Recently, I was plagued with the stress of not achieving my quarterly goal for the first time in my career. Professionally, in any role, the realization of not meeting expectations can be crippling. On top of that, I was struggling with the loss of my uncle and grandmother. I’m sure most reading this know how it feels to lose someone you love. It’s difficult to put into words. The reality of these life events in addition to not contributing at work in the way I’ve grown accustomed were consuming my headspace.

The end of the year allowed for a much-needed period of reflection. I decided to write down four “themes” for myself along with a short list of my “priorities” for 2020. The goal was to hold myself accountable for my actions and give me direction. I came up with the idea from listening to Ray Dalio’s Principles: Life and Work via Audible. Dalio is the founder, co-chairman, and co-chief investment officer of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest hedge funds. He regularly practices meditation and was quoted saying, “Meditation more than anything in my life was the biggest ingredient of whatever success I’ve had.” A practice I subscribe to and encourage others to explore.

In the past year, I discovered my own affinity towards yoga and meditation. Commitment to these practices has proven invaluable for my physical and mental health. But, around the holidays, my anxiety levels were spiking from expectations and my emotional energy was incredibly low. I wasn’t motivated and I couldn’t shake my feelings. One afternoon, I was suffering from a severe headache and felt negativity weighing on my shoulders. I decided to lean on yoga, as I’ve done many times before. During a class that evening, the instructor shared her intention for class — gratitude. I was instantly intrigued by the noticeably positive effect of repositioning my headspace. I took a deep breath, felt my headache subside and tension in my shoulders released.

While exploring resources that dive deeper into the concept, I came across an excerpt from Oprah Winfrey’s What I Know for Sure. It perfectly describes gratitude in the way I experienced that evening. Oprah writes, “Gratitude can transform any situation, it alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive.” Let’s read that a few more times. “Gratitude can transform any situation, it alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive.” A little slower this time. “Gratitude can transform any situation. It alters your vibration. Moving you from negative energy to positive.”

Gratitude enables us to persevere through our toughest moments and experience joy at its fullest. By investing in regular moments of gratitude, a whole generation of individuals could find greater happiness and satisfaction in our incredibly chaotic lives. That’s why my theme this year is gratitude (along with a few others). Accompanied with a focus on mental health, physical health, and education, I’ve reinvigorated my appreciation for daily life. In Braving the Wilderness, Brené Brown confirms this notion. Brown is a grounded theory researcher and an author of numerous New York Times bestsellers. Grounded theory is a methodology in social sciences used to test theories on social relationships and behaviors, based on the collection and analysis of data. She writes, “Across the years, the men and women who could most fully lean into joy were those who practiced gratitude.”

In a world filled with expectations, daily comparisons, hyperactivity, and millions of distractions, everyone experiences levels of unhappiness or dissatisfaction. In certain instances, these mindsets feel unshakeable. Next time you’re experiencing negativity or find yourself not enjoying life, consider channeling your mind to focus on being grateful. Perspective in these moments is incredibly important. I believe gratitude will allow us all to refuel.

To conclude, I thought it’d be helpful to share an example of practicing gratitude. You can try Neil Pasricha’s approach (shared on The mindbodygreen Podcast). He starts and ends each day by writing the following three things:

1. I will let go of ________________________

2. I am grateful for ________________________

3. I will focus on _________________________

P.S. This is my first post on Medium. Please share your comments, thoughts, feedback, and/or an example of how you’ve approached gratitude in your life.

Thank you for joining me. Stay tuned for more.