“Someone is praying for your problems.”
Why is Gratitude important for our training?
For a start, given the quote above, gratitude helps us with our perspective. You may struggle while out of breath doing burpees, but there’s someone out there wishing they could even do a burpee.
Positivity is linked to improved performance. If you approach a lift thinking “oh shit this is too heavy for me” you’re far less likely to be successful than approaching it expecting to be able to pick it up.
Gratitude (along with healthy supportive relationships) are directly linked to our health and happiness too.
So how do we develop gratitude? By turning “have to’s” into “get to’s”. You don’t “have to” do the workout today, you “get to!”
We’re not wired to think like this, our brains evolved to help us survive threats so happiness involves some effort.
And we’re not asking anyone to be all sunshine and rainbows in the face of difficulties. The process of consistently searching for things to be grateful for, even if they are “only” your cup of coffee or you’re indoors during the rain, is where the magic happens.