Gratitude Mapping
What are you grateful for?
This was the question I asked myself last week as the US slowed down for Thanksgiving weekend. The last month of the year is usually my most reflective period. This year’s different given all my travels (I'm writing these words as I'm flying to New York City) and new projects, so I’ve been adapting by carving out pockets of morning stillness to journal and mind map.
On Thursday morning, I made a Gratitude Mind Map of the top things I’m grateful for:
Why Gratitude Map?
The main benefit of mapping what we're grateful for is solidifying our otherwise abstract and ephemeral experiences into concrete items and preventing our lives from devolving into an unbroken chain of actions and events, indistinguishable from one another.
As the composer, Claude Debussy said, "music is the space between the notes". These spaces are pauses for reflection and celebration. Otherwise we're just living a long string of noise.
Major Areas of Gratitude
Love
To love someone and be loved in return is a privilege. Similar to kindness, if we think it’s given, we take it for granted, which is the opposite of gratitude. It also means we can’t enjoy it to the fullest nor be pleasantly surprised by it.
In love, I’m grateful for Olivia, my wife, the spine of my book , my anchor as I traverse wind and fire. For my family and best friends. As well as for new possibilities as I keep an open and brave heart.
Community
This is my IRL friends who I see at the coffee shop, over hangouts, dinners and gatherings in my living room. All of you who’ve joined me on this crazy ride. I remind my YouTube audience and clients I serve every morning that it's a privilege to help people with my content.
We recently hosted a holiday party that brought many of our new and old friends together
I appreciate the intimate conversations, the fun, the understanding, and encouragement that has come from the last 3 years' effort in discovering and building my community.
San Francisco
I live in a beautiful city. The changing of the seasons, the unpredictability of the weather, the undulating hills, the patchwork of diverse neighborhoods, the stillness compared to other major cities, the ocean, the greenery, the sunsets and fog, the cafes and thrift stores.
San Francisco from my eyes: From my seat's window, you can see both Bay and Golden Gate Bridges | Sunset at Baker Beach the day after MMN's launch | Cafe International, one of my favorite morning spots | Alamo Square, my neighborhood park, with the most epic view of the skyline at dusk
I appreciate my apartment. It takes a lot of effort to make a box of four walls into a home. Over the course of the last year, I’ve made that box into more than just a home - it’s a garden, a filming studio, a safe space of dialogue and retreat.
I won’t stay here forever, which makes me all the more grateful to be here, and to experience this, now.
Randomness
Many of the fruits I’m enjoying and cultivating now were either unexpected or highly uncertain - the LinkedIn Creator Accelerator I’ve learned that if you are open, observant, and brave, you’ll begin to see life’s chaos as a source of creativity and opportunity .
I’m most grateful for how randomness has made my life more exciting, challenging and rewarding.
And most importantly - Health
After witnessing a string of incidents within my family and community, I’m more conscious and grateful than ever for good health. Not having major issues allows me to enjoy this exciting life and share it positively with my community and loved ones.
Make the most of your mind maps
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