Susan’s Flex the Gratitude Muscle on Charlotte Today!

Yay, Smarty Susan – she ROCKED it on the Charlotte Today Show this am. I know her words were all inspiring but THAT HAIR – OMG, fab!! Thanks, Colleen & Ramona and everyone at the Charlotte Today Show for shining the spotlight on Susan’s awesomeness! Susan’s original blog below, enjoy again! ~Jen

In the concrete jungle of corporate America, it’s a very special time of the year – the “annual review-yearly evaluation-performance assessment” conversation with your boss.

Given I’m in this mindset, I got to thinking about my personal life. There are soooooooo sooooooooo many things I need to improve. I pondered the critical few and the one or two things I could focus on that would be high impact and also would set a good example for my children.

I was inspired in a meeting at work where one of our leaders introduced the concept of “the gratitude muscle” so I chose being grateful.  I’m not very grateful.  I am ate up with “compare and despair” and “everybody else” syndrome.  I’m chronically complainin’. It’s not healthy or fun or good and it sets a terrible example for my kids.

My gratitude muscle is non-existent.  It rarely gets flexed.  It hardly ever gets used.  It is in danger of muscle atrophy.  I need some serious physical therapy on my very weak gratitude muscle!

My life is an embarrassment of riches.  This doesn’t literally mean being embarrassed by having too much money. In fact, it doesn’t refer to anything financial. It describes an abundance of something else. There is a bounty of goodness in my life and the second I open my eyes each day, I should fall down on my knees in gratitude.

Here are some of my simple re-frames and how I can flex my gratitude muscle in my everyday life.   Simple, right? The profound is often in the simple.

“Getting up early to workout blows.”

Flex the gratitude muscle: “Working out is a privilege. Being healthy enough to exercise and going somewhere to sweat ‘just because’ is high living.”

“I hate going to work and my job sucks and all of my colleagues are dip$hit idiots that are not intellectually worthy of sharing my oxygen space.” 

Flex the gratitude muscle: “I have a job at a company that values my contribution. I have a daily opportunity to voice my opinion and learn new skills – on their dime. Being gainfully employed is a luxury.”

“I’m so busy and frantic and run ragged and have no time.”

Flex the gratitude muscle: “Being busy means I have enough disposable income and free time to select extracurricular commitments for me and my family.”  (note: Don’t say ‘I’m so busy’. We’re all busy. If I ever say that to you, please hit me in the face…with a metal folding chair…WWE-Smackdown style…seriously, I deserve it.)

“My husband is a moron and I want to smother him with a pillow.”

Flex the gratitude muscle: “I have an amazing husband who loves me and works tirelessly to provide for our family, set a good example and provide a legacy for our children.”

I need to give my life a huge high five and fall down on my knees in gratefulness.  Do it with me! Flex your gratitude muscle!  Leave me a comment here with your complaint and the re-frame and let’s start a Smarty movement!  We’ll all get better together.