The Mind Over Finger Podcast - 122 The Power of Gratitude – Try it at Home with Dr. Gauthier

Starting point is 00:00:00 You're listening to the Mind Over Finger podcast, episode number 122. This is a Try It At Home short. Welcome to the Mind Over Finger podcast, discussions on mindful music making, efficient practice, and building a purposeful career. And now, your host, violinist, teacher, and high performance coach for musicians, Dr. Rene Paul Gaultier. Hi, everyone. Welcome to this episode of the Try It At Home series. In this series, I offer some suggestions on how you can take the actionable tip from the latest interview of the Mind Over Finger podcast, try it at home and make it your own. We unpack

Starting point is 00:00:50 my guests' awesome wisdom together and apply it in our lives. Today, we revisit and expand on Mary Elizabeth Bowden's actionable tip from episode 121. And if you haven't had a chance yet, make sure to catch our conversation because it's packed with tons of great information and amazing wisdom. First, let's listen to what Mary recommends we try at home this week. Remembering that we love music and maybe listening to something that you love each day. I know I have to remind myself to do that. A lot of times when I drive, I listen to silence or podcasts. and recently I've been turning on some music finally and just remembering why we do what we do.

Starting point is 00:01:34 And so I think just a daily gratitude journal and writing down the things that you're thankful for in regards to why we do what we do. And especially after these tough times with things getting canceled with COVID and it's still happening, still feels like a weird time. So I think that like, yeah,

Starting point is 00:01:51 just reminding each other that we're all in this together. oh i love this all of it i love how it resonates with what my guests in episode 119 shared about remembering why we love what we do and i covered that in episode 120 so for now i'm mostly going to concentrate on the gratitude practice that mary talks about because it's one of my favorite ways to boost my mindset. And I actually see it as a superpower. I've created a free companion guide for you that has all the steps I'm about to share ready to go. You can download it to follow along and to continue the reflection after the episode. And the link will be in the show notes or at mindoverfinger.com slash resources. Also, before I dive in, I should mention that

Starting point is 00:02:49 one of the best ways to develop a more grateful mindset is to join the Joyful Practice Challenge, which starts March 7. And I'll have more information all about that at the end of the episode. So adopting a gratitude practice. It's one of the best and easiest ways to develop a more positive mindset and bring more motivation, enthusiasm and efficiency in our lives. It shifts our attention away from toxic emotions. It stops us from ruminating on negative experiences, and it helps us feel happier and become more objective and productive. A lot of people resist giving it a try because it sounds a little too woo-woo for them. And that was me at first. I resisted it for a long time. And if that's you, I can reassure you, it's actually scientifically

Starting point is 00:03:42 proven to help with things from improving self-esteem and mental strength to regulating the nervous system, increasing concentration, and many more amazing side effects. And I'll put some links of interesting articles and studies for you in the companion guide. Other people don't really know where to start or they think it's complicated. And again, let me reassure you, it's not complicated and it's not hard. You can experiment and create a gratitude practice that really fits your personality and your lifestyle. It's very simple and easy. You can't mess it up. So here are a few suggestions of things you can try to get started. The simplest way to go is to think of three things you're grateful for. That's it. Anytime you'd like. You can do it first thing when you wake up before

Starting point is 00:04:30 you jump out of bed, or as you enjoy your cup of coffee, after your yoga practice, before your instrumental practice, while you drive to work or wait in the bus, while you brush your teeth before bed, or you can sprinkle it throughout the day. Anything does the trick at any time. Just take a second to think about or write down the things you're grateful for. Anytime you notice something you can be grateful for. You can take things a little bit further by journaling and you can do this as a stream of consciousness or by using a prompt journal. One of my favorite prompt journals is the Five Minute Journal by Intelligent Change. It asks you to take a few minutes in the morning to reflect on three things you're grateful for, what would make today great, and the affirmation

Starting point is 00:05:20 you want to keep in mind that day. Then in the evening, you record three amazing things that happened and what you could have done to make the day a little bit better. Super simple, but very potent. You can also incorporate gratitude into a meditation practice by either including it in the practice you already have, or by trying a few guided meditations. And I'll put some links for you in the companion guide. A technique I have developed for myself inspired by my yoga practice is to grab my mala beads. If you don't know what those are, they're a string of 108 beads used in Buddhist prayer, a little bit like rosaries. So I have mala beads everywhere by my bed, in my office, in my car. And I just grab them when I have a few minutes and I want to collect

Starting point is 00:06:09 myself. And I go through each bead and I think of something I'm grateful for. That can be big things like my health, or the health of my children and my husband, or small things like coffee, or how I'm grateful for the parking app that just saved me $5. So 108 might seem like a lot. But once you start, you realize that there are so many things we can be grateful for. And that's the beauty of the gratitude practice and its power. It helps us see that we are in fact surrounded by blessings. And the more we take the time to notice them, the big ones and the small ones, the more we start to see them everywhere. Gratitude gives us a new objectivity for our circumstances, gives us the ability to build resilience and not give in to spiraling negative

Starting point is 00:07:04 thoughts. It's clarity over mind drama. And when you hear me say this, can you see how incredibly powerful this can be for your happiness, for your mental health, for your ability to take on challenges and problem solve anything. Think of the things you can create and build from a place of clarity and a grateful heart. It's just amazing. And you might not feel the full effect of your gratitude practice right away. I mean, unless I'm wrong, I don't think it's going to be like a night and day difference for you at the beginning. But if you're like me, you'll feel lighter even from the first try, and it will gently seep in and you'll start to notice how much your outlook improves over time and the impact it's having on your life. So try it this week. Notice those

Starting point is 00:07:58 sparks of blessings floating all around you and catch them and let them elevate your spirit. And don't forget to let me know how it goes. In fact, I'm excited for you guys to try my mala bead technique. So if you listen to the episode before March 7, 2022, share a screenshot of the episode cover on social media, tag me, and I'll draw the name of one person to receive one of my favorite sets of mala beads. So just grab a screenshot of the cover, share and tag me on social before midnight on March 6, and you might be getting a gift in the mail. And before I let you go, one more reminder that the Joyful Practice Challenge starts this Monday, March 7, so make sure to head to mindoverfinger.com to register and don't miss a thing. Every weekday until the 21st, you're going to get the secrets of the Mind Over Finger podcast guests to infuse your practice with mindfulness, joy, and efficiency. You'll hear wisdom from Rachel Barton Pine, Mimi Zweig, Brian Lewis,

Starting point is 00:09:05 Lori Niles, Vijay Gupta, Kim Kashkashian, Tom Houghton, Elizabeth Rowe, Jennifer Montone, Mary Elizabeth Bowden, and Ralph Schiano. So 10 days, 10 joyful practice tips, and you'll have worksheets, accountability and support, and some pretty great prizes. I can't wait to experience this joyful practice challenge with you. As always, you can find all the information related to this episode in the show notes or at mindoverfinger.com slash resources. And that's including the PDF companion to this episode

Starting point is 00:09:41 and the link to sign up for the Joyful Practice Challenge. Be well, my friends. Thank you so much for listening. And à bientôt. Thank you.

The Mind Over Finger Podcast - 122 The Power of Gratitude – Try it at Home with Dr. Gauthier

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