Private Revolution: G Is for Gratitude and Goodness

This post is part of the April A to Z Blog Challenge. For more on my 2016 theme of Private Revolution, see A Is for Ambition. Click here to read all posts in the Private Revolution A to Z Challenge blog series.

Gratitude and Goodness

GA recent article from the Harvard Graduate School of Education offers five ways to train our brains to focus on the positive and to practice mindfulness. This is one of my favorites:

2. Practice looking for small moments of beauty or kindness throughout your day: raindrops moving across your window, a moment of warmth in the sunshine, an amiable exchange with a stranger. Focusing on the positive will strengthen your ability to turn your attention away from worries. Read more

Last year a friend included me in a group email in which she asked us all to share a short list of “What’s Good” in our lives, a reminder to ourselves to “remain thoughtful and present and grateful.” For several weeks I received beautiful lists of daily moments of goodness from women I’d never met (thank you, Sarrah).

What’s good today?

  • The April snow was beautiful (and melted almost on impact, so no shoveling was required)
  • I spent the afternoon meeting with strong, warm, creative women to discuss promotion for an upcoming project
  • I have things to do, work to accomplish, ideas to pursue
  • My family is healthy and safe
  • Trader Joe’s macaroni and cheese

What’s good for you today?

Photo credit: Sarrah AbuLughod
Photo credit: Sarrah AbuLughod