SHIFT :: I, like many people, had a lot of bad stuff going on in my life. Tons of debt, non-existent love life, career boredom and a stubborn 15 lbs that didn’t ever seem to stay away. Lots of stuff to feel negative about, not a lot of hope or change on the horizon. So one day I decided to do the complete opposite of what I felt like doing, which was to bury my head under the covers and give up on life, I decided to start saying “Thank you.“
I decided to start looking at my life for the things I found positive, made me happy, and that I felt extremely blessed to have. And I decided to do this little gratitude project publicly via Facebook status updates. So began my 30 days of Gratitude project.
My little idea that ended up having really big effects.
I started looking for the positive things in my life, things that made my life special and it had this amazing effect. It started opening up my mind to the wonderful things surrounding me. It made me smile and when things started getting negative I would focus on my post that day to remind myself to stay in a positive space.
These things weren’t grandiose; I certainly don’t live that kind of life. They were things like my job (having a permanent full-time position with full benefits in this economy is a fantastic thing), my dog (a rescued Yorkie that has come and changed my life for the better), my health, my friends, invitations to holiday parties, my sexuality, my community and so on. I would always start the process the same way, wake up, take some deep breaths and get into a meditative space and then think of a word, idea, visualization that would inspire my gratitude post for the day. It felt right to get still and centred first. And then the flood gates would open. Ideas would come forth and I would feel overwhelmed trying to capture them.
I began to walk around looking for things to feel grateful about, a nice person at the sandwich shop, a baby that smiled and giggled at me on the subway, a sweater that was marked 30% off but was really 70% off (I LOVE a bargain, get it from my mom). The constant reminders of all of the things that surrounded me that I was extremely blessed to have, wrapped me in this cocoon of positivity that was really hard to penetrate.
The other amazing thing was the reaction I received from other people. Friends from all over the world were messaging me saying how much they enjoyed reading my posts, that it gave them something to look forward to, that it inspired them to start looking to their own lives with a view to being more grateful. This was an unexpected and yet entirely thrilling side effect. I was able to be a catalyst for positivity and that was something I was even more grateful for.
So now I have completed my 30 day challenge, and while I am still working on that stubborn 15 kbs, and I still have the same job, and the stack of bills is only slightly shorter but what has changed is my perception of things. My reality is now changing to my new mindset and I know that I will achieve all of the things I want to. I am happier and more focused and present now. This makes me feel like I’m on cloud nine.
And I’m really starting to enjoy the view.
Aaron Hewitt is a Toronto-based health care professional currently completing a degree in Disability Studies at Ryerson University. Aaron continues to be a conscious, active co-creator of his amazing life.
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