Whether the gifts and opportunities are small or they loom large, research shows that those who make a habit of appreciation tend to experience more “gifts.” It is also true that as we build our practices, it is sometimes difficult to see the gifts that come along the way. In fact, sometimes it’s easier to find our gifts when we hear others recognize their own.
For all of those reasons and simply for the joy of it, I thought it might be a great time to start a community gratitude journal here on Private Practice from the Inside Out. For those of us on this journey of building strong and vibrant private practices, this can be a way for each of us to publicly acknowledge the gifts we receive along the way, a way to say “thank you” to those who are reaching out to help us, and also a way to help those who come behind us to recognize the many gifts – the mega-gifts and the mustard seeds – that are coming their way, too!
Here is How It’s Going to Work . . . .
- I’m calling this Mustard Seeds and Mega-Gifts : A Community Gratitude Journal on the Way to Building Your Private Practice.
- It will post weekly on Fridays.
- Your job is not to just be a passive observer but to contribute to the post by sharing something that you are grateful for. Just add your note of appreciation related to anything that supports you growing your practice in the comment section and I’ll post them the following Friday as part of our community journal!
- Photos and images that express your gratitude are welcome, too!
- Afraid you’ll forget or slack off on sharing what you are grateful for? You can sign up here to receive blog updates for Private Practice from the Inside Out (that you can use as nudges and reminders to share your appreciations) in your email inbox.
If you want to see more of the gifts that surround and support you, I hope you’ll participate in this little experiment. I’ve seen articles that say that by practicing something for 30 consecutive days, you are actually re-wiring your brain.
Starting next Friday . . . look for Mustard Seeds & Mega-Gifts: A Community Gratitude Journal on the Way to Building Your Private Practice! And, you can share your first appreciation right now!
I appreciate that you had this fabulous idea and created a wonderful place for us to express our gratitude!! What a terrific thing!
WOW! You guys are sending in appreciations already! What fun!
I am grateful for podcasting. I have learned more about human nature, internal thought processes, behavioral motivation, and worldviews from listening to various podcasts than I have from my classes and text books. Learning about this in this way is enormously beneficial to me as a developing professional.
What a great idea, Tamara. I am a Clinical Social Worker in Omaha, NE and am right in the thick of building a new private practice here. I have been following your blog for some time now, and have gotten many good ideas and helpful links from your posts. In one post this year you suggested that those of us who are in the early stages of building our practices keep a running list of positive happenings related to our work: accomplishments, joyful occurrences, people for whom we are thankful, etc. Your suggestion came at a great time for me. After three months of hanging out my shingle, I wasn’t as far along in growing my business as I’d hoped I would be by that point, and was starting to get discouraged. So I opened a new Word file, called it my Practice Journal, and began writing something positive in it every day. Call it good karma, living your dreams, or the power of optimism – whatever the force is, it has worked! Only a month later, I am not yet up to my final client number goal, but I am right where I need to be on the trajectory to get there. Thanks for passing along a great idea, then and now.
I am filled with gratitude for the warm way in which therapists in my community have welcomed me to town. I have been delighted to experience the openness, sense of community and generosity in my new city. After only three months I have a lovely network of friends and associates to whom I can confidently refer as well as ask for help. Thanks!
WOW! What a great concept. I am looking forward to sharing my gratitude for my clients in private practice. One thing I have learned in my brief journey in private practive is that Clients give to us as much as we give to them.
Tamara,
I love your idea and I have plenty to be grateful about in growing my private practice. However, I am a bit confused how this logistically works. Do you want us to submit through your comment section or sign up for a new email distribution.
I must be missing something.
Brenda
Yes, Brenda – just leave your statements of gratitude in the comment section of the Mustard Seeds & Mega-Gifts post each week and I’ll post them live on the following Friday! Thanks for asking!
[Updated 05-24-12 – Changed my mind . . . . You may either send an email to Tamara@TamaraSuttle.com or leave your appreciation in the comment section beneath the Mustard Seeds & Mega-Gifts post each week.]
And, . . . these little statements of gratitude just continue to roll on in! Check back tomorrow to see the first ones go live!