Face It: Gratitude Is The Attitude

I have been taking a lot of time to think.

Thinking is a big part of content.

If I didn’t sit & think ( or meditate ) I would not be the best version of myself on The Skinny Confidential.

One of the themes that has come up a lot in my morning meditation sessions is GRATITUDE.

Sitting with what I have in that moment & being 100% fulfilled without wanting more.

Just appreciating the people & things I have around me.

Tony Robbins always talks about ACHIEVEMENT vs. FULFILLMENT.

“Success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure in life. The worse advice you can get is ‘go achieve all your goals’. Most people do that and they go, ‘is this all there is’? … what you have to find out is what’s going to fulfill you.”

I BELIEVE with every speck of my being that fulfillment…starts with gratitude.

Gratitude is taking the time to look around & appreciate life’s beauty. Embrace. Feel it. Be thankful.

And here’s the thing: gratitude is really very simple.

It’s taking a moment or two every day to think about things or people you’re grateful for.

I’ll start. Today I wrote down three things:

1.) I am grateful for the incredible, special time I spent with my grandma. The Nanz was truly my best friend & we did everything together. She was even working with me on The Skinny Confidential. I am grateful I had time with a friend like her.

2.) The Skinny Confidential community keeps me feeling grateful. To be able to connect with you  guys on a daily basis gives me fuel. I feel like I have a community of friends all over the world.

3.) YOGA. Yoga has helped me be still. I am grateful for stillness where I can sit with my thoughts. It allows me to function at a higher creative level AND step back & enjoy the ride. Yoga has been life-changing, mentally. Health is wealth.

( To be honest I’m also very thankful for noise canceling headphones because now I can write in bed without disturbing Michael ).

Anyway, tomorrow I’ll write down three more, & the next day three more, & then so on and so on.

I write this list in my black Bullet Journal ( << which is a whole post in itself? ) in pretty pens to set the tone. Pastel highlighters are fun to use to showcase important words/phrases. You could use any journal or even type it on your phone if you want.

Remember gratitude is a skill. A happiness skill. And with a skill you have to practice. So practice your skill everyday.

…I’m actually going to go out on a limb here & say gratitude can change your day…LIFE. That’s right. Shift your perspective & magical things start to happen.

The other day I woke up in a horrific, bleak mood. Michael’s delivery was off in something he said to me & I snapped at him. Immediately afterwards I went into my office & took three deep breaths & wrote down three things I was grateful for ( one being Michael ). The whole day changed just like that. I had a choice in a moment to hold a grudge & be a bitch all day OR to shift my focus to gratitude. Changing my mindset from scarcity to abundance. Simple really.

Honestly it’s easier & more comfortable to be the bitch, FYI.

Gratitude takes getting uncomfortable to become comfortable but its rewards are worth the work.

This source states: “two psychologists, Michael McCollough of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis, wrote an article about an experiment they conducted on gratitude & its impact on well-being. The study split several hundred people into three different groups and all of the participants were asked to keep daily diaries. The first group kept a diary of the events that occurred during the day without being told specifically to write about either good or bad things; the second group was told to record their unpleasant experiences; and the last group was instructed to make a daily list of things for which they were grateful. The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy. In addition, those in the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, were more likely to help others, exercised more regularly, and made greater progress toward achieving personal goals.

If something positive happens to you, your level of happiness rises, & then it returns once again to your “happiness set-point.” A practice of gratitude raises your “happiness set-point” so you can remain at a higher level of happiness regardless of outside circumstances. Overall this research shows that those who practice gratitude tend to be more creative, bounce back more quickly from adversity, have a stronger immune system, and have stronger social relationships than those who don’t practice gratitude. He further points out that “To say we feel grateful is not to say that everything in our lives is necessarily great. It just means we are aware of our blessings.”

Hence why I write them down.

I feel like writing them keeps me very aware. And awareness is key.

My dad is always grateful. He’s always optimistic. Sometimes to the point where you like want him to not be SO positive. But he never sways. I continually admire these qualities so much. The reason he’s so positive is because he is constantly leading with gratitude ( love you, Daddy! ).

OK, now it’s your turn: what are you grateful for? It can just be one word if you want. Try starting tomorrow with a thought of gratitude. It just might set the tone of your day.

XO lauryn

+ new podcast episode is up with Michael’s dad, Gary Bosstick ( …he’s a REAL hoot & super entrepreneurial ). Also, be sure to listen to the podcast I WANT HER JOB. They interviewed me about business/life. Super fun one. 

{ Hi Stephanie! I’m SO flattered you like the blog : ) Here are my restaurant recommendations for San Diego: + Craft and Commerce + George’s in La Jolla (BEST view) + Searsucker + Banker’s Hill + Herringbone + Cafe Gratitude + Cucina Urbana + True Foods + Whisk n’ Ladle + Zenbu Sushi in La Jolla + Fidel’s (BEST Mexican food ever, but not fancy at all) + Ironside Some fun ways to check out San Diego: + Del Mar and Cardiff beach + walk around the town of La Jolla + definitely go to the Farmers’ Market in Little Italy. + the Embarcadero is amazing on a Sunday! + take an aerial yoga class at Trilogy Sanctuary in La Jolla. Their cafe is all gluten free and vegan, AND AMAZING! + go to Bird Rock in La Jolla for cute little stores, there’s also a Studio Barre there if you want to take a class. Have fun!! And THANK you so much for your sweet support. xx http://www.fashionlush.com }