Higher Purpose Podcast 105: Gratitude is a Way of Life
This week Steve Foran is back on the Higher Purpose Podcast to talk with Kevin about one of their mutual favorite topics - gratitude. They debrief the 10-day gratitude challenges, and the impact they’ve had on people’s lives, and go on to talk about the greater impact of gratitude, and why it’s so critical in this day and age.
Listen to the full episode:
Debriefing the Gratitude Challenge
The hypothesis was that in ten days we could move people from 0-10 in terms of surviving and thriving. The gratitude challenge was 10 days of emails to help people improve their gratitude. The hypothesis was proven right - the needle moved for many, many people, as proven by an avalanche of messages talking about the real, meaningful changes in their lives. The average self-reported change people experienced was a 46% improvement in how they felt. Steve points out that as more people take the challenge, this kind of data, and what it represents could be massively impactful.
What Happens When You Invite Gratitude In?
Steve talks about some of the physical, neurological changes that happen when you’re focusing and prioritizing on gratitude. When stress is one of the leading causes of disease and unhappiness, gratitude is a simple, effective and accessible antidote to the chemicals caused by stress. The hormones that stress causes cannot be produced at the same time as the hormones caused by gratitude. Kevin talks about reading the Abundance Loop, which talks about how negative outcomes have happened when decisions are made on fear. The fix for that is, you guessed it - gratitude. Steve points out that we can be tempted to dismiss the power of gratitude because it is so simple.
Gratitude is Critical
The average North American has the highest quality of life in recorded history. But happiness is not keeping up with the external indicators of happiness and comfort. Steve thinks that the negative is so easy to see, and humans have a tendency to notice and amplify the negative much more than the positive. Kevin and Steve talk about one particular challenge, and how the idea of turning lemons into lemonade can be a useful tool.
Breakthroughs
Kevin had breakthroughs in gratitude and outlook - even as the host of the challenge! Gratitude is the gateway to improvements in all areas of your life. Steve compares it to brushing your teeth. It’s something to do every day. It shouldn’t be rote, and the 10-day challenges are a way to keep your gratitude practice fresh and engaging. Steve asks Kevin to talk a little bit about the change in outlook he had during the challenge. Ultimately, Kevin doesn’t believe they found the gratitude challenge - the challenge found them. Like most things in life, gratitude is better together than alone.
A Grateful Community
The third gratitude challenge - new and improved! - is starting on August 12th. It is the foundation for an extraordinary life. Steve reminds the listeners that even if you’ve taken the first or second challenge - take the third one. There is always something more to learn and experience.
Kevin recalls the line from Steve’s book: “You are worthy and you have much to be grateful for.” Steve talks about what this means, and the way you can use the idea to keep yourself from living in the survival zone. We can all thrive.
Resources
The Power of Gratitue with Steve Foran