Want to Beat Adversity? Practice Extreme Gratitude!

Does adversity trip you up more than you think it should? Do you find yourself stuck in a rut much longer than you think is healthy for you? Turn it around with Extreme Gratitude.

I recently hosted a discussion where we explored the idea of Extreme Gratitude. (If you’d like to hear a sneak preview I prepared, go to this link: snip.ly/19xo77)

We opened with “Jocko Motivation ‘GOOD’ (From Jocko Podcast),” a video from Jocko Willink on YouTube (snip.ly/uqpq8w). Jocko served in the Navy SEALs.

In this video, he encouraged his team members to be able to say, "Good" when adversity strikes. “When things are going bad, there’s going to be some good that’s going to come from it.”

“Didn’t get promoted? Good, more time to get better.”

“Got beat? Good. You learned.”

“Unexpected problems? Good. We have the opportunity to figure out a solution.”

I call this Extreme Gratitude.

Are you able to look for the good in any challenging situation, or create the good? Can you see the connection to gratitude in this? I see the gratitude in being able to find something to be thankful for at any moment.

Steve Harvey suggests stopping to be grateful for everything you have, because it’s a substantial list. I believe it was also Steve I heard say that you can’t be sad, or mad at the same time you are feeling grateful.

I recently heard Erin Jones speak. She shared that gratitude is a muscle. You get stronger by exercising it.

What do you do to strengthen your gratitude muscle? You can make a habit of looking for the good in your day. You can reinforce that by listing at least one thing every evening you are grateful for. Doing so will help you be more focused on the good in your day.

And when you look for the good in the face of adversity, whether it is there already or if you have to create it,, you give yourself the foundation to pick yourself up, regroup, and retool to take the lead. This lead gives you back the opportunity to take command of your life and to create the good things you are looking for in life.

Do you have a favorite gratitude practice? Do you have favorite gratitude prayers?

I encourage you to take a gratitude challenge. For the next thirty days, keep a gratitude journal and at least once a day enter something you are thankful for. If you want to multiply your impact, put it on social media. Tag me and add the hashtag gratitude (#gratitude). Notice how your mood and your energy is affected. I’d love to hear how this gratitude work supports you.

In any case, I wish you a healthy gratitude practice to bring you more happiness and get you through adversity. I’m rooting for you!

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I'd love to hear from you, what is one thing you could do to include more fun in your life?

Gratitude is an important part of my Shield Success Plan template. The steps are below. Gratitude fits in as part of the SelfCare365 step. Here is the success framework with the steps that are part of it.

"Take Command of Your Life: Build Your Shield!" Overcome being stuck and not knowing how to reach your dreams. 1. Create your #DreamBlueprint (vision) 2. Know your #Why 3. Pick your #OneThing (most important focus at the moment) 4. Select your #PowerHour & #SuperFriends (your daily time to do the work and the crew that supports you) 5. Do your #SelfCare365 (daily care and love for yourself)

I hope that you find this content helpful with creating a life you love. I am helping warrior leaders take command of their personal and professional lives, to create a life they love including a legacy of service to others. Your dreams absolutely can come true.

If you’d like more support, please do reach out to me via email (info@CoachJohn.help) or phone (616-287-2340). I also offer a free consultation call via https://www.coachjohn.help/book-online. No matter what you decide, I’m here to help you Follow Your Heart, Live Your Best Life and Change the World. I’m rooting for you!

"The warrior in all of us is desperately searching for something heroic, transcendent, or self-sacrificing." cac.org