Things You Can Do This Week to Practice Gratitude in Your Online Business

Written by: Online Business Owner • November 22, 2021

Image Source: Pexels / by RODNAE Productions

I have always been a worrier.

I’m the son of a worrying mother.

The grandchild of a worrying grandmother.

It’s something that’s been ingrained in me from a young age. So, for better or worse, I’ve spent more time in my life than I care to admit worrying about things that may never happen. That was until several years ago when I first heard Brené Brown talk about joy and vulnerability. Since then, I’ve worked to change the worry in my life into gratitude.

In one of her many Super Soul Sunday appearances, sociology researcher, professor, and social work PhD Brené Brown discussed the topic of joy with host Oprah Winfrey. One of the most surprising insights from the interview is when she shares that the most terrifying emotion we experience as humans is joy. Why? Because being fully and completely joyful exposes us to immense vulnerability.

Brown says, “When we lose our tolerance to be vulnerable, joy becomes foreboding.” The example she uses is that of a parent who, in a moment of deep appreciation for their sleeping child, sees their joy turn into terror as they imagine something horrific happening to someone they love so much. Brown estimates that 90 percent of us, and 95 percent of parents, experience some degree of “foreboding joy.”

“We’re trying to dress rehearse tragedy so we can beat vulnerability to the punch.”

But, through her research, Brown has discovered that those who have the capacity to lean fully into joy share one variable in common: they practice gratitude. When they get that quiver of fear in the moment of joy, instead of automatically roleplaying the worst case scenario, they practice gratitude. And it IS a practice -- it requires action, not just thought.

You’ve probably heard about the importance of practicing gratitude in your life and business. You may even have an established gratitude practice that keeps you grounded and in touch with what matters to you the most. But the next step that can help you truly unlock joy and peace is to practice gratitude when you catch yourself shifting into worry. 

This is the perfect time of year to revisit what you’re most grateful for and to sharpen your gratitude skills so you can stop dress rehearsing tragedy and start fully experiencing joy.

Things you can do this week to practice gratitude in your online business…

1. Send your clients a personal note thanking them for trusting you and expressing your gratitude.

2. Make a list of all of the things you’re grateful your online business has provided for you this year.

3. Try to notice moments of joy that turn foreboding as you think about your business — how can you turn them into gratitude?

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