Finding Rainbows and Butterflies

I started a practice a while back that has truly brought a ton of goodness into my life and I wanted to share it with you.

It’s the foundation of my daily life and my business. In fact, my logo represents this concept as well and I wear it as a daily reminder. What is it?

Gratitude.

Let’s dive into that for a moment. 

Would you stop right now and think of three things you are grateful for?… 

No really. Pause and close your eyes if you need to. Think about those three things you are grateful for. 

Pretend I’m a magician and I’m going to guess which card you picked from the deck except I'm going to guess the three things you are grateful for.

I bet that those three things were probably big things like your health, your family or your home. And that’s absolutely great but...

Let me tell you how a simple daily gratitude routine can change your life.

At least once a day, I write down five things I’m grateful for. I use my Start Today Journal from the Hollis Co but you could use a simple notebook or the notes section in your phone.

The things you write down can be big or small but the rule is, it has to be something from the last 24 hours.

For example, it may be my perfectly brewed almond milk latte that I made for myself or that my manicure dried before I went to sleep or my son told me tonight was the "best night ever" as we played ball in the living room or that sweet direct message a friend sent me on Instagram or that my back didn’t hurt today or that we weren’t late for school this morning… You get the point. 

It’s the tiny things that otherwise may be overlooked.

Why would I be grateful for those tiny moments? 

I’m grateful for those tiny moments because I know I’m on a mission to look for things for my gratitude list. If I wasn’t making a list every day then those little things would pass by almost unnoticed. Assigning gratitude to them allows me to really live in those moments as they happen and it also allows me to recognize more of them.

You see, when you are on a hunt for gratitude you’ll find it. If you believe the world is doom and gloom you’ll find that instead. Our mind is on a mission to prove itself right. So when your outlook is that the world is full of beautiful moments and gifts that will shine through the gloom.

I’m not saying the world is all rainbows and butterflies but damn… when I’m on a mission to see them they appear. They outshine the grief and fear and the negative self-talk and the scary sensational news. The good outshines the bad.

So today, I hope you start noticing things that would make your gratitude list and write them down at the end of the day. You’ll go to bed with less worry and more joy and you’ll wake with excitement to find more!

I’m hoping this blog makes your list tonight.

Grateful for you,

Crystalyn 

P.S. Here is a clip of Sheryl Sandberg and Oprah Winfrey talking about this exact practice. Sheryl is a fellow widow and has inspired me on my journey of healing.