Gratitude is such a powerful tool. I talk about two counterintuitive things in regard to gratitude. 1) Perhaps how we look at gratitude isn’t right sometimes. Being told to compare what we have in regard to what other people don’t have. If we continue to compare ourselves to others, and try to see how we're better off, that’s actually perhaps not healthy. And 2) Go ahead and write down the negative things on your life on your gratitude list.
Administrative: (See episode transcript below)
For social Media:
Subscribe and share to help spread the love for a better world!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Transcript:
Mischa Zvegintzov 00:02 All right. Today we're going to talk about gratitude, and perhaps some counterintuitive thoughts that I've had on gratitude. Maybe not only counterintuitive as to what to write down for me, and this is for me. Last episode, I was talking about Adam, who's so graciously customer, some customer tech support over at, GoDaddy, who reminded me that change your perspective, and the things you look at change. Thank you for that, Adam. But when I started going on my little riff on that, and thanking Adam and I started to talk about gratitude, and how powerful gratitude can be in our lives, and we hear all the time, gratitude lists. You know, make gratitude lists in the morning, 5 things you're grateful for. You know, just if you're, if you're upset in the moment find something to be grateful for. And it is such a powerful tool. And I came across ah... I'll talk about two things in regard to gratitude. One is that perhaps, perhaps how we look at gratitude isn't right sometimes. And then to go ahead and write down the negative things in your life on the gratitude list. So those are my two counterintuitive thoughts. Right? So I think oftentimes, we're told to be grateful what you have as to what other people don't have. And I think that that implies that the shiny objects are to be grateful for. Right? Or like, you know, in extream circumstances, be grateful, you've got your feet, and you can walk because some people don't, right.
Mischa Zvegintzov 02:06 And I'm not saying be don't be grateful for that. But when we start comparing, and it's kind of a nuanced way to look about it. And this idea was brought to me, I think I read it in A Course In Miracles, you know, I'm all into A Course In Miracles. And let's say, This is what the Course in Miracles said, it's the way I interpreted it. But it was like, hey, if we continue to compare ourselves to others, and try to see how we're better off, like, that's actually perhaps not healthy. Because the better off is an illusion. Right? Like, and I love actually love that idea. It's like trying to find the god gratitude versus the I've got gratitude versus the compare gratitude. Because the illusion is my life's better because "I have this". Well, the reality is, a lot of the "I have this" has been a source of major discontentment in my life. Right. And so let's, let me try and tie that... I appreciate you going down this path with me. And I was thinking as I was on a meeting the other day, on a zoom, meeting with a group of people and gratitude was the topic and of course, people were talking about gratitude lists. And in the back of my, in my mind, I started thinking about... you know... According to this, like, Well, alright, maybe I don't, on my gratitude list, put the things that I've got that you don't. So therefore, I'm grateful running water, all the way up to shiney house to whatever, you know. And I was like, what if I started writing down the supposed negative things in my life to be grateful for them? Right. And I thought, that's an interesting thought. And then I immediately went to well, let's put down the top worst things in my life that perhaps I've seen. Or would be perceived as bad. Or you know, all these these ideas. So when I got sober back in the day, you know, when I was 17 years old, and because I was gonna die, I was dying from alcohol and drugs. You know, there was the final, you know, moments in jail. There was there was that the judge, you know, laying the hammer down. Like, there was the the... I was crushed. best thing that ever happened to me .
Mischa Zvegintzov 03:11 So it's best thing that ever happened to me, and it's given me, like, the, the addiction and chemical dependency and all that is actually the best thing that happened to me. It's given me an amazing perspective on life. It's given me access to a higher power that provides me immense contentment and freedom and joy and peace in the moment. And it's actually introduced me to a framework of how to live life like steps, here's some steps you can take to have a good life. And I really learned, oh my god, like, if you follow steps, you can have success. If you see something out there that is calling to you, and someone's done it before you and they have a framework for you to follow, you can literally go follow that framework and have success. I mean, in get the end result, or some piece of it, or some part of it, right. I guess some people might go, I want to go be a neurosurgeon, but perhaps their hands are too shaky, or perhaps their mental capacity is carried towards something else, and not neuroscience, or neurosurgery or whatever, you know. But I think you get what I'm saying.
Mischa Zvegintzov 05:08 And then there was the darkest days of, of that final breakup that I went through that just emotionally devastated me, you know, this was, like, seven years ago or something by now. But again, in that moment, I would have told you, it's horrible. But I was devastated. But again, it brought it's brought me so much freedom and insight and, like, release from pent up emotions and, and fears. And it's just broght me so close to My God, my higher power my source. Like new levels, again, of freedom and release of the illusions of those shiny objects that I think I've got to have to be happy. No. And I had come up with this whole list of the worst things and I'm like, Oh my gosh, if I started looking at what's the available lesson and every supposed negative thing. Wow. So start making that my gratitude list all the bad things, you know, I've tried to think about that thing right now. I could put up my list. Oh, the neighbor planted a tree. I'm like, god dammit, that's gonna grow and impede whatever view of some damn thing I've got, like, all right. You know what the trees do? They just bring amazing birds and they actually provide shade and any foliage... Like it it dampens sound. So any road noise and like it actually makes everything more peaceful. I swear I and I get that a lot as I setting in my house and I hear the birds chirping all over the place. Like oh my god if like if there wasn't all this foliage around impeding my view of whatever the bank across the street.
Mischa Zvegintzov 08:27 Then there wouldn't be these birds that are just there's there's so many amazing birds flying around here the life that the birds bring is incredible. But that's just one example. And so I also started thinking you know the gratitude for... like if you're God's big enough you're just you can be grateful for the fact that we have breath today. But even then, it's like if you're if my gods big enough like there's more next there's something. Or there's more meaning than just my egoic attachment to this to how I feel right now. And so you can be grateful for death to. You can be grateful for, grateful for the way, grateful for creation. Grateful for the way everything works. Supposed it good or bad. Just like a core knowing gratitude. Yeah.
Mischa Zvegintzov 09:41 There's that guy Nick. I wish I could remember his last name (Nick Santonastasso). But he effectively has you know, he's had some disease when he was kid. Kinda wish I could remember his last name. But he's so powerful because he's got basically one arm and on this arm he's got you know, like one a couple of fingers, that's like one big finger. I don't know that. So much of what he does, and when I see him, you know, on the Instagram or whatever. And I've had the opportunity to see him speak live twice, once in person and once on a on like a zoom thing during the COVID. But I got to see him Funnel Hacking Live, I got to see him live. But also he was he was hanging out a bunch at Funnel Hacking Live, that was the great thing about the funnel, hacking live 2021. If you ever have an opportunity to go to one of these things, you should. Because all these amazing speakers, if you're into this kind of stuff, like Nick was there hanging out, he was just hanging out rolling around in his wheelchair with his posse, his crew, fully accessible. You could talk to him as much as you want it. Then his parents were there. Actually, it was funny at a moment to talk to his parents. But I was like, who's the old people older than me, people are actually probably my age.
Mischa Zvegintzov 11:11 But I went to talk to somebody I knew. I had one of those moments of talk to someone you don't know or talk to the person, you know. And for whatever reason, I was like, I just I wasn't feeling like introducing myself or striking up a new conversation. Because I had some fear and insecurity, right. And so I went talk to the people that I knew. And I looked back over and Nick rolls up and it turns out these people that I weren't going to talk to who looked like they were looking for someone to talk to as they were because they know anybody. Then all of a sudden there was Nick talking to his parents. And I was like what the hell what a crazy I kind of had such so much fun talking to his parents just to get insights into what they feel experienced. Like to get the parental perspective of a son who's just empowering people through his supposedly defects, you know, physical defects. It's like unbelievable. But anyway it's a good reminder for me next time if I have the opportunity to put my fears aside and embrace the unknown of who I don't know. Anyway. Got so many thought loops going here.
Mischa Zvegintzov 12:26 But Nick is so great at pointing out that the body stuff is the illusion man. Like when I would have been in physically fit, like in my best physical fitness. Or I think I might my most handsomeness shining honest, right? Like the most echoic stuff to offer have sometimes been my deepest points of insecurity. And he just shines a light on that on me and it's beautiful, and I love it. He's like your body is nothing. And like he talks about how his physical defects are the biggest gifts in his life. And I believe it man. I see it in action man. So anyway, Nick, God bless you. I'm going to end there. And just say quick that like, hey, maybe start writing down on your gratitude list. The top five things that you're unhappy about that cause you discontent and look for where you can find the goodness in that? Because that's it man shit keeps coming at us in life and we get the five gratitude in it or we don't anyway, I'm out. Enough of my pontificating. I hope this made some sort of sense. Please reply back. Go into the show notes. I believe that's contact@belov.media send me an email "Yeah, right on. I was relating." or "Man you're full of crap!" Anyway, love to all Peace out.
Guest Speak On 50 Podcasts In 100 Days! Join The Influence Army Waitlist HERE!
Join My Newsletter Here!
Email me: contact@belove.media
For social Media:
FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/MrMischa
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mischaz/
Subscribe and share with your business associates who could use a listen!
