[Susan Parente]

Thank you so much Roxi! You are such an amazing person and the more I get to know you, the more I like you! 😀

The silverlining thing you posted is so great! I originally heard the idea of being thankful to reduce anxiety from a Priest, who was quoting a passage in the Bible. As soon as I hear it, I realized that was the missing link for me. I had been so anxious last week. Of course I have my faith and I pray for God’s help and guidance, but I was still anxious. I think because I didn’t feel like there was anything I could do, then I started expressing gratitude to my husband and just feeling it each day, an abundance of gratitude.

Out of that, I started seeing how I could contribute to those around me. Because I have acute asthma, I am particularly concerned about this virus. I am healthy and I exercise and eat well (for the most part), but I certainly don’t want to get sick, and perhaps even more importantly, I don’t want to get my husband or parents sick. What I realized I could do is lift the spirits of others and share what I know. I have been working virtual for the last decade and before there worked partially virtually for another ~3-5 years. So, I can write about that, do free webinars, and offer my help to anyone who needs it. I also realized I could be a Grateful Leader to my students (~90 of them that I am currently teaching in a few different courses). Even though these classes are all online, my students has been greatly impacted in the last few weeks and supporting them by sharing gratitude and listening for their gratitude is a great gift that I can give to them!

Since I found what I can do, I am no longer feeling anxious and I am busy living in an abundance of help, love, and work!

Thank you so very much and I am so grateful to be a part of this wonderful community that make such a difference for me!

Susan

[Susan Parente]

Fellow 30-Day Gratitude Challenge members,

We are coming to the end of this challenge. I can say that I gotten much out of this. I am finding myself in the habit of gratitude. I may not be where I want to be, feeling gratitude every moment of the day, but I am reminded daily of gratitude, even in times of frustration, I can find gratitude in everything everyday. I am excited for my continued life in gratitude and I look forward to our monthly CGL meetings to support me in a Life of Gratitude!

I am looking forward to my first presentation on Grateful Leadership, which I hope will be in Q1 of 2020!

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this challenge and please post what you have gotten from these last 30 days of practicing gratitude!

Thank you, thank you thank you!

Susan

[Susan Parente]

I just listened to Jim’s PodCast for this week, “129 ~ Anger or Gratitude – Pick One”. It was so poignant for me in this 30-Day Gratitude Challenge!

Anger is a strong word; however I know that I can get upset or frustrated with situations. Jim’s PodCast made me realize that this blocks me from being grateful. Ah… it really makes sense and I can see how choosing Gratitude also means choosing happiness! What a great way to start this final week of this 30-Day Gratitude Challenge!

Thank you and best to you!

Susan

[Susan Parente]

It is the 3rd week of this gratitude challenge and I am definitely feeling challenged this week… I am feeling the pressure of work and home projects right now. I find that when things get busy, my focus is on getting things done and I am not approaching life with Gratitude…

In my yoga class, the instructor focuses on Gratitude. Even though class is at 7am and it means heading to the class before the sun has risen and it is cold outside, there is still something to be grateful in. I am grateful to be able to take the time to go to Yoga. I am grateful that I am physically able to do yoga. I am grateful that I can walk to my community gym, instead of having to fight traffic to get to the gym! There is so much to be grateful for. Every day I am grateful to share my life with my husband and our dog. I am also so grateful that my parents live nearby and I am able to help them on a daily basis and give them all the love they deserve.

Thank you for your listening and for being a part of this 30-Day Challenge!

Susan

[Susan Parente]

Forget and Remember…

I have found myself forget and remember throughout this challenge. When I am up to change in my life, I sometimes get distracted by my work, family obligations, etc. I have forgotten about this Gratitude Challenge which I am committed to, but then I remember…

I had found it pop up in may different ways, for example my sister in law in FL is doing a 10 Day Life is Good photo challenge and when I see her photos each day, I think of Gratitude! It has been a wonderful reminder to me!

If you find that you forget about expressing gratitude, look to be reminded of it by those around you! 😀

Thank you,

Susan

[Susan Parente]

We are now in week 2 of this 30-Day Gratitude Challenge! I am finding myself expressing gratitude to colleagues whom I have worked with for years… Sometimes it is easy to forget how great people are when you are used to their greatness all of the time…

For one of the clients that I work with, I connected them with a colleague of mine and now I am working with both of them on an Agile project. I emailed both of them last night and expressed to them how grateful I am to work with such smart and wonderful people!

The more grateful I am, the greater my life seems…

Susan 😀

“Find something to be grateful for today…” (This is a new thought I have come to through this challenge…)

[Susan Parente]

Much thanks Michelle!

Will you be joining us in this 30 Day challenge? What a way to step into Fall and the Holidays…!

Thank you,

Susan

[Susan Parente]

It is funny how I started this 30 Day challenge to challenge myself to express gratitude to someone each day. My goal was to make this a habit of mine.

I am getting something different out of this challenge which I did not expect. I am finding I am more focus on gratitude in my life. I am grateful for flowers I had seen every day for month. I am grateful for sunny fall days, and the opportunity to walk each morning and afternoon, instead of driving in commuter traffic. I was even grateful to vacuum this past weekend (which is not my favorite chore). It reminded me how much I love the new flooring we put in our home a few months ago… Even though we had it installed, it was quite an ordeal and as I was vacuuming this past weekend, I was able to see one of my least favorite chore as an opportunity to have gratitude!

Thank you and please share with the group what you are getting out of this 30 Day Gratitude Challenge!

Susan

[Susan Parente]

Fellow Grateful Leaders,

As I am practicing gratitude each day, what I am finding is that I can have gratitude in everything…

Coincidentally, my Mom sent me the following article about anxiety with money. Amazingly, it shared about having gratitude in money, not just receiving it, but when paying bills too! It says, “Gratitude is death to anxiety about money.”

It well worth the quick read!: https://blogs.webmd.com/mental-health/20190813/anxiety-about-money-how-to-find-relief?ecd=wnl_spr_082119&ctr=wnl-spr-082119_nsl-spn_2&mb=BZ7IgFYZ1vrP%2fX9X5tN3sxJZpsk9%40mj5nUWgZychozM%3d

I hope you are enjoying expressing gratitude each day and I look forward to hearing from you here about how your 30-Day Gratitude Challenge is going…

Thank you,

Susan

[Susan Parente]

I’m not on Instagram, but am so glad you are and are joining me for this challenge! 😀

Susan

[Susan Parente]

Awesome Roxi! Share it!

Thanks!

Susan

[Susan Parente]

Great Judy!

Thanks!

Susan

[Susan Parente]

Jim, thank you for the opportunity to share our experiences, and more importantly I acknowledge you for furthering this conversation on acknowledgment, which the world so greatly needs!

I was trying to think of an acknowledgment that I shared that make a huge difference. As you may know, I teach project management, risk management, and Agile, as an Adjunct Professor at 3 different universities.  In one conversation with a student, I was sharing the power of acknowledgment with a student. I first thanked them for the work they did. Then I acknowledged them and I could tell, even over the phone, how powerfully it landed for the student. They were beside themselves. I don’t think my acknowledgment was particularly awesome, but it was heartfelt and what was so significant for the student was the distinction they felt between a thank you and an acknowledgment.

Moments like this are why I teach. I am grateful for being someone who has an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of my students by acknowledgment them for who they are and who they are capable of being!

Susan

[Susan Parente]

Fellow CGL Members,

I am excited to begin this challenge!

I have put a reminder on my calendar to express gratefulness at least once a day! I know it won’t be difficult to feel grateful, it’s taking the time and energy to express heartfelt gratitude that I need to focus on…

Thank you,

Susan

[Author]

Posts