Explicitly Grateful
I’m finding that celebrating my gratitude is important. In the Jewish tradition, the first words that are supposed to be said each morning are those of a short 4 line prayer, Mode Ani, “I thank you.”
Would it not suffice to think it or show it? Saying these words brings our attention to them, they are as much for us as for who we say them to.
When we express gratitude out loud, we are affirming that we and our world exist in a symbiotic relationship. The world has an impact upon us as much as we have an impact upon it.
This acknowledgement requires courage.
For years I asked new teachers to keep a small gratitude journal and log their moments of gratitude. I maintained that they can keep them private, believing that it was enough for folks to engage in the action of writing them down. At the beginning of this assignment, almost each teacher would voluntarily share something from the journal. Then this practice would phase out and we would check in and get straight to business tackling the problems that often come with the pedagogical experience.
Recently, I’ve asked, maintained, to keep this a mainstay of our check in. It’s close to the end of the year now. Tensions are high and the stress of AP tests and regents being around the corner has almost everyone one edge. Before we jump into the planning or looking at data, it is so helpful to take a few moments to reflect and express the gratitude for the positive things that happened to us and that we often played a part in creating. This affirms our positive impact on the world as much as it affirms the world’s positive reaction to us being in the right place, that we are where we are supposed to be on our journey.
Ingredients
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Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.