Gratitude is a skill…
I typically do a ‘things I am thankful for’ post each year at this time, trying to remember what the holiday is actually for – other than stuffing down turkey of course. As I might have told you, I am working on Sunday so I stayed in the city, but Paul’s family went up to their cottage, so I am on my own for the weekend. I have a very sad frozen, stuffed turkey roll that I will cook for myself tomorrow.
So maybe you are already feeling thankful that you are not coming to my house for dinner tomorrow 🙂
Seriously though, gratitude is a skill and I actually do a gratitude entry in my journal (I use the “Day One” app for my iPad) every couple of days. In this entry I list out:
- 3 things I am thankful for
- 3 people I am thankful for
- 3 accomplishments
It is a good exercise to keep my focus on all the awesome parts of my life. I am a positive person by nature, I try hard not to complain but this little 4-minute exercise helps keep me on track.
So for today, I am going to give you the extended Canadian Thanksgiving version of the gratitude list and I am going to look at the ‘little things’ that make my life awesome. So I am going to say the fact that I have awesome friends, a great family and the world’s best husband are all given.
The little things that add up to awesome!
Paul in our Dublin ‘office’. 2011
The iPad Mini with the Logitech keyboard – this little miracle amazes me on a daily basis and gives me a great sense of freedom. You know I love to travel and hope to do more of it in the future, and this tool let’s me get work done on an airplane, sitting in Central Park, from the ‘dungeon’ of our hostel in Dublin or anywhere else. Pretty cool to have a business that you can fit in your day pack isn’t it?
My coaches and mentors Craig Ballantyne and Bedros Keuilian. I am pretty sure neither one of them reads this blog, so I am going to tell you what I really think of them – they are like a Mom & Dad. Which is which you ask?
Well, Bedros is the Mom – you talk to him and you know everything will be okay, you feel good about yourself, you are ready to get to work and make the magic happen.
Craig, he’s the Dad. He will tell you straight up that you are being a stupid jack-ass using as few words as possible to soften the blow. Typically it comes out like “you are a stupid jack-ass”. When that happens it kind of makes you mad, but it also makes you want to do better, because you know you can.
These are the guys who help me achieve my goals and live my dreams. They do for me, what I am trying to do for you.
Look at those colours!
The view from our front porch. You know when you got so someone’s cottage or you go on holiday and you are sitting on a dock or beautiful patio somewhere feeling so relaxed? Well, I get that feeling every time I sit on the front porch – lucky me.
Finishing the Tough Mudder without incident. I took this one fore granted until a colleague of mine got her pinky finger snagged on some of the apparatus and well…I’ll just say the word ‘amputation’ was used. OUCH!
A good night’s sleep. I have some clients who do not sleep well and it makes me appreciate the fact that I can put my head down and most nights sleep like a baby.
The nice start of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season, gives me hope for nice things to come this season (notice I didn’t say ‘great things’ – I am not a complete idiot).
Getting an email from one of you telling me about a great game you had or a sore hip, knee, back that is no longer an issue since you started following some of the advice and videos on the blog. Always puts a huge smile on my face.
YouTube so I can share solid hockey training strategies to help both goalies and skaters from all over the world win more games with fewer injuries.
The shoes that I ordered online that actually were cooler than they looked online AND they fit – wooHOOOOO!
Sleeping with the window open and hearing the rain outside. After four summers as a tree planter I have a lifelong appreciation for being warm and dry.
Flossing thing-er. That’s the technical term.
Those little flossing thing-ers that look stupid and I always thought ‘what kind of idiot needs one of those to floss their teeth’ – until the dentist gave me a sample pack and now I am hooked. I have flossed my teeth more in the last 10 days than I probably have in the last 7-years J …hoping my Dentist doesn’t read this either.
Finally – – the new chin up bar Paul got me for my birthday – my chin-up max is now at 4, which is not awesome, but it is half way to my goal of 8. I have never been good at chin ups, so having the bar right outside the back door makes it very easy to keep up this them. And like most things – – the more I do, the better I get.
So there it is the list for 2013 – I could keep going for probably 1,000 more things since I am very lucky to have a blessed life. Even the ‘bad’ stuff is okay, it is part of life just like the good stuff and we are lucky to be here at all. There are lots of people who would love to have one more day I am sure.
So do me a favour and thing about at least 5-things you are thankful for today – I guarantee it will put a smile on your face.
If that doesn’t work – then you can go to www.RapidResponseGoalieTraining.com if you are a goalie or www.HockeyTrainingBlueprint.com where I have knocked 45% off the price until Monday at midnight – my way of staying ‘Thanks’ to you for awesome to work with. Happy Thanksgiving!
Cheers,
Maria
IMPORTANT PS – I have pretty much decided that my next program is going to be a small group private coaching program (like the sold out Elite Strength & Conditioning group, but about 1/3 the price). I am going to use Facebook to post the workouts, nutrition plans, answer questions, etc.
Please let me know what you think of the idea and what you would like me to include – most of all tell me if you want it to be for goalies or skaters, something you can do at home or the gym, focus on getting lean, flexibility, stability, strength, stamina, speed – which are most important to you. Please leave your comments and ideas below in the comments section. Thank you so much!