One of the things I found over and over again when I’m feeling blue is that I’ve let my practice of gratitude fall by the wayside.
I find that when I’m in a downward spiral, the last thing I want to do is practice gratitude. It’s almost easier to fall to the bottom of the pit of despair than to try to stop yourself before you get to the bottom. But, bit by bit, day by day, this practice has helped me feel more empowered to dig myself up one day at a time.
A few weeks ago, we were talking about self-esteem in one of my taekwondo classes. A little girl, about 7, raised her hand and said, “You can have a positive attitude in school, or you can be serious.”
I responded, “I take my positive attitude very seriously.”
I think my student has unconsciously learned something that most of us believe – we can either have fun or we can get stuff done.
But why is that?
Why can’t we have fun while we get stuff done?
I went on to say to my student that I think being silly and being positive are very different things.
I’m going to be really hokey here – but I take my positive attitude very seriously. I make a choice every day to be grateful, to remind myself of the things I love, and practice joy.
I know there a plenty of reasons to…
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On the Banks 