Changing Your Perspective to a Cup Half-full!
By Janet Hennies and Kim Rudd
November is when we give thanks for the blessings in our lives. Why do we practice this only in November? Shouldn’t we count our blessings every day?
Last November I posted an article called Practicing Gratitude For Health Benefits. I strongly believe in the practice of gratitude relating to our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. My friend Janet Hennies mentioned she had started the practice of journaling three good things each day which has helped change her daily perspective. We decided to co-write an article about the benefits of practicing gratitude in all areas of our lives.
What Does Science Say About Gratitude?
Science agrees that we should practice gratitude. According to the article in Mindful, The Science of Gratitude by Misty Pratt, gratitude is the “social glue” to building and nurturing strong relationships. “Gratitude” helps people realize that they wouldn’t be where they are without the help of others.”
Robert Emmons, psychology professor and gratitude researcher at the University of California, Davis, explains that there are two key components of practicing gratitude:
- We affirm the good things we’ve received
- We acknowledge the role other people play in providing our lives with goodness
Mental and Physical Health Benefits of Practicing Gratitude
How exactly does this work? Very simply– cognitively, people know the challenges and benefits in our lives. By focusing more attention on the benefits or the good in our lives, studies have concluded that we can increase “feelings of happiness, optimism, and positive emotion.” Nancy Davis Kho, author of The Thank—You Project: Cultivating Happiness One Letter of Gratitude at a Time, states, “Strengthening your positive recall bias makes it easier to see the good things around you even when times are dark.”
There are more benefits than you might think… science has also published research showing that grateful people have fewer health complaints such as headaches, digestion issues, respiratory infections, runny noses, dizziness, and sleep problems.
Finding 3 Good Things Daily Challenge
In the coming month, Janet and I challenge you to practice finding 3 good things each day. You can say them out loud, journal them, or share them with someone you know. This daily activity will take 1-10 minutes (depending on how detailed you like to be) a day. Pick a regular time each day to reflect on 3 Good Things that happened on that day or the day before.
Usually, it is just a quick word or two. Good Things can be straightforward, like “I love the color of the leaves on maple trees” or “I ate a crisp apple.” You can also list big things such as, “I made it in wave 4 of the Birkie!” Janet enjoys reading past entries to remind her of all the goodness that surrounds her no matter how bad her day has been. Gratitude can transform our day-to-day lives, and thinking of three good things can be a powerful exercise. What are three good things that have happened to you today?
Finding 3 Good Things in Your Training and Racing
In the last three years, I (Kim Rudd) have experienced many different injuries that have affected my training and racing performance. Choosing to focus on the positive during these physical trials has helped me gain a new perspective. When my race performance is subpar, I try to focus on what I did execute well instead of my result time.
Choosing three attainable process goals before your workout or race event can help focus on the process instead of just the result. I would like to incorporate Janet’s “3 good things” challenge into my daily training and seasonal racing experiences.
Examples of three process goals that I may choose for a race event could be….
- Start the race fast and try to draft as much as possible.
- Ski relaxed and work on my technique transitions.
- Encourage others around me during and after the race.
Following my race I would then choose to reflect on 3 good things that happened before, during, or after my race. So much of my racing experience has been focused on my results. In the coming race season, I desire to exchange this perspective with the practice of gratitude. Will you join me this ski season with the same challenge?
Changing our perspective from seeing the glass half-empty to half-full will produce more joy in our own lives and those around us. May you experience the joy of practicing gratitude this Thanksgiving and throughout the coming year!
By Janet Hennies and Kim Rudd
