A Little Gratitude Goes a Long Way.
What is your experience with the art of… “trash talking?”
Growing up playing hockey, I quickly became accustomed to receiving and often delivering some trash talk.
Trash Talk (verb):
use insulting or boastful speech intended to demoralize.
I’ve heard just about everything under the sun while on an ice rink. Ashamedly, I’ve also dished out my fair share of comments. One of the slang words for doing this in hockey is called “chirping.”
The best chirps weren’t the ones full of colorful language. The best ones were ones that required creativity and would come out of nowhere. I was always a bigger fan of style - It’s easy to tell someone they can’t skate. It’s more fun to go on a rant about your opponent not drinking their tang that morning.
One of the lines that’s always hard to defend is the iconic, the infamous, one word: “Scoreboard.”
If you’re winning, it’s a wonderful line. If you’re losing, well, you don’t love to hear it.
By saying this word, you’re telling your opponent to look at the actual score of the game, which is obviously what matters most. They can say whatever they want as long as the scoreboard shows your team on top.
Believe it or not, it’s an encouraging illustration of what can exist in our lives everyday when it comes to gratitude.
What I am trying to do and what I am challenging you to do along with me is to start keeping score.
“Count your blessings” is a nice saying that probably sells a lot on pillows at Hobby Lobby. As cheesy as it is - it’s also a saying that brings a lot of meaning.
Being grateful doesn’t come naturally for most of us. It’s a learned trait. The power of gratefulness is worth the effort. There have been studies done on what it does to improve your overall mood and health.
You may not need research to understand that we’re happier when we’re more grateful for our lives but it’s important to note there really is science to this! Harvard has a great article on it here.
I’ve tried to make it simple here for us to start implementing in our lives today.
1) Inward
Let’s take an honest look at the things we have to be thankful for around us.
We all have something to be thankful for. Life. Breath. The ability to read this incredible post.
There was something that a mentor of mine called “Cups of Gratitude” that I’ve been working at doing more often. As we drink a coffee (or tea or water or tang) in the morning, pause, reflect and take time to quietly be thankful for the good things in our lives.
Find a moment, preferably the morning, to think about all you have to be grateful for.
2) Outward
Now, legitamately add it to the scoreboard.
Write down the things you are thankful for on a sticky note or in a journal or typed into your phone notes. Say them out loud as you do it.
The act of physically inputting or writing it, along with saying it, helps you connect that thought with a few of your senses. Connecting it with your senses helps you in retaining it later on.
In some levels of sports, there is what is a known as the “mercy rule.” If the score becomes too lopsided, the game will end OR the scorekeeper will stop adding points to the winning team to display on the scoreboard.
In this situation, let’s eliminate the mercy rule and let’s run up the score!
But as we do that, we should keep in mind this final thought…
3) Forward
This is a common phrase in football. To run out the clock means to play conservatively to keep time moving so the game will end as quickly as possible. For us, the clock doesn’t run down so remind yourself to never turn it off!
As we move throughout our day and week, we can continue to collect little moments, people, or things of life that we are grateful for. It’s not limited to one day or one hour or one sitting with a cup of coffee.
This is an opportunity to really stretch our skills of observation. There’s a good chance we’ll find it easier to come by than we thought. And as we store up our gratefulness, we’ll be better equipped to take on life’s more difficult times.
In moments of grief or stress, it’s comforting to be able to tell your feelings, “scoreboard.”
Try it today!