The Power of Gratitude Triggers

Speaking with someone who shares one of your passions never gets old! That’s why presenting to the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance members on November 22, 2016, at their annual conference in Banff AB was so unique. It was an honour to work with their group!My presentation “Giving Your Full Effort” focuses on how we can create a foundation of gratitude that motivates us and shifts our attitude. Ultimately, the shift in attitude enables you to ‘give your full effort’ in whatever it is that you do. One thing is true for all of us, we all get to choose our attitude and effort every single day. It’s a leveling factor for everyone. Choose Gratitude and choose to Give Your Full Effort!Part of the talk focuses on how people can practice gratitude. The action step I’m introducing in the picture above is on Gratitude Triggers.In the early stages of my recovery, something fantastic started happening. At about 3-4 weeks, I regained some of my independence and began transferring from my bed to my wheelchair. I’d had some neurological changes that allowed me to use my legs to transfer. My quads and hamstring muscles were firing. I could physically push my feet into the floor, supporting my weight so I could shift my body from bed to chair and back. It was fantastic! Then at around week 6-7 after my crash, I was even starting to stand on my own!Whenever I pressed my feet into the floor, I experienced an overwhelming sense of relief and gratitude. I was regaining independence with every transfer. The moment my feet would hit the floor in the morning I was triggered with gratitude. No matter what side of the bed I got out of there was a smile on my face!Gratitude triggers are something I stumbled onto organically, but for you, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can practice. For the skiers in Banff, we talked about making turns on freshly groomed runs or powder days as being a good trigger – but that’s an obvious one. What about the days they’re not skiing? It might be something as simple as the first cup of coffee in the morning that is your trigger. The smell of the grinds, the first sip; if it’s something you’re sincerely thankful for, this could be your trigger. For parents with school-aged children, waking them up in the morning could be the trigger they need. The love for a child is absolutely something to be grateful for. BUT I am not a parent… So, maybe it’s the moment BEFORE you wake up your kids?... Maybe that’s when you have your coffee?!? Regardless we can all find things in our day-to-day lives that trigger us and set us off on a good foot for the day.Every day my day starts the same way when I press my feet into the ground and get reminded about how lucky I am. Your gratitude trigger may not be the same as mine is because merely pressing your feet into the floor won’t trigger the same response. Think outside the box to find yours. Gratitude triggers can help you choose gratitude, develop your positive attitude and assist you in Giving Our Full Effort!#gratefuleveryday