WITH ANDREA CRISP
“So cultivating an attitude of gratitude in our lives is something that we do not only for the good things but for how we’re growing and how we can start moving forward. And when we can see those lessons as gifts, and we can see those things that are stretching and growing us as something to be grateful for, that actually positions us for something even better.”
About This Episode:
When you cultivate gratitude in your life it shifts the way you perceive your circumstances and what is possible for your life. We are starting a four-part series on cultivating our desires beginning with cultivating gratitude.
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Transcript
Andrea Crisp 0:00
When you open yourself up to cultivate gratitude in your life, you are, in essence, expanding your belief for what is possible. We are just beginning a four part series on Cultivating Your Desires starting with Cultivating Gratitude.
Andrea Crisp 0:19
Hey, friend, are you ready to take courageous steps to create a life in business you love. Welcome to the Couragecast. I'm Andrea Crisp, mindset coach, author, and a multi passionate entrepreneur. For years, I was afraid to allow myself to shine that was until I discovered that I could step into my own power, shift my mindset, and take ownership of my own destiny. Now I coach women across the globe who are ready to own their life and make a massive impact. Each week, I'll share conversations with amazing humans, who've been willing to face their fear and pursue their purpose. I'll provide a blend of practical and spiritual advice to help you take brave steps in your own life and business.
Andrea Crisp 0:58
Hey there friend, welcome to the Couragecast, I am so grateful for you, really, and truly. You know, I have been thinking about how we can cultivate a heart of gratitude, and what that looks like in our lives when we are truly cultivating our desires. And so today, I want to just share with you that I am so thankful for you. This is actually the week of American Thanksgiving. Even though I live in Canada, I love American Thanksgiving. It's like one of my favorite holidays. I don't get to celebrate it anymore, necessarily. But if you're American, and you're with your family, celebrating this week, I just hope that you have the most wonderful holiday. And if you felt compelled to listen to this episode today, I just want to remind you that you are going to receive whatever it is that you came here for today. So whatever it is that you need, I hope the words resonate with you, and that they fill you up and that you feel overflowing, today after listening to this podcast.
Andrea Crisp 2:05
You know, not long ago, I had an opportunity to start a coaching relationship with one of the listeners of the podcast. And it was so cool, because I love when we get to have those connections. And I'm so grateful for every person who listens. And every so often I get to coach one of you. And so I love that, and we're four years strong now on the podcast, which is amazing. And if we've not already connected, I love to invite you to connect with me on my brand new text community. Each week, I send out about two to three text messages and their affirmations, or journal prompts, or even guided meditations, which I'm going to do today as well at the end of this episode. And just to help you get clear on your intentions, and really make massive shifts in your life to take those brave steps. So you can join the text community by going to the link in the show notes, or you can text the word COURAGE to 647-424-2429, I'll make sure that there's a link in the show notes for you as well so that you can click on that if you don't remember the number.
Andrea Crisp 3:18
So today, we are starting a brand new four part series that I am calling, Cultivate Your Desires. And this is all about really cultivating your desires in your life and business, and some of the foundational pieces that I have been really putting into place in my own life. And over the past year, I have been pivoting in my business from focusing on faith based life coaching, to really focusing on mindset, empowerment, and confidence for coaches, entrepreneurs, and artists because I know that we are in a position to make a huge impact. And so if we are able to lay the foundational pieces in our life and our business, that will make a massive impact in the lives of our selves and other people. So, as I was preparing, I came across this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and it just seemed so perfect for today. "Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you and give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude." That last part is exactly what I want to focus on today. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. So cultivating an attitude of gratitude in our lives, is something that we do not only for the good things, but for how we're growing and learning and how we can start moving forward. And when we can see those lessons as gifts, and we can see those things that are stretching and growing us as some thing to be grateful for, that actually positions us for something even better. So let me ask you, how are you cultivating gratitude in your life?
Andrea Crisp 5:11
You know, we have been through some of the hardest months that we've probably ever faced, I don't know how what we're at now, like 18-19 months, something like that. And it has been really tough with a pandemic, with so many things happening in the world, polarization of beliefs, all sorts of loss and grief. And there have been moments where it feels like it just will never end. And maybe right now, you are even in a position right now, where you find yourself a little bit on shaky ground, and you are feeling like you're not really sure what to do, or you're in a circumstance you don't want to be in. And you think to yourself, how in the world would I ever cultivate any kind of gratitude for what I've been facing, because maybe what you're facing is really, really, really tough.
Andrea Crisp 5:59
And I'm gonna share a story with you. Because a few years ago, I was in that same position, right before the pandemic, I decided I was going to move from downtown Toronto to where my parents live. And it was a decision that I did not come by lightly, but it was something I knew that I needed to do in order to shift my financial position in order to grow my business in order to really make a change in my life. So I left my amazing friends and community and a beautiful place to live. And I made that hard move up to where my parents lived. And it was something that I felt, you know, was necessary, but I absolutely felt discouraged. And I didn't want to be thankful for it, I was less than thankful for, you know, moving home. But here's the thing, every single day, in order to maintain my mental health, I would go for a walk. And these walks became like life to me, because that is where I was processing. That is where I was healing. And that was where I was being restored.
Andrea Crisp 7:04
This one particular day, I was walking by the river. And there's this cliff where the kids jump off into the river, it's like this most beautiful scene, and the sun was coming through the trees and the breeze is warm, and I can hear the kids laughing as they were jumping off the rocks. And it was this moment where I just was completely present. And I felt so grateful. Like it was just like this, like feeling that completely came through my entire body. And as I began to sit in that feeling, I began to realize that, you know, sometimes it is a feeling of gratitude. But sometimes it is a choice to be grateful, and to find those moments where we can find the gift of that particular situation, or that lesson or that opportunity. And I would continue every single day to go for walks. And one particular day I encountered one of our neighbors, and he was out with his wife and he was sharing something with me and he he just said, "You know, Andrea, I feel like I have something I want to share with you." And I was like, "Okay, now this guy is a pastor, and I was like, Okay, maybe he's gonna give me a prophetic word." I was a pastor for many years, this is something that was very normal to me, may not be normal to you. But it was very normal to me. And so he said something to me that I'll never forget. He said, "this time is going to be very hard, but very good." And I was like, "That seems kind of ominous." I didn't say that at the time. But I really thought I was like, oh, hard, but good. And the reason why I wanted to share that with you today was because for me, it's like why would I want to find anything to be grateful about things being hard. But the truth is, is that both exist. When you have a circumstance in your life that is difficult or challenge that you're facing. There's the challenge. And there's the growth point, there is the situation that you're facing, and there's the opportunity. And so we get both sides of that coin, and we can find what we can be grateful for in that moment. And so I would encourage you, maybe you're going through something really, really challenging right now. And maybe there's something that even is coming to mind. Take a moment. Think about it. What about the challenge are you grateful for, because when you are able to cultivate gratitude that will completely shift your perspective. It will shift the narrative and it will help you to see what is possible. And it reminds us that we're connected to one another and to the divine.
Andrea Crisp 9:50
Cultivating gratitude also heals our mind, body and spirit and that was what was happening with me on those walks is I was starting to be grateful and it was starting to shift and I was starting to get healing in my body and healing in my spirit and healing in my mind. There is nothing better for us than looking for the good in a situation, looking for the growth point looking for the beauty in the expansion that we're facing every single day. No, it's not like that kind of like, you know, Pollyanna kind of gratitude, like, okay, everything's great and wonderful. And, you know, I'm so blessed. It's not that it's, it's really finding the beauty in the hard stuff. It's like really digging deep and going, You know what, this really sucks. But this is amazing.
Andrea Crisp 10:47
Seeing the lesson, the gift that brings healing, restoration, and helps us to completely shift our life, so that we can cultivate those desires. We can bring them to life in our in our daily lives, and our relationships, in our business. And cultivating gratitude also strengthens our relationships with one another because so often when we are facing a challenging situation, or a relationship that's just not going well, maybe it's a friendship, maybe it's something, maybe it's someone you're intimate with. Maybe it's a partner in your life. And you're like, "This is super challenging." Well, what about that is allowing you to see the truth of who you are? How can you grow? How can you change? How can you grow together? What is the gift? And how can you be grateful for that. And when you start to cultivate gratitude for those things, and that person, and for how they are really bringing about change in your life, being the catalyst for that change, you can be grateful for that particular relationship in that person.
Andrea Crisp 11:57
Cultivating gratitude also helps to decrease stress and anxiety. This is something that we all know when we are, you know, moving our bodies, and we're getting all those endorphins. And we're starting to feel better. Well, when we are cultivating gratitude, and we're bringing that focus on what it is we're grateful for, we are bringing that to our awareness. And we are allowing that to become what we're focusing on. And that is what ends up shifting the stress and the anxiety, and making those big changes in our lives. And it also paves the way for an increase in impact and income. Hmm, yes. Now, this is one that I've been actively learning because if you ever find yourself in a fearful position, or an anxious thought about something in your life, when it comes to business, when it comes to finances, one of the best things you could do is cultivate gratitude, and be thankful for what it is that you already have. Now, it's not that you just want to stay there. But it's already saying you know what, what I have is amazing it and I'm allowing my energy to shift, I'm allowing that vibration to raise so that I can accept what it is that I truly desire, which may be a completely different circumstance than what you are having currently.
Andrea Crisp 13:26
And that allows you to have more impact, and brings in more income into your life. So I want to ask you, what area of gratitude are you going to cultivate today in your life? Is it your relationships and your business? Something personally in your health? As we are going to walk through this four part series we're going to be talking about how do you cultivate your desires. And we're gonna be talking about cultivating the area of belief, trust, and community, and how all of those things will help you shift your narrative, the story that you believe to be true and how you can truly set the foundation for life and business, by cultivating gratitude, belief, trust, and community within your life. So you definitely want to stay tuned for next week because we're going to we're going to be talking about cultivating belief in your life. So, before we go today, I just want to encourage you if we haven't already connected make sure to text me the word COURAGE at 647-424-2429 and I'm going to send you something special when you do and we can connect there and if you're also on Instagram you can find me @andreacrispcoach and you can find the podcast @the.couragecast.
Andrea Crisp 15:01
We're going to take some time today to cultivate gratitude. I want to invite you to find a comfortable position. Support yourself in a way that feels good for your body. If you're sitting, place your feet flat on the floor and sit straight up in your chair. But if you find yourself walking, then allow you then allow yourself to become completely aware of your body and your breath. As we begin, take a deep breath all the way down to your belly. And as you breathe in, take a moment to be grateful for something that has already happened today. As you exhale, release any tension that you may be holding in your body. Take another deep breath in and focus on having a heart of gratitude.
Andrea Crisp 16:12
And as you exhale, release any stress or worry that you may be carrying. Take another breath in and during this breath, allow yourself to recognize how grateful you are to be you. Releasing the need to accomplish anything. Cultivating Gratitude is the key to growing your business and expanding your personal life. So instead of thinking of all the things that you have to do, shift your mind to being grateful for all that you have the opportunity to do. When you cultivate gratitude, it increases creativity. What area of gratitude do you want to cultivate today? When you have that in your mind's eye, allow it to become even more clear. Bringing all the details to the forefront, allowing yourself to truly feel grateful for what you have received.
Andrea Crisp 17:46
Now take a moment to extend gratitude for your mind, body, and spirit. Give thanks for your health, for the ability to move, for restful sleep, and to do what you love to do. Give thanks for wisdom, insight into situations, and the ability to be resourceful. Give thanks for your intuition and clarity of mind to be successful in life. Take a moment to extend gratitude for what you have right here and right now in this present moment. Maybe you've been wanting more, but truly allow yourself to embody the gratitude of what you have been learning and how you are growing and changing. You are not the same person you once were. So give thanks that you have been able to shift and change who you are. Extend gratitude for your family and what they bring to your life. Extend gratitude for your loved ones, and how supported and encouraged you feel around them.
Andrea Crisp 19:36
And in these closing moments, extend gratitude for what is to come and who you are becoming, and allow that expectancy to feel your body, mind, and spirit. And give thanks to yourself for taking this time. When you're ready, bring movement back into your body and open your eyes. Friend, I am so grateful for you, and so glad that you decided to spend this time with me today. I am sending you so much love right now. As we continue next week with the series on cultivating your desires, we'll be focusing on Cultivating Belief, and how that makes such a difference in our lives when we take a look at areas where we might have felt stuck, or in lack, and learning to cultivate belief and faith in those areas. Until next time, remember, you have everything you need to live bravely.
Andrea Crisp 20:53
If you like this episode of The Couragecast, please leave us a rating and review and hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. Production by Claudia Henock. Original Music by Stephen Crilley.
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Your mindset is your greatest asset! But it is also what may be holding you back from taking that next step in your life. Are you ready to reframe your mindset so that you can step more confidently into your purpose?