So for today’s post, I wanted to try an experiment. I’m actually dictating this blog into an app. So it’s transcribing my voice, and then writing it into words. As you read this, it might not sound entirely “correct,” but, I’m trying something I’m calling conversational blogging.

I want to talk about gratitude. I did a video earlier this week about gratitude, and, to say the least, I’ve been thinking more, and more, and more, how am I being grateful? Whenever trials come up, or, I’m going through a difficult time, I’m trying to figure out how I remain grateful in those times. As I’ve been introspective, I realized that I don’t always do a great job of being grateful in those situations honestly. Whenever I face setbacks, or I face problems, I just don’t always do the best job of being grateful in those moments. So for me, I am now kind of adopting this attitude of taking a step back to focus on gratitude. Like GaryVee has been saying for a while, gratitude is single-handedly one of the most potent things that an entrepreneur can have in his tool belt. So I am starting to try to put that skill to use myself.

Every time I have ever been grateful, even if things are hard, I always come out on the other side, happier, I’ve learned more, and I just appreciate the journey that I’ve been on more when I go at it from the point of gratitude. I have the opportunity to live in America, I have the chance to own my own business. Those are things to be grateful for. The very fact that I am alive and breathing is a reason to be grateful. What do I really have to complain about? I have the most precious gift in the world, which is life.

I can get hung up on challenges, and I know as a business owner, entrepreneur, it’s easy to get hung up on bad things happening, sales not coming in the door, clients or customers giving you a lot of negative feedback, pressure mounting, business relationships crumbling. I understand that it can be challenging to be grateful in those situations. But you’ve got to take a step back, and this is what I’ve been trying to put into practice. Even just this past week, I began to notice the importance of taking a step back and being grateful for what I have, seeing how far I’ve truly come, looking at me a year ago, versus looking at me now. It’s a night and day difference.

So, my recommendation to you, or challenge to you rather, is what are you doing to be grateful in these moments? What are you doing to really promote that culture? The numbers don’t lie, the facts don’t lie, every time that you operate from a place of gratitude great things happen. Overall you are healthier, your thoughts are clearer, the work that you put out comes from a place of gratitude, so it’s going to be better, people around you become better as well. My urge to any entrepreneur, business owner reading this is, what are you doing to exercise gratitude for the journey you’re on? If you own your own business or you’re an entrepreneur, you’re getting to do something that most people don’t get to experience in their life. So, just take a minute, let that sink in and realize all of what you really have to be grateful for. Even if you’re reading this post right now and it feels like the world is closing in, you’ve got bills to pay, and money’s not coming in, take a step back from a place of gratitude and be thankful for how far you’ve come. Then, work and try to fix those challenges that face you from a place of gratitude.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. As I said, I’m doing a straight dictation into my phone with only some basic editing, so it’s not “perfect,” but I want it to be meaningful. I’m on a mission to make business better across the board. I believe that comes from great leaders, and I think that happens, in part, from a grateful heart! Don’t let hard times steal your joy. Thanks for reading!