September 28, 2014

ISIQ-0606

“Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.” – Kobe Bryant

For what am I grateful?

I am grateful for many things.

I am always grateful for my health, for my wife, and for my kids.

I am grateful for the opportunity to constantly push up against at my own boundaries.

I am grateful for the challenges I face, daily, at being a better husband, father, entrepreneur, human.

I am grateful for even having the opportunity to occasionally feel depressed, because it means that so many of my basic needs are so well provided for, that I am out of survival mode, and am privileged enough to have time for depression.

Depression is a privilege? Really? Yeah, kinda.

I am grateful for you, dear reader, giving your eyeballs and thoughts and time to my writings.

That I have an audience of any kind to observe and share in my quest is an honour. That you constantly return and share celebrations and commiserations with me is exciting and humbling.

I am grateful for the material possessions which I use to create and publish these IQs every day.

I am grateful for the chance to be of service; to help.

I am grateful for the deep connection I feel with nature and the ocean.

I am grateful for the transformational power of gratitude. As I sat to write this today, I was furious – for a whole bunch of silly reasons – and felt like I wasn’t interested in doing these IQs anymore. (Truly.)

Yet, at the end of a few hundred words – mostly based around the phrase “I am grateful for…” – I feel my mood lifted, my spirits buoyed, my heart light again.

This is actually an interesting taste – for me – of the profound power of gratitude. I have been following the work of Toni Powell (filmmaker, author, TEDx speaker, gratitude expert) for some time, and this morning as I sat down to write my IQ I thought to myself: “I’m really pi$$ed off right now, so maybe I should just start writing all the things I’m grateful for, and see what happens?”

And here I am, happier and lighter. Magical.

Toni has recently done some booked-out free webinars on her work with happiness and gratitude, and has subsequently just released an online course called “The Great Full Life Class”. The course is normally $349 but has an earlybird special of $169 for the rest of today (Sep 28th). I only just remembered – thanks to a reminder email – so I’ve decided to sign up and see what I can learn from Toni’s work.

Click here if you’re interested. Note: This is not an affiliate link. I just love what Toni does and want you to have the chance to check it out.

In the meantime, I shall be pondering the wise words of Mr Bryant – amazing NBA basketballer – and thinking on how I can use my challenges to rise.

Have an amazing Sunday, wherever you are in the world.

With love,
Israel. xo

 

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}