Dictionary.com describes “Idle” as “not filled with activity”. Someone recently asked me the question, “Where does your mind go when it’s idle?” As I stopped to think about that, I quickly realized that my mind often went to a negative place.  Worry about this or that; replaying negative conversations in my mind; frustration; anger; irritation…all these things were very busy in my “idle” mind.  This made me see how important it is to train my brain to jump to a different track.  I need to create a habit of positive thinking, of being grateful and focusing on thoughts and attitudes that bring me life, peace and joy, rather than stress and anxiety.  Sound easy, right?  Not that easy- but definitely possible.

Brené Brown has a short video clip on the connection between Gratitude and Joy. Take a look:

Learning the practice of gratitude takes a bit of time, and for it to be successful, we need to be intentional – which means we do it on purpose, set time aside to practice it.  I hope that in these changing times, when there may be a lot to worry and get frustrated about, I hope that learning the practice of gratitude will be a way for all of us to have more joy, more peace and happiness in our lives.  As this happens, I suspect that those around us will feel it and be impacted as well. Need help getting started?  Take a look at these gratitude prompts and see if they’ll get you going!