A common thread among all of the successful people I have been listening to (thanks to my newfound love of podcasts) is that they all have a daily gratitude practice.
Similarly to how singles are always being told, 'You have to love yourself before anyone else can love you' they insist you also have to be grateful for your current life (no matter how crappy it may seem) before the universe rewards you with better circumstances.
This I already knew. But I heard this little fun-fact and it really stuck with with me:
You can't be angry and grateful at the same time.
No, like you really can't. It's not possible.
Taking a moment to breathe when you feel yourself getting heated over something and thinking about something you are truly grateful for stops you from seeing red.
The secret is you can't just be like 'I'm grateful for my dog'. You have to picture their cute little face. Think about how how precious they look when they are snuggled up next to you. Envision their 'I did something wrong' face that completely melts your heart...
It's a great little trick to have in your back pocket.
I was already kinda a pro at this. I have always been able to find the silver-lining in an otherwise shitty situation. Like 'Hey, that dickhead just cut me off! Butttt he didn't hit and kill me. WINNING!'.
But for the sake of trying to live my best life ever I decided to really step up my gratitude game.
So now I am REALLY walkin' around like Susie Fucking Sunshine.
I think about things I am grateful for all day, errr day.
EVEN while I watch Game of Thrones.
Full disclosure: I am only a recent GOT cult member.
I binged the whole season in two weeks last summer while I was doing a Bravo detox. (I needed a little break from the Housewives).
My friends were all shocked that I was able to get into the series. Mostly because prior to this the only gore I could tolerate was the Dr. Pimple Popper videos on Instagram.
But I was hooked.
Now let me tell you... there are countless things you can be grateful for about your own life when watching this series but I have composited my top ten.
In no particular order, here they are...
1. My head. And how it is firmly attached to my body.
R.I.P. Mr. Stark.
2. That the worst battle scar I have is a one-inch slash on my knee from bumping into a wall while I was floating down a lazy river.
Stab wounds, missing hands... These characters really take a beating. Poor Jon Snow and Tyrion get those gnarly scars right on their faces. I can't even talk about the Hound's mug...
3. My brother has never made a pass at me. And never will.
Thank you, Jimmy.
4. That I do not have to wear that heavy-ass suit of armor.
With danger lurking in every corner my daily #OOTD would have to be a full suit or armor. And let's be real, I can barely handle the added weight of my purse most days. No way in hell could I manage to move around with all that clunky steel. According to Google that shit could weigh up to 110 lbs!!!
Kudos to my girl, Brienne of Tarth. I didn't hear her complain ONCE.
5. That the American judicial system does not use trial by combat.
It's a bit of a gamble, don't ya think? I mean it's a total loophole for guilty people to walk freely!
Also, in real life I doubt there would be as many volunteers to fight on a defendant's behalf as there was on GOT.
Although, I asked my dad if he would fight for me and he said 'Of course. I would do my best to squish my competitor's head like a grape just like the Mountain did'.
That's love.
6. Planes, trains & automobiles.
Okay, now this is something I thought about a lot throughout the series:
Everyone is constantly on the move from city to city WITHOUT the help of modern transportation.
They said it was a month-long trip by horse just to get from King's Landing to Winterfell.
A MONTH!
Suddenly my 45 minute commute to work doesn't seem so bad.
7. Indoor plumbing
I have two words for you: CHAMBER POT
8. Modern medicine
If the only way to treat a rash was to CUT OFF the affected tissue, sans sedation or pain meds, I gotta tell ya... I think I'd let myself turn to stone.
You're a trooper, Jorah.
9. Dragons don't exist.
Yea, we all wanted pet dragons when they first hatched but those full-sized beasts are no joke. One ill-timed sneeze and you are BBQ.
10. That Cersi Lannister is a fictional character.
Suddenly Trump doesn't seem as bad.
There ya have it, folks!
XO,
A
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