Latest / ✨️Aligned and Thriving: For Teachers🌿 / 💆🏼♀️Self-Care Series: Gratitude over the Grind 🙏🏼
Transcript
- 0:05Hey guys, and welcome back to another episode of Aligned and
- 0:08Thriving for Teachers. Now, what happens, do you think,
- 0:13when you stop pushing and start appreciating?
- 0:17Today's episode is about a shift from hustle mode into alignment
- 0:22mode with a little bit of science and just a whole lot of
- 0:24soul. Because you know what I'm like?
- 0:26This one's called gratitude over grind.
- 0:30The mindset shift that changes everything.
- 0:34Now, we've all been sold the lie that if we're not exhausted,
- 0:37we're not doing enough. That success is a reward for how
- 0:41hard we grind. But what if I told you that the
- 0:44real shift, the one that changes your mindset, your energy, and
- 0:49your whole damn life, it starts with gratitude.
- 0:52Today we're flipping the script. We're going to talk about why
- 0:56gratitude will get you further than the grind ever could.
- 1:00And gratitude it's it's not just woo, it is wiring.
- 1:04OK, there is a science behind this and I want to talk you
- 1:08through it without sort of over overloading you because yeah,
- 1:13we're teachers, but we're going to learn.
- 1:15So enter the reticular activating system.
- 1:18So your Ras, it's your brain's personal filtration system.
- 1:23OK, it's a philtre. The rest helps you notice things
- 1:26that are important to you based on what you focus on, repeat and
- 1:31emotionally charge. This is why things like
- 1:34affirmations actually work because you are literally
- 1:38training your brain to notice more of what you want.
- 1:43So I'll give you an example. You know, when you learn a new
- 1:46word and suddenly you hear it everywhere or you decide, and
- 1:50this one's always me, you decide I want a new car.
- 1:53And you've got the particular model and the colour and then
- 1:56literally you've seen it 15 times in a week when you had
- 1:59never seen it before. And then you're like, oh, the
- 2:01new. And for me, it's like the new
- 2:03Prado. Sorry, I've already got a car
- 2:06that I love. But then that new Prado came out
- 2:08and I was like, Oh yes, I love that.
- 2:10And I want it in this colour and da, da, da, da, because you've
- 2:12got to have dreams. It's the next step up, right?
- 2:15Then I just saw it every day. I'm going, oh, everyone has one.
- 2:19This is crazy. They've only just been released.
- 2:22But that is your Ras at work. It's not magic.
- 2:26It's just focus. You have literally told your
- 2:29brain, this is what I'm looking for.
- 2:31So then it seeks to notice all of the things.
- 2:35OK, so when you're starting your day with gratitude and
- 2:40affirmations, your Ras, it kicks in and it says 0.
- 2:45This is important. Let's find more of that to then
- 2:48sort of confirm it. So affirmations are more than
- 2:52just quotes that I tell you to do or to write.
- 2:55They are actually things that are training your brain.
- 2:58Your brain is always, always listening.
- 3:02So when you say things like, oh, never get a break.
- 3:05What's this about 30 minute uninterrupted lunch break?
- 3:09Oh I'm so behind, I can't do this.
- 3:12It's just like I'm roadkill and people are eating me alive.
- 3:15Your brain believes you and it adjusts its philtre accordingly.
- 3:21So instead I would really like you to start changing the way
- 3:25you think and the way you talk. The words that come out.
- 3:29I am safe to slow down. Do you see how that just sits
- 3:34different sometimes when things are getting a bit too heightened
- 3:37and a bit too heavy? I am safe to slow down and then
- 3:41your brain will start slowing down.
- 3:43I attract aligned opportunities daily and you will because
- 3:47that's what you're telling your brain to do.
- 3:49My energy creates my reality. Even if you don't believe it at
- 3:54first, you need to keep repeating.
- 3:56Your mind is going to catch up to you.
- 3:59So those affirmations, they're decisions, they're not wishes.
- 4:03It's you deciding to focus on something different and you you
- 4:09get more out of them. I think if you sort of talk like
- 4:12you already are that. So I am this not I am going to.
- 4:17And you're putting yourself in that situation and saying them
- 4:20to yourself in the mirror. Mirror work is so powerful
- 4:23because you are literally looking at yourself and saying
- 4:26those things. And I've talked about that
- 4:28before, but gratitude is a productivity hack in disguise.
- 4:33It's not about ignoring problems, it is about seeing
- 4:37more than just the problem. OK there's actually some
- 4:43scientific based benefits. Like honestly gratitude reduces
- 4:48cortisol which is your stress. Isn't that a bonus?
- 4:51It literally reduces stress. It increases dopamine which is
- 4:56your motivation and you feel good chemical.
- 4:59It improves your focus, your memory, and your decision
- 5:02making. So really it's just a win win.
- 5:06It's literally rewiring your neural pathways towards optimism
- 5:11and resilience. Gratitude does not make you
- 5:14soft, it makes you stronger, calmer and clearer and that's
- 5:19the energy that gets things done.
- 5:22OK, on my busiest, most chaotic days, it is not the To Do List
- 5:27that saves me, although I do love a jolly good To Do List.
- 5:31Organised human here. But it is my 3 deep breaths and
- 5:35the whispered thank you and the reset in my energy of I can do
- 5:39hard things, we can do hard things, we're gonna have a great
- 5:43day. We're having the best day.
- 5:45I'm happy, I am safe, it's whatever you need to tell
- 5:49yourself in that moment. And sometimes I'm just saying
- 5:53I'm calm and I'm settled and I'm going to have a great day.
- 5:57It's just little things. Taking a breath and completely
- 6:01shifting. Gratitude will shift your vibe
- 6:04and attract aligned people as well.
- 6:08The more grateful that you are, the more magnetic you become, I
- 6:12think your whole tone changes, your body language changes, your
- 6:16words softened, The way you talk to yourself completely changes.
- 6:22And the way you talk to others, that energy spreads.
- 6:25It spreads through your family, through your team, your
- 6:28audience, just whoever's gonna listen.
- 6:30It honestly changes the way you are.
- 6:33People don't always notice what you're doing.
- 6:35They notice how you're being. It's your actions, your
- 6:39perception. It's just all of those things.
- 6:43I've had people messaging me saying that they feel calm just
- 6:46listening to me. And that didn't happen because
- 6:48I'm hustling harder. It happened because I was
- 6:50showing up. And I'm being grounded in
- 6:53gratitude. Like I am so utterly and
- 6:56completely thankful that I have the opportunity to share with so
- 7:01many people. I am thankful that people are
- 7:04actually willing to listen to me because I believe that I have
- 7:08some important things to share. So does Nyla, apparently, if you
- 7:12can hear her in the background, because she loves life and loves
- 7:16to bark during the podcast episodes.
- 7:18But again, this is real life. But I could choose to get really
- 7:22annoyed by that. I could.
- 7:25Or I can choose to just acknowledge it and name it up
- 7:28and say, yeah, my dog's barking. But I have important things to
- 7:32say and that's not going to stop me because I can do hard things.
- 7:36So I'm going to keep pushing forward and I'm going to keep
- 7:38going and moving. Moving on.
- 7:40The grind tells you to push harder, but gratitude says
- 7:44pause, align, and then act. This doesn't mean you stop
- 7:49working. No, no, no.
- 7:51This means you stop forcing because alignment equals working
- 7:56for a purpose and from a purpose, letting your energy
- 8:01lead and saying yes to what expands you, not to what drains
- 8:05you. So, and This is why the whole
- 8:07podcast is called Aligned and Thriving, because alignment is,
- 8:10it's a purpose. It's leading with energy.
- 8:13It's saying yes to the things that are gonna expand you.
- 8:15And then what happens when you're doing those things in
- 8:18alignment? You thrive.
- 8:20And that's what I want for all of you.
- 8:22I want you to be able to work for purpose, to have that
- 8:27positive energy and to say yes to what is lighting you up and
- 8:32having boundaries in place to say no to what's going to drain
- 8:35you. OK, so when you pay gratitude
- 8:40with aligned action, that's when momentum just hits differently.
- 8:44It's ease without laziness, it's flow without chaos.
- 8:49Like it's just amazing. I want to give you some daily
- 8:52practises to try. This will help you get into that
- 8:55gratitude and into that mindset of being grateful.
- 8:58So something simple to start the day in the morning to get you in
- 9:03that mindset. Just write down three things
- 9:06then and there that you are grateful for.
- 9:08Just three and say 1 affirmation that matches your goals.
- 9:12If you don't know how to do an affirmation, again, you can talk
- 9:16to me about that and I can help and guide you to do that.
- 9:18Or you can literally Google it or U.S. chat GTP to create use
- 9:21of affirmations based around what you're trying to achieve
- 9:24and just pick one and say 1 and repeat it.
- 9:28Then during the day if you notice that there's something
- 9:30triggering you or you're getting a really low vibe negative
- 9:33thought, just stop and say no. I choose to find something good
- 9:37here and look at it differently. I know that there's one that I
- 9:42go to when things are feeling a little bit rough and tough and I
- 9:46just tell myself let it be easy, let it be easy, it's easy, it's
- 9:50done and just keep repeating it. Let it be easy.
- 9:54It shouldn't have to be hard and sometimes I'm the only one
- 9:57making it hard. So let it be easy and it will.
- 10:01In the evening, ask yourself what went well today?
- 10:04What moment did I feel most myself?
- 10:07This is when for me, I'm doing my journaling.
- 10:11So I have a journal that I write in every night.
- 10:14It sort of has, it's all set out for me.
- 10:16It's pretty easy to follow. I just write a couple of
- 10:19sentences about how my day was. And then there's actually a
- 10:21section that says, what are you grateful for?
- 10:23And oh, what's the other one? Oh, my mental blank.
- 10:28How am I feeling? It's literally so a little
- 10:31space. It's got the day of the week.
- 10:33It's like a year in review. So at the end of the year, I get
- 10:36to keep it like a keepsake. And that's my year.
- 10:38And then next year I'll get a new one.
- 10:40And I go from there. So I have multiple journals and
- 10:42I love writing things down because it, it is, it's, it's a
- 10:46scientific fact that if you're writing it down, it does help
- 10:49you to remember. And it also helps you to get
- 10:50stuff out because it's the physical movement.
- 10:53And this is what I have to tell students, like you can't just
- 10:56use a computer all the time because you're actually not
- 10:58going to remember it. You will have more chance of
- 11:00remembering something if you are doing the mental act like that,
- 11:05the physical action, I should say, of writing it down.
- 11:09OK. So yeah, doing it that way, that
- 11:12that helps for me. So in the evening, what went
- 11:14well? What did you feel?
- 11:15When did you feel most yourself? What's like you're grateful for
- 11:18today? You can even set up reminders on
- 11:20your phone that pop up with affirmations every few hours.
- 11:23There's actually a couple of apps that you'd be able to look
- 11:27up if I find which ones I've got, you can find free ones.
- 11:30You can even just use the Google, I think they keep keep
- 11:34notes and you can create your own affirmations and set
- 11:37reminders and they'll pop up on your phone and you go, oh,
- 11:39what's that? Oh, and you just read them and
- 11:41it just reminds you instantly and you're back in that mindset
- 11:44of being grateful and just checking in throughout the day.
- 11:48So you don't need more hours in the day.
- 11:51Like you've got 24 hours. You can divide them however you
- 11:53wish, but you just need to use them intentionally grinding all
- 11:59the time. It's just going to exhaust you.
- 12:01But gratitude is going to help elevate you.
- 12:05So what are you going to focus on today?
- 12:08Because your mind is listening, remember, and your energy is
- 12:12creating Because remember your Ras, your reticular activating
- 12:15system, it's there and it's going to focus on whatever you
- 12:18tell it to. So you're telling your mind, I
- 12:21attract aligned opportunities. I'm grateful for this moment.
- 12:26Everything is always working out for me.
- 12:28Life happens for me. It's all those positive things
- 12:32that you can keep telling your brain.
- 12:34It's going to boost your blame brain, blame clarity.
- 12:38Trying to say 2 words at once. It's going to boost your blank.
- 12:41I did it again. My brain is not braining.
- 12:45It's been a long day, but I am so thankful that I still have
- 12:48words to say. It's going to boost your brain
- 12:52clarity. There you go.
- 12:54It's going to lower your stress levels and you're going to
- 12:56attract people and aligned results.
- 12:58It's just going to happen. So choose gratitude over grind
- 13:03because you get to show up aligned and not exhausted.
- 13:07That is why this is called aligned and thriving.
- 13:11So you are going to go now, you're going to go and create
- 13:15some amazing affirmations about being grateful that you're going
- 13:19to refer back to during your day tomorrow.
- 13:21And you're going to flip that switch and get your reticular
- 13:24activating system in your brain, thinking about the positives,
- 13:28the things you are grateful for and changing your thought
- 13:32patterns because then that's what it's going to look for.
- 13:34And you are going to have the most amazing day once you have
- 13:38sat down and had a bit of a think.
- 13:39Because remember those those actions were really simple.
- 13:43Three things that you're grateful for in the morning.
- 13:45Notice any triggers during the day and replace them with those
- 13:48affirmations. Set some reminders on your phone
- 13:51and then reflect again in the evening.
- 13:53What went well today? What felt good to you?
- 13:55What are you grateful for? Honestly, you can find something
- 14:00in every single day that you are grateful for.
- 14:04And just remember that when you are getting into that mindset of
- 14:08a whole meltdown, just stop and breathe through all that
- 14:13discomfort and come out the other side and start telling
- 14:16yourself some of those positive affirmations that you have
- 14:20written down that are for you. And again, if you need help to
- 14:25do all of that, make sure you send me a message.
- 14:28Make sure you share this episode with people that you think need
- 14:32to hear it. The most powerful thing you can
- 14:35do is share it with someone, because then they will get the
- 14:40message too. And imagine if we were all
- 14:43grateful human beings in the world.
- 14:45Wouldn't it be just such an amazing place if everyone could
- 14:48just pause, breathe, and say thank you?
- 14:53Imagine the mindset shifts we would have and the momentum that
- 14:56the whole world would have. Like #gratitude over grind.
- 15:00Like honestly, we can do amazing things.
- 15:04So go do some affirmations daily, go and change your
- 15:07thinking, and go and have the most amazing day.
- 15:10I'll talk to you guys soon. Bye.