Give Mindfulness

Illustrated by Jacqueline Davis Moranti

In your best moments, confidence is an easy despondency. Conquering goals, having great health, and setting good relationships with friends and family, conflict free. It's as if the universe has your back. Then of course there are those times when it feels like the exact opposite. And lately, it's quite easy to fall into that feeling especially since Election day, the slump is real folks! For an entire week and a half my office has been so gloomy and retired from work and concentration. No matter how badass we are, there are those moments in life that seems to take every little bit of you to go on. And at those times it's like the universe is conspiring against you. Of course it's not the place that anyone wants to be in because you lose your power and what makes you, you. The one thing that's been helping me at those moments is my gratitude. Yes, you can't take total responsibility for some circumstances, just remember that giving wellness always helps to shift your focus. With Thanksgiving here, it's the perfect time to journey into empowerment through gratitude. 

The best way to cause a sustainable shift in the level of power and sovereignty on an ongoing basis is by scheduling time everyday to practice. You will need a journal or scraps of paper that you can keep together and put aside in a specific place. Each day, same time and location, sit in silence and bring your awareness in. Practice your breathing, as you would in Yoga class and once your mind is quiet, write down one thing you are grateful for. Try this for about a month to see how much you've grown, here's how I break it down.... 

-For the first week and a half (10 days) focus on yourself, what makes you grateful to celebrate you? It can be the same thing every day or completely different each day. I'm grateful for my intellect and ability  to decipher. I'm grateful for my unruly, thick mane. I'm grateful that I can open my eyes every morning. 

-For the next ten days (11-20) focus on the people around you. Take notice of how supported you are by your friends and your family. Relationships are hard and challenging but all the more special. I'm grateful for my loving parents. I am grateful for my awesome relationship with my brother. I am grateful for my cheerful barista.  

-Next ten days (21-30) focus your attention on servicing others. Empower yourself with the ability to contribute to the wellbeing of others, make people feel purposeful. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a force of positivity in the world.

For the final day, go through your notes, in no particular order. Consider the value of each and celebrate the goodness in your life and see it as a counterbalance to the challenges in life. As Mahatma Gandhi one said,"Be the change you want to see in the world," lead by example and share the wellness this holiday season. I'm thankful and grateful for a lot this year, Thanksgiving has a messy history but it's somehow unifying. Managing to be beautifully hopeful and desperately old school at the same time, kind of like this country of ours, where i'm thankful to live.