Hi Stepparents,
As the Thanksgiving holiday is sneaking up on us, I like to steel quiet moments of reflection on the year thus far. And I’ve noticed what I am overcome with most in these moments is the feeling of gratitude.
Gratitude for the beautiful lessons that seemed so trying at the time, and now, feel like hand-selected gifts created just for me.
Gratitude for the fact that I overcame these challenges with flying colors having found strength and wisdom in myself that surprised me.
I’m grateful for having been shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that the universe has my back and is always supporting me in all of my dreams and endeavors. Find the show notes for this episode at synergisticstepparenting.com/62.
Perspective of Gratitude
It’s easy to be grateful for the things that are positive. But it’s often difficult to be thankful for the challenging things that you endure.
It took me a long time to realize that I’m grateful for my adverse experiences as a kid in the way I was parented, because it helped me know exactly what I didn’t like and what didn’t work, and therefore what not to do, if I ever became a parent.
Those experiences helped me empathize with my stepdaughter and have made me a better parent and mentor to her.
I’m grateful for the challenges I underwent in the abusive relationship I was in, because it taught me the importance of boundaries and upholding them. That relationship also pointed me towards addressing and healing old wounds I amassed prior to the relationship.
In that relationship I learned how to defy the status quo and what it felt like to be 100% supported, even though it wasn’t all the time and may not have always been with pure intentions.
I feel profound gratitude for the hardships I’ve had professionally because they’ve led me to clarifying what it is I want and lit a fire in my belly to go find it and then create it.
I’m grateful for the expansion that I stepped into as a result of each of these experiences.
Another big part of each of these trials was learning to find my truth, learning to voice that truth and learning to advocate for that truth such that it was heard by others.
The Benefit of the Gratitude Perspective
I didn’t always have this outlook. In fact, for years I would wallow in self-pity feeling lost as to how I got into this terrible situation and looking for a savior to come and rescue me.
This outlook only left me more powerless, desperate, and irritable. And eventually I realized that Prince Charming couldn’t help me, and I had to help myself.
The perspective of seeing each difficult season I endured as a blessing wasn’t easy to come by. In fact, it took me years of healing, reflecting and growing to get honest with myself. Realizing and admitting the truth to myself, was the breakthrough.
I’m glad I did the work and enlisted help along the way to get to a place where I own my experience and can see the value in everything that I have been through.
When I took on this perspective, I finally got relief. Because I don’t get the choice of whether these things happened to me or not. They are done. They are over. The chapters have been written. So, the best thing I can do is try and find the valuable lesson in each experience.
Action Items
I’d like to extend an invitation to you to try taking the perspective of gratitude with challenges you’ve faced yourself.
What lesson have you learned for going through this experience? Have you gained anything from the situation? What have you discovered about yourself, another person, or relationships overall?
Gratitude is known to be a powerful antidote to depression, anxiety and other negative feelings.
Energetically speaking, being in a state of gratitude lifts your vibration and puts you into the mode of receiving and opens you up for more abundance.
After all, what do you have to lose?
I’d love for you to share your story with me where you’re taking the perspective of gratitude. Sharing your story is a powerfully validating experience and it would be an honor for me to be a part of that experience alongside you.
Until next time, be well!
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