Long before Ann Davis got married, she’d had a dream to start a family. Now, blissfully content with her new husband, it seemed that everything was not just possible but that the universe was falling into place. They were both so excited about the children they would have and started trying to conceive with joy in their hearts.
In those moments of pure happiness, Ann was blissfully unaware of the devastation which she was later to feel.
After trying for three years without success, they eventually sought medical opinion and there was no good news. Quite the opposite. All hope of Ann getting pregnant was removed when she was told she needed a hysterectomy.
Response
It’s part of the DNA of this blog to look at how people all over the world and throughout time have responded to their adversity. Ann responded to hers in a most admirable way.
In a very intimate post on the Possibility of Change blog, she shows how the grief she experienced moved her to be more grateful for her own life.
In her article, she shows seven ways in which gratitude can transform your life 1 and how she has followed each of them.
Sometimes losing that which you once held dear is the thing that points you to gratitude.
Ann Davis
She has surrounded herself with gratitude every day and is now living a hugely rewarding life. Her dream of holding a new born baby had been dashed but she decided to make gratitude her daily walk.
It really is worth ten minutes of your time to read and absorb the two central messages in her post, that
- no matter what our challenges, there is so much to be grateful for
- practising a regular gratitude habit can transform our lives and the lives of those around us
Opinion
I have a daily gratitude exercise too, where I write in my journal before going to bed. It can feature the things which often go unnoticed such as the kindness of a stranger, the blossoming of a flower or a cup of tea drunk at just the right temperature (so British!). I also express gratitude for the things I’ve achieved, learned or overcome that day. It helps me be happier and realise that even when lots of bad stuff is happening, good stuff is happening too.
Regular gratitude can improve our lives in so many ways. Check this resource out for more information on the research that backs up the theory.
Task
I want you to start a gratitude journal.
Don’t be alarmed or feel overwhelmed – this is not a major task. It could be part of the Wacky Dai notebook, you have already started using. (Everyone nods in agreement.) And it could be one of the best things you ever do. Research shows the difference regular expression of gratitude can make to our well-being.
Dai says, while journaling online or using an app can be handy and versatile, don’t forget research shows that if we write things down we remember them. So, for improved well-being, remembering what we’re grateful for sounds like a great idea.
I would encourage you to read this link from my friends at Positive Psychology Programme who have very generously made this resource available to anyone wanting to start gratitude journaling. It covers everything from what a gratitude journal is, ideas for what to include, journal templates and other tips and resources.
If you have been challenged by life in any way and are feeling the effects of it, then the gratitude attitude is perhaps the number one action you can take.
Do it today, not someday!
Share
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Next Week
How To Get Your Life Back On Track With Meditation
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- I’ve already mentioned on this blog the power of gratitude to transform your life so Ann is really onto something here.