But it’s not something that comes naturally for us especially with the many distractions that take our attention and focus elsewhere. Most of us are now addicted to our technology and have less ability to focus our attention for a long period of time. We constantly check our news feed, email or texts and are bombarded with information overload. The day goes by without us even checking in with ourselves, let alone spending time practicing mindfulness, which ironically ends up making us feel disconnected and unhappy. And when we do slow down we tend to feel guilty for doing so, like there’s some kind of rule that tells us we need to be busy in every given moment to be productive and make the most of each minute.

The result of this is we become much more susceptible to bad news, misinformation and anxiety which drag us down both mentally and physically. We end up being uncomfortable with just being with ourselves, we lose our connection to something bigger or to our inner power. We lose our ability to create our future consciously through focusing on what’s working for us right now. 

Cultivating Mindfulness in our Daily Lives

Since breaking our addiction to technology is a much bigger task (and a topic for another blog), we need to build practices in our daily lives to bring ourselves back to what really matters. Although nothing beats a good mindfulness meditation it can sometimes be difficult to squeeze in a 20-30 minute meditation in our busy lives. Instead, we can build micro-practices throughout the day to focus our attention.

buddha and mindfulness

 

Here are my top 10 mindfulness activities you can practice throughout the day:

“With mindfulness, you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of life that are available in that moment.” – Thich Nhat Hanh.

1. Practice gratitude 

When we practice gratitude, we have to focus our attention to what is positive in our lives in the present moment. It gently brings the good stuff to the forefront of our mind so that we are able to more easily come back into the now moment, instead of fretting about the future or rehashing the past. By focusing on the positive we then become more available to create a more positive future.

practice gratitude

 

2. Check in with your body

The body functions without your participation – you breathe automatically, your heart beats continuously and your bodily functions keep going regardless of what you do. But the body is constantly sending us messages through sensations in the body. Take a moment and check in with your body – what do you notice?
Where are you holding tension? Do you have aches or pains? Do you feel heavy or light? Bringing your attention to your body can help realign your attention to the present but also connects you to the information you need to take better care of your body. For more tips on how to lean into body wisdom, you can check out my new course on building more confidence.

beat the inner bully

 

3. Pay attention to your heart

Our emotions are another way the body communicates with us at any given moment. Throughout the day, you might experience a range of emotions from sadness to joy. By checking in with your heart where your emotions originate, you come into more coherence with yourself. My favorite resource for this is the Heart Math Institute that has done decades of research on the power of the heart and how it affects not only our individual health but the well-being of others.

4. Fire up your five senses

One of the simplest ways of staying mindful is to bring your attention to the present moment. Stop what you are doing for a moment and observe what is going on around you. What noises do you hear? What scents do you smell? What are others around you doing? Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, put your full attention there and observe it through your five senses for a few moments to practice bringing your mind to the now moment.

5. Practice the centering exercise

One of the best exercises I teach my clients is a short 30 second practice called the Centering Exercise that helps you tune into your body and into the present moment through centering. Here’s a quick video that runs you through the step by step process on how to do it. You can also find it featured in my book, Leading Gracefully. It’s a great exercise for leaders, managers, entrepreneurs and busy moms!

hardcover of book leading gracefully

6. Focus on your breath

Another access point to bringing our attention to the moment is by focusing on our breath. The breath is happening with or without our conscious awareness, but by bringing our attention to our breath we can help our mind focus. Notice how you are breathing. Is it shallow or deep? Take five deep belly breaths and focus your attention on your inhale and exhale. Repeat that three times and practice it multiple times during the day.

7. Observe your thoughts

Here’s a fun game – stop what you’re doing and start observing your thoughts. Can you do that? What do you notice? Try it and see what happens!

8. Mindful eating

Another time to focus on the present moment is when we eat. Most of the time we aren’t paying attention to the food we eat because we’re eating at our desk, watching a Youtube video or reading while we eat. But research has shown that when we eat with more mindfulness, we digest our food better which helps get more vitamins and minerals and aids in overall digestive health.

mindfulness and weight loss

So next time you sit down for a meal, put down the phone, chew your food mindfully and notice how you eat. Do you eat fast or slow? Do you chew your food or inhale it? What does your food taste like? What you discover might even inspire you to take up an online cooking class! 

9. Practice active listening

Most of the time when others speak we are in our heads trying to think of how we are going to respond. We tune out about halfway before the person is even finished with their thought. Next time you have a conversation, try active listening where you are putting your full attention on the other person. Listen with your ears, heart and intuition. Practice mindful listening and observe whether the quality of your conversations change.

mindfulness and meditation

10. Observe your surroundings

I like practicing this when I’m outdoors – just focusing on what is happening around me. Notice the traffic. Focus on the people walking by. Notice a beautiful flower. The wind in your hair. The sun on your face. You can practice this when you’re going for a walk or a hike or just sitting on your patio or from your yard if you’re homebound.

I hope these simple exercises help give you access to the world of mindfulness without having to read books or sit through long meditations. Of course those are great mindfulness activities if you have the time, but I find it easier to make practicing mindfulness part of my daily activities so I can train my mind and stay more positive, feel happier and be in charge of what I choose to attract to myself by staying in the here and now.  

Do you have any tips or exercises that help you stay mindful? Share them in the comments below!

The Power of Mindfulness: What You Practice Grows Stronger | Shauna Shapiro

 

“In today’s rush, we all think too much–seek too much–want too much–and forget about the joy of just being.” – Eckhart Tolle

enjoy nature

7 Tips on How to Practice Gratitude to Beat the #COVID Blues

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There are only two ways to live your life. One is though nothing is a miracle. The other as though everything is a miracle. – Albert Einstein

In my last blog post, I shared a few life hacks to help us stay productive while working from home during this challenging time during #COVID19. One of the things I left out was a topic I thought deserved a whole post to itself –  practicing gratitude. Why do I think gratitude is such an important topic that I dedicated a whole post to it? Because there are some pretty significant mental and health benefits from doing so, and at times like these, we can use all the help we can get.

So first, let’s look at how we define gratitude.

What is Gratitude?

 The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. I like to define gratitude as the art of being in appreciation of something and acknowledging the presence of it, whether tangible or intangible.

 Why is Gratitude Important?

Gratitude is important because it keeps us tethered to reality. It takes us beyond ourselves and reminds us of the interconnection and interdependence of all things. It keeps us centered and grounded. And it can lift our spirits and give us comfort during difficult times. Practicing gratitude is the antidote to fear, scarcity and feelings of not being in control. It can remind us that even in the darkest moment, there are things to be thankful for which can immediately land us into an attitude of more generosity and positivity when things are tough.

 

What are the Benefits of Gratitude?

Recent studies show strong evidence that there are some very positive benefits on our health and well-being by practicing gratefulness. Gratitude can make people happier, improve their relationships, and potentially even counteract depression and suicidal thoughts. In another study, more grateful participants reported fewer health problems (such as headaches, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory infections, and sleep disturbances); in another, they reported fewer physical symptoms (including headaches, dizziness, stomachaches, and runny noses). Although it seems as more research is necessary to show direct correlation between improved health and practicing gratitude, growing research in the area of positive psychology indicates that gratitude can lead to more happiness.

 How do we Practice Gratitude?

Before we can be grateful for something, we actually have to stop and notice that “It” is happening. The proverbial “It” is whatever you happen to notice in the moment – it can be as simple as a sunny day with blue skies or it can be acknowledging the thousands of selfless people putting themselves in harm’s way right now who are working the front lines to care for us, provide for us and keep us safe during this pandemic. That step right before gratitude requires mindfulness – the remembering, the stopping, the noticing – all steps necessary to be able to practice gratitude on a regular basis.

today I am grateful for

When Should We Practice Gratitude?

Anytime is a good time to practice gratitude and I recommend making it part of your daily practice. It can help you accept change, relieve stress and boost your mental health. Feeling grateful can be helpful when going through a tough break-up, when we lose our job, or lose a loved one. When we are trying to manifest more abundance in our life, gratitude is one of the essential steps to staying open to receiving all the goodness coming your way. Saying thank you or giving credit to an employee or a teammate can go a long way as well. People work harder and are more motivated when they feel appreciated. No one likes being taken for granted, so being thankful to your hard working staff shows that you acknowledge their efforts and can make them feel valued.

7 Tips to Practicing Gratitude

Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance. – Eckhart Tolle

 1. Keep a daily gratitude journal.   

Start your day with gratitude. Keep a journal by your bedside and upon waking up, jot down a few things you’re grateful for. Do this consistently for at least a month and notice any differences in your mood or in how your day progresses.

gratitude notes

 2. Write a note or letter of thanks to someone.

This might be a letter you send or decide to keep to yourself. You may decide to write a note of gratitude to someone who has hurt you in the past. This can serve as a deeply healing exercise to help let go of any feelings of resentment and allow you to see the gifts in the situation.

 3. Accept each day as a gift.

Remind yourself that each day is a new opportunity. An opportunity to do something kind for someone, to improve yourself, or to make a positive impact. Each day could be your last, so be grateful for the chance to live on this beautiful planet, surrounded by people you love.

4. Enjoy nature’s beauty

One of the easiest ways to practice gratitude is to appreciate the beauty of the natural world. Gaze up at the sun, smell the fresh air, take a walk in nature. Be mindful of the miracles all around you. Stand in awe of how perfect it all is.

practice gratitude everyday

 5. See beauty in others and pay compliments.

There is nothing better than putting a smile on someone’s face. Giving a kind (and respectful) compliment can go a long way in brightening up their day. It can also make you feel good to do so. Appreciate the beauty in others and let them know you see them for who they are.

 6. Keep in mind: there is nothing lacking.

Remind yourself that we live in an abundant world. Scarcity and fear are fixations of our imagination that are used to control us. Allow yourself to trust that things will be OK, that you are taken care of, and that there is enough for everyone (this is for the toilet paper hoarders out there!).

 7. Start and end your day with gratitude.

Just like you start your day, end your day with gratitude. It can be in the form of a quick prayer of thanks, a text of appreciation to someone, or a reminder of what went right in your day.  

give thanks

 

Books on Gratitude

Of course there are some great books written on the subject of gratitude along with some awesome videos about gratitude as well. Here are some of my favorites:

The Gratitude Diaries

By Janice Kaplan

Taking advice from a range of professionals, Kaplan shared both personal experiences and extensive research to explore how gratitude can transform every aspect of life. In this warm, funny book, Kaplan shares with her readers the value of appreciating what you have.

Available from Amazon.

The Psychology of Gratitude

Editors: Michael McCullough, Robert A. Emmons

This text combines the work of prominent scientists from a range of disciplines to look closely at gratitude. It covers historical, philosophical and theoretical foundations of gratitude, then presents current research from a wide variety of sources.

Available from Amazon.

Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life

By Angeles Arrien

Angeles Arrien asks readers to think about making gratitude their focal point for a whole year. Bringing together teachings from social science, she presents a 12-month ‘gratitude plan’.

Available from Amazon.

During times like these, it’s easy to give into all the fear mongering and feelings of scarcity. It’s imperative that you limit your exposure to content that fills you up with negativity. Focus on the things that are going right, choose to consume content that fills you with joy instead, and remember to be thankful for all that you have. Think of ways that you can spread joy or give back. Get creative and ask yourself – how do I want to show up when things get tough? Practicing gratitude is a choice you can make every day.

 I’m grateful to you for making the time to read this post and for sharing it with those that might benefit! 

Want to be happy? Be grateful by David Steindl-Rast

 

Got Vision? Three Tips to Effectively Communicate Your Ideas and Inspire Your Followers

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We all know that vision is one of the cornerstones to effective leadership. Yet despite this well known fact, I’ve worked with many leaders who struggle to effectively communicate their vision, and I am always surprised at how often many leaders overlook this important step. After much analysis, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two types of thinkers: Big Sky Thinkers and Detailed Thinkers, and depending on where you fall on that spectrum, it could determine how well you communicate and execute your vision.

In my new book, Leading Gracefully: A Woman’s Guide to Confident, Authentic and Effective Leadership, I offer a short quiz to my readers so they can quickly assess which category the fall into. Lucky for you, you can find that quiz in my free workbook, 15 Exercises to Feminine Leadership Mastery, that you can download from my website. Once you’ve taken the quiz, you’ll have a better idea of whether you’re someone with great vision but lack in execution, or someone who gets so focused on execution, that you forget to take a step back and get people on board with your vision first. Both steps are crucial to leading well-performing, collaborative teams that produce great results.

Here are 3 tips that I offer in my book, Leading Gracefully that both men and women can practice to ensure they don’t fall into the trap many good intentioned leaders fall into.

1) Decide on Your Goal: Is your goal to motivate and inspire your team to follow your vision? Or is it to execute flawlessly on a strategic plan? You can’t have one without the other; as a leader your job is to inspire your people into action and be clear in your expectations, delegate effectively, create accountability, and deliver results. But depending on whether you are a big-picture thinker or a detailed thinker, this may not come as easily or naturally as one would think. Make sure you do both and preferably do the first before the latter. Each requires a different strategy and approach.

2) Be Assertive: If you’re a Detailed Thinker, make sure you’re taking the step back to assertively communicate your vision before forging ahead with the to-do’s. Many women in particular get stuck here because they tend to get wrapped up in the “proving my value” mentality, taking on tasks and going into execution mode to show they are capable of producing results. Those who are promoted to a higher level of leadership (usually Director level or above), also might struggle with letting go of the “doing” and embrace the “being” required of leadership, which starts with assertively and passionately communicating your vision and getting buy-in from key stakeholders before moving into action-planning.

3) Learn to Delegate: If you are a big-picture thinker, once you’ve communicated your grand vision it’s important to follow through with clearly set expectations, roles, responsibilities, direction, and delegation. Execution does not mean taking everything on yourself. Perfectionists (and many women, again for reasons stated above) have a difficult time with this. The fix: stop micro-managing and start empowering your team to take ownership of their areas of responsibility. You’ll be surprised at the results you get.

To learn more about how to effectively communicate your vision and other tips to be a great leader, check out Leading Gracefully, available on Amazon.