Two months on from my last blog and it’s time to string you along a little bit more as some of my plans are coming together. I seem to keep teasing you with the idea of slowing down to go faster, and I’ve now hit what might be the peak of slowing down (work wise) as I get set up for the next chapter in this book of mine.
So, what’s happened?
I’m on Garden Leave (a UK thing) as I'm switching jobs at the moment. I am still going to be making chocolate and chocolate products, just for the competition… details to follow when appropriate. And for those of you who don’t know what Garden Leave is, it's called so because you are technically still employed during your notice period, but because it is for a competitor, you can't go into work. You are supposed to stay home and not speak with people from work, so you "forget" what you learned. In essence, I have ultimately stopped working until the middle of May.
It feels like the calm before the storm at the moment, and I’ve taken some time to reflect on getting to this point as I choose to move forward to the next chapter. In this time, I have realised how grateful I am for my experiences until now and this is what I want to share with you today: a couple of things I am grateful for in my life.
What I’m firstly grateful for: people who support me.
Most specifically my family and partner.
I always thought family should unconditionally support you in your endeavours, but I’ve realised after a course I took (the Landmark Forum), that this is not always a give-in. Many people in this world have disjointed and unsupportive families, and from this I’m very thankful for the family that I have. Wherever I have been on this globe, my family has been there for me- at the end of the phone, text, or e-mail. When I’ve been on a physical challenge, they’ve been there to cheer me on. When I’ve been on a learning adventure, they’ve been there to listen and accept me for who I am. When I have a bump in the road, they are on the end of FaceTime to support me emotionally. What I’ve reflected on in my time off in the past month is that I know that I am unconditionally supported by my family (where others may not be) which enables me to feel connected wherever I may be. Thank you for that!
I am also grateful for my partner, Robin. A very patient man. A very supportive man. During this round of my life, it is so nice to have someone to enjoy the journey with. Someone who wants to play with you, take part in adventures together with you. Not just as a one off- but all the time. Someone who is as committed to growth and achievement as you- having him part of my journey, making it our journey, makes the ride a lot more enjoyable. Someone to explore life with- the physical challenges and the mental ones. Thank you, Robin for being my partner in life.
So to share with you my insights as my world slows right down, here are a couple of notes on being grateful that I’ve come across in the past month as Gratefulness has an association with mental well-being, and seems to be the next craze beyond Mindfulness.
From Wikipedia in regards to empirical studies of gratefulness (take from it what you will)
“A large body of recent[when?] work has suggested that people who are more grateful have higher levels of subjective well-being. Grateful people are happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships.[15][18][19] Specifically, in terms of depression, gratitude may serve as a buffer by enhancing the coding and retrievability of positive experiences.[20] Grateful people also have higher levels of control of their environments, personal growth, purpose in life, and self acceptance.[21] Grateful people have more positive ways of coping with the difficulties they experience in life, being more likely to seek support from other people, reinterpret and grow from experiences, and spend more time planning how to deal with the problem.[22] Grateful people also have less negative coping strategies, being less likely to try to avoid the problem, deny there is a problem, blame themselves, or cope through substance use.[22] Grateful people sleep better, and this seems to be because they think less negative and more positive thoughts just before going to sleep.”
So my thinking is, why wouldn't you want to be happier, less stressed and satisfied with life? Why not try gratefulness out for a while?
From the Todo Institute http://www.todoinstitute.org/gratitude.html
“In Japanese language there is a term -- on. The meaning of on often includes a sense of gratitude combined with a desire to repay others for what we have been given. It’s not just that we feel grateful, or that we express our gratitude, but that we actually experience a sincere desire to give something back … A sense of obligation that arises naturally within us as we recognise how we have been supported and cared for by others.”
With that, I’d like to recognise the support lines in my life for allowing me to achieve what I have thus far and for being a part of my lifelong journey. Similarly to what I wrote in my last entry, “the rewarding aspects of going out there and achieving (your) goals … is to share the experience and journey with those you love”.
