Have You Heard of the Gratitude Walk?


Have you heard of this:

 The Gratitude Walk

I’m sure just about everyone has heard of the Gratitude List, but A Gratitude Walk???  When my good friend, Paul, mentioned this to me, I really became curious so I did what any open minded person would do…I googled it.

And I liked what I read.  Here is one article that I found very interesting: http://bit.ly/2g9Lv9u.

The idea is to walk every day and with each step, think about what you are grateful for. The thought of walking and being grateful at the same time sounded like a powerful combination to me.   And as I thought about it further, I realized it didn’t have to stop at a single word or a single thought.  It could be an entire story of something or someone I am grateful for.  It could be a total experience of something that happened in my life.

I really like this idea and want to try it immediately.  BUT…  (there’s that ugly word again).  Where do I begin my Gratitude Walk?  With snow on the ground and the sub zero weather, do I really want to take a walk outside?  If you are as driven as my friend, Paul, you do it anyway.  You zip up your warmest coat, wrap that scarf tightly around your neck, put on your best gloves and go out to face the weather.

However, I’m being honest here.  That’s not for  me.  So I’m left to figure out how I can do a daily Gratitude Walk when the weather is crummy.  Any ideas?  I’d love to hear them.  I’d really love to start a Gratitude Walk and I need your help.

Categories: Personal Development Positive Attitude Professional Development Professional Speaker
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How To Tame a Negative Nellie


Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow and everywhere I look, I see articles on gratitude.  Now don’t get me wrong – I’m a HUGE fan of gratitude.  Keeping a gratitude list actually helped me turn my life around several years ago when everything was crumbling around me.  In fact, I wrote a series of five blogs on the topic of gratitude and being thankful.  If you’d like to read them, start here then scroll through the next four: https://nancydepcik.com/blog/page/13/.  They’re pretty insightful.

But today I thought of a little twist.  What about all those people who aren’t moved by gratitude – don’t know what it really means, how to use it or even care about it.  Do you know anyone like that?  Maybe someone who complains a lot, or isn’t aware of the amazing things that surround them.  Do you sometimes have to share the day, whether it’s a holiday or not, with a Negative Nellie? 

How do you handle that?  How do you keep from getting sucked into their bad mood?

Here’s an idea – give them a compliment!  Yes, you heard me right.  In the middle of all their complaining, moaning and groaning, tell them you like their shoes, or you like the color of their shirt, or the cake they brought is absolutely delicious.  Derail them!  Make them stop in their tracks and figure out how to absorb something good in their life.

I’ve tried this a few times and it works!  Maybe not all the time, but when it does, it’s amusing to see the look on their face.  It’s a good feeling to know you’ve turned their attitude around, even if it’s only for a moment or two.  You’ve made them stop and take notice.  Besides, it keeps you from reaching for the aspirin. 

Try it – what have you got to lose?  Watch the impact you can have on someone else.  Then you can go back to having a lovely day of your own. 

Categories: Personal Development Positive Attitude Positive Thinking Professional Speaker
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Something So Simple


In my last blog I talked about some of the greatest challenges I have ever faced in my life.  And I also promised to share some of the lessons, tips, techniques – whatever you want to call them – that helped pull me out of the darkness. 

Well, here’s the first one:

It sounds so simple, but it made a huge impact on helping me believe in myself once again.

It’s called the Gratitude List.

But this Gratitude List is slightly different.

I actually read about it in a magazine, and the article promised that it would make me feel better – or at least give me a few minutes of peacefulness.  And at that time, I was willing to try anything!

I remember reading that you have to write down what you are grateful for every day for 30 days.  That’s the key – 30 days.   I thought to myself, “All right, I can do this.  This is simple. â€Â 

I had just gone through a major change in my life, so I lived in a tiny apartment with no furniture.   I pulled out a pad of paper and a pen, I sat on the floor and thought:

“OK, what am I grateful for today?â€Â  And I came up with………. nothing.  Not one thing.

Because when you are in such a dark place, you can’t think of what you are grateful for.  All you can think of is what you’ve lost. 

So I said to myself:  Nancy, you are not getting up until you think of three things you are grateful for.  That’s all I ask of you – three things. 

It took some time but eventually I did come up with three things.  And every day I would pull out that same pad of paper and start writing things I was grateful for that day.  And amazingly, with each day, the list got longer and the things I was grateful for came easier to me. 

Then about half way through the 30 days, I noticed a shift.  I noticed that the things I was writing down when I first started were very superficial.  I wrote: thank you for my shoes, thank you for my pretty bracelet, thank you for my car.  But as time went on, I wrote things like: thank you for my friends, thank you for the love of my family, thank you for my perseverance.  And I realized these are things I cannot buy with money and things that no one can ever take away from me.  No matter what happens they will always be with me.  

It was at that point that I truly began to feel better, and started the long, confusing process of putting my life back together again.

The Gratitude List is big, and I didn’t expect it. 

So I’m asking you for just 30 days, every day, take out a pad of paper and pen and write down what you are grateful for. Take some time in the morning, at lunchtime or in the evening, but find some time every day.  You WILL see a change in your attitude.  It will help make your life easier, happier and more peaceful. 

Please, let me know your experience with the Gratitude List.  Next week, I’ll share another powerful lesson that helped me turn my life around.

Categories: Personal Development Positive Attitude Professional Development Uncategorized
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The Power of Gratitude -Phase 2


Last week we talked about phase 1 of gratitude, and how keeping a gratitude list will help you embrace things with gratitude instead of taking them for granted. Once this happens, you will actually feel gratitude in your heart and in your soul, and it will bring you so much joy.

You will now find that you enter phase 2 of gratitude, sometimes without even realizing it.

And what is phase 2?  It’s extending gratitude to others.  Maybe through an email, text, phone call – whatever you feel comfortable with.  But reach out to those who have made an impact in your life and find a way to tell them.

I personally send cards.  In this day of instant gratification, it’s nice to actually get something in the mail that’s not a bill or an advertisement.  I have a friend named Asha who sends me cards for unusual things – not just my birthday or the holidays, but to say congratulations on that big speaking gig you just landed, or simply that I’m thinking of you and I’m happy to have you for my friend.  Every time I receive a card from her, it brings a smile to my face.  Asha makes me feel special, and I want to extend that same feeling to others.

And, if you are in a comfortable place, you can also show gratitude to someone who gave you the push you needed when you weren’t ready.  I met someone recently who actually sent her ex-husband a thank you card for all that she learned from him.  Even though she didn’t agree with the way he ended their relationship, she was still grateful for the time they spent together and the things she learned from him.  I have to admit that I haven’t reached this level yet, but I’m working on it.

This second phase of gratitude will help you to connect with others more deeply.  To let others know how their efforts and presence make an impact on you.

Let me know your experience with this second phase of gratitude.  Who have you reached out to???

Categories: Personal Development
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