21 Day Attitude of Gratitude Challenge 🙏🏻

Fifteen years ago, I was feeling particularly thankless.

In fact, every aspect of my life felt like an uphill battle, and I had no idea how it was ever going to get better.

It was then that I came across the idea of a 21 Day gratitude challenge.

I wasn’t sold right away.

Like so many others, I had seen the film “The Secret.”
It espoused the glory of the law of attraction,
and I absolutely hated it.

I thought it was cheesy, unrealistic, and lacking in any scientific foundation.

So when I heard that expressing more gratitude will attract more of what you want to show up in your life, to say I was skeptical is a gross understatement.

But then I read about the neuroscience, and I reconsidered.
To start with, this practice seemed to help everything
most problematic at that point in my life.

1. Reduction in Stress Hormones (Cortisol)
   → Cortisol and anxiety go together like peanut butter and jelly. Studies show that a regular gratitude practice can decrease cortisol production.
   
   

2. Regulation of the Amygdala
   → This is the brain's emotional processing center, and plays a key role in your "fight or flight" response. It’s also overactive in individuals with anxiety. Gratitude can help modulate amygdala activity, reducing its hyperactivation.
   
   

3. Shift in Cognitive Focus
   → Gratitude encourages a cognitive shift from focusing on what is going wrong or might go wrong (anxiety) to recognizing what is going right. This reframing helps reduce catastrophic thinking while bringing people a sense of control and optimism.

   
   But here is the neuroscience that really sold me,
   and is the true law of attraction:
   
   → The more you focus on gratitude,
   → the more you train your brain to see opportunities.
   → The more opportunities you see,
   → The closer you get to your goals.

It's a feedback loop that works in your favor.

The next three weeks changed everything for me,
and I only wish I had others to share the experience with.

We started this 21 challenge with a group on October 4th. Sign up for my newsletter to join in on the next one!