A simple exercise to cultivate gratefulness

Summary

Orianne, a Leadership Coach, shares her personal exercise for cultivating gratitude by listing joyful moments each week, emphasizing the power of acknowledging small joys to foster happiness and thankfulness.

Abstract

The web content presents a reflective exercise by Orianne, a Leadership Coach with a keen interest in the mind's workings. She advocates for the practice of listing things that bring joy as a means to maintain a positive outlook, especially during challenging times. This habit, which she began at the end of 2020—a notably happy year for her—has evolved into a weekly routine. Orianne encourages readers to engage in this simple act of writing down moments of joy, suggesting that it can rewire the brain to feel happier and more grateful. Despite some days being harder than others to recognize these moments, she sets a minimum goal of five joyful instances per week. The article includes her personal list of joyful moments from the second week, which ranges from reconnecting with friends to appreciating Cape Town sunsets, and invites readers to reflect on their own sources of joy.

Opinions

Orianne believes that the feeling of happiness, while transient, can be revisited through the act of listing joyful moments.
She suggests that actively recalling and writing down happy experiences can enhance one's sense of gratitude and overall happiness.
The author emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and accepting one's internal state, whether it's a chaotic mind or any other emotional landscape.
She expresses that personal growth and joy can come from simple, everyday experiences, such as long phone calls with loved ones or engaging in yoga.
Orianne is of the opinion that even seemingly mundane activities, like buying new sunglasses or noticing tan lines, can significantly contribute to one's weekly joy.
She encourages self-care practices, like having a relaxing evening alone or doing breathwork, as essential components of a joyful life.
The author's enthusiasm for her work and the impact of her coaching is evident as she invites readers to connect with her on Instagram and learn more about her profession on her website.

A weekly debrief of moments of joy

I have been practicing this for a while now: listing things that brought me joy.

It all started end of 2020, which was a very happy year for me. I was feeling so happy, I never wanted to lose that feeling. Spoiler alert: that feeling was eventually lost, cause “this shall pass” applies to any situation.

Nonetheless, at the time, I decided to list down, all the tiny things that were bringing me joy, so I could go back to them on darker days. What came out of it, was a very positive habit to “stop and smell the roses”.

Grab a piece of paper, put on a song you love, and start listing what made you joyful this week. It can be anything. As you list them, you reconnect with that happy feeling, and more joyful memories pop up. It tricks your brain into feeling happier and more grateful.

Some days, identifying these happy moments is more difficult, but what matters is to find at least a few. How about we settle on 5?

Week 2 — This week, I am still in Cape Town and excited to reconnect with people and places I love. I kickstarted some cool work and life habits and spent quality time with myself and others. Naturally, I have a bit more than 5! So here goes, what brought me tons of joy this week:

Seeing some more old friends

Realizing that the tension in me, may not come from having a chaotic mind, rather from not accepting it

Doing some more yoga, observing my body getting stronger and more flexible

Long phone calls with my mom and dad

Buying new sunglasses. Feeling happy every single time I put them on my nose.

Eating Salmon roses for the first time in months

Doing Breath(work)

Having an evening for myself, eating in bed, and watching silly Netflix shows

Reading the Surrender Experiment, being unable to put it down

My new tan lines.

Cape Town sunsets (I mean…)

And you, what brought you joy?

Hi, I am Orianne, a Leadership Coach fascinated by the mind. I work with brilliant humans, helping them unlock their next level and feel a bit more (much more) alive and joyful. Follow my travel on Instagram and visit gambino.me for more about what I do.

A simple exercise to cultivate gratefulness | Week 2

A weekly debrief of moments of joy