As a coach, I am privileged to observe what works for people. What truly changes people. What has the biggest impact on people’s performance and what gets them where they want to be.

It’s true that everyone is different. What works for you might not work for me. We have different habits, beliefs, life styles, and so on. I have tried many of the practices my coachees come up with. Some were very effective for me, others not so much. And five of them I adopted and decided to stick to as they made a significant difference in my life. Interestingly enough, these five come up most often in my coaching practice and it seems they are highly effective for most people.

In this mini-series, I’d like to share all five of them with you. I will also highlight the areas and abilities each of them has the biggest impact on. I honestly believe that embracing the one that feels right for you can make a profound difference in your life.

The first one is gratitude practice.

 

What is gratitude practice?

The human brain is a funny place. One would think it’s made to do the best for us. And in many ways it sure does. Just the sheer functioning of the human body is a miracle, there is no doubt. But when it comes to facing life and work situations, when it comes to thinking, planning and reacting, the subconscious way our brain works is not necessarily in our favor.

It’s due to centuries and millennia of evolution and our learned fight or flight reaction to every new situation. We are on the lookout for danger. We tend to look for problems. We need to solve them to protect ourselves. That’s how we are wired to tackle literally every situation. We are not wired to look at things, people and situations positively and appreciate them for what or who they are.

We know what we don’t have, what is wrong and what doesn’t work. However, we need to consciously remind ourselves of everything we do have, everything that is good and beautiful and everything that works. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always come easy. We need to make a point of doing so. But once we do, the mental shift can be ground-breaking.

Especially, if you start your day with gratitude practice. If you think of what you are grateful for and fully appreciate it for a moment, you set the stage for positive thoughts, for positive ways of looking at things, you open up your mind to a different approach. It takes little time to sit down and write what you are grateful for each day. Some days it’s easier. Other days it takes a while. Some days you realize how incredibly fortunate and blessed you are and how much you have to be thankful for. Other days you are grateful for simple things in life. The important part is to feel it, mean it and to take some time to reflect on it.

Gratitude practice opens your mind to possibilities. It boosts your creativity. It brings positive energy and appreciation into your day. It has an immense power to transform your approach, behavior and performance.