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Take a moment, right now as you’re reading this, to grab a pen and a piece of paper. Write down 5 things you’re grateful for today.

It could be you’re grateful for the sunshine. Or the rain. You could be grateful for your friends, your family, your beloved. You could be grateful for your job. You could be grateful that your boss isn’t bugging you with more work, or that you have an upcoming vacation. You could be grateful for your dog or cat. You could be grateful for the roof over your head.

What do we have if we don’t have gratitude? How could we connect with joy, with our drive and motivation, with our souls without it?

Gratitude is up for me today. Don’t even quite know why, except that I have had some experiences and achievements lately that are reminding me to acknowledge my gratitude. I’ve completed my Certified Professional Coach training. I think it didn’t occur to me how BIG this would feel. I’ve spent the better part of the last two years dedicated to this achievement, and now, here it is. So much has happened in my life; so much has changed (mostly for the better!)

I am grateful there was a Coach Training program near me. I am grateful that I had the courage to make the choice to go to this program. I am grateful for my instructors: their kindness, compassion, support and modeling of what masterful coaching is. I am so very grateful to my fellow classmates who have been with me on this extraordinary journey.

I am grateful to be finished with my schoolwork. I am extremely grateful to those clients who have been with me for over a year, who took the risk to begin coaching with me when I was still a “newbie”. I am grateful for my newer clients and for the clients who are on their way. I am grateful for my friends and family members who have supported (and worried for) me through this career change.

I am grateful to be living out loud my dream of being my own boss, doing what I love every day and doing something that matters in the world.

In a way, this blog post is turning into one great big THANK YOU note, but that’s OK.

Gratitude is about acknowledging where you’ve been and where you are now. It gives us permission to see our own accomplishments and who has been there with us all along. Most importantly, gratitude puts us in touch with our JOY. And joy reminds us to be who we truly are in the world, thus inspiring others to do the same.

So, write down 5 more things you’re grateful for. Tonight, before you go to bed, list 5 more. Do this every day and you may start to see something shift in your life – shift inside of you.

What are you grateful for right now?

When I was a child, I remember my mother chiding me, saying, “If you don’t love yourself, how can you expect others to love you?”

At the time, I thought there was something wrong with me, because I didn’t know how to love myself. I figured I was doomed to a life without love, since I couldn’t say that I loved myself.

I can now say that I love myself.

What changed? First I had to come to truly KNOW my Self – with all of her faults and beauty. Only then could I embrace her and tell her “I love you.” It’s been a long journey with many twists and turns, but I can now honestly say I love myself.

I often hear clients who are struggling with how much to charge for their services or artwork, and I am reminded of what my mother used to say. How can we expect others to value what we have to offer if we do not value ourselves?

We’re taught that putting ourselves first is “selfish”. But how can we truly be of service to others if we do not care for ourselves? It’s that old airplane adage: “Put your oxygen mask on FIRST before you help someone else with theirs.” Only by caring for, loving and VALUING ourselves can we truly show up in the world in an authentic and meaningful way.

So, the next time you’re struggling with how much to charge for your work, go ahead and figure out your hourly rate and the cost of your materials, but remember to do so with YOU at the center, as the most valuable asset you have to offer your clients, customers and the world. There’s only one YOU. You’re the only one who can do what YOU do!

How do you value yourself? Where does it show up for you?  Here are some ideas:

• Take time to do what you love to do. (Even “doing nothing” is OK!) This is a way of loving yourself.
• Go for a walk. Take a nice hot bath. Take yourself out to lunch or a movie.
• Create a space for YOU in your home. It could be a shelf where you put your favorite pictures and knickknacks. It could be a whole room devoted to YOU and what you love.
• Collect thank-you notes and compliments. Put them in a scrapbook and look it over when you’re feeling down (or up for that matter!) Celebrate your successes. Remembering that others value you can help you when you’re struggling to value yourself.

When you value yourself, you (and your work) will be valued tenfold!