permission to express gratitude
Ahhhh, the attitude of gratitude. Easy to say, harder to muster and maintain sometimes.
But, if you’ve been following along with our Maximize Your Me-Time, Minimize Your Guilt blog and podcast series, I’m so proud of you! And grateful for you and the work you’ve done to maximize your me-time and minimize your guilt so that you can be just a litttttttle more intentional about showing up as the woman God created you to be.
We’re on the final lap of our journey now and it’s one that absolutely cannot be missed. Because the truth is that someone made your me-time possible, even if that’s you and you alone. But more than likely, at some point you’ll be relying on a neighbor, spouse, coworker or friend to step in to care for what you’re stepping away from.
I’ve found that over-the-top, ridiculous phrases of gratitude are a huge win. Whether that’s thanking the good Lord above for creating the human who created the wonder that is red velvet cheesecake, or showering the recipient of your gratitude with genuine, seemingly excessive thank yous and “You are a lifesaver” and “My life was totally changed” and “I’m a brand new woman” or whatever it is.
The recipient of your gratitude needs to know and understand as best they can how their sacrifice made a difference to you. This sometimes feels vulnerable, even in our closest relationships. It can be uncomfortable to express, in depth, how grateful you are for help because it exposes our needs.
We’re women. We’re supposed to be self-sufficient, right?! Somewhere down the line, you may have even been taught or made to feel that your needs don’t matter. Gosh, I’m sorry if that was you. Your needs do matter. You need to believe it, and the one encouraging your me-time needs to believe it.
So, be vulnerable. Show your heart of gratitude, even if you end up breaking down in all the tears out of sweet relief. Keeping or minimizing our gratitude from those who stepped in does no one any favors. People love showing up for the people they love! People love being someone’s hero.
Now, if you’re married with kiddies, let me tell you that I know there’s a possibility of resentment when you think of your husband “being your hero” just because he spent time alone with his own children. I get it. Trust me.
But I’m telling you, the more you shower him with gratitude -- not once, but several times -- the more excited he’ll be about jumping at the opportunity to serve you next time. But, he’s got to understand what it means to you. No dancing around the words. Demand his full attention. Communicate clearly and earnestly. Bonus points for adding a teeny bit of physical touch to your gratitude.
As we wrap up this series, let me assure you that your attitude of gratitude will help solidify your relationships, create more opportunities for you to enjoy some more me-time, and add another layer of protection against that nagging guilt we’re trying to get rid of!
So thank early and thank often!
And hey, since this is the last of the series, I’d love to hear your feedback!
Cheering you on!
Lisa
P.S. Have you registered for the Maximize Your Me-Time LIVE Workshop yet?! Now’s the time, because space is limited (I’m not just saying that either… there really are limited chairs… but I want your booty to be in one!) Click below to register!
