Grounded Gratitude as a Real Practice
I’m sharing my latest sermon as it’s appropriate for this week when many Americans will sit down with loved ones and count their blessings. Not everyone here in the States celebrates this holiday. And many of our readers live elsewhere. However, I view this time of year as a reminder to focus on Gratitude as an everyday skill, mindset and practice.
Grounded Gratitude
“Grounded Gratitude” means you are identifying ways in which you are thankful for ALL of what you are navigating, not just the high points. It’s a mindful practice about also finding the positive or blessing in the low points or what is not wanted. THIS is the REAL work of gratitude.
My reflection question for you today is, how/where can you express more gratitude, ESPECIALLY when you are going through a difficult time? My sermon explores this topic from a scientific, as well as wellness/spiritual perspective.
Stopped in My Tracks
Less than 24 hours after I delivered this sermon, I was invited into this practice in a deeper way. I was hit over the head with a steel door, due to an unsafe set up, after swimming my usual half mile at the YMCA. It rendered me still with a concussion, lying in a dark room for ten days instructed to “do nothing.” Well, giving that command to a turbo-charged doer is indeed a challenge – imposed long reflection or “no reflection” time.
I did the best I could – slept, rested, meditated, until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I did get on my phone a bit with the lights dimmed and opened my laptop twice to put on my out of office signature and clear my calendar. I read a couple chapters of a book that was collecting dust by my bed. It took me longer and I fatigued easily. I wrote in my journal. I daydreamed about the work I wanted to do more of, and the life I truly wanted to be leading.
I landed in the ER a second time with worsened symptoms (sensitivity to light, dizziness and intense nauseousness) when I over did it. This injury required that I tune in to my body more finely, and titrate my activity in a way that kept the symptoms at bay, but met my need to move forward. It also had me questioning what does moving forward really mean? What was my mind and body trying to tell me? How could movement look differently for my life and work?
Realignment
I’m back to a very light schedule still gauging what I can do without exacerbating the symptoms. What am I grateful for? So much!
The gift of not doing
The silence
Unburdening myself of expectation
Having “an excuse” to say no
Time to decompress
Tuning in to my body and mind’s awareness more
All of this allowed me to reimagine my life and work in a way I wouldn’t have done if I wasn’t brought to a screeching halt. It’s forced me to streamline my priorities and trim any activities that are not aligned with my values and who I am as a person and a leader with an eclectic blend of skills and diverse experiences. These have shaped my wholistic orientation to life and work.
Business Focus
While “doing nothing,” I decided to refocus my one-one coaching service. I enjoy it enormously, and my clients let me know how valuable my presence and services are for them. I will continue to do executive coaching, and occasionally team building and teaching workshops for my business clients. But I will reduce my coaching load and focus in on those leaders who are:
New in their role (promotion, lateral move or new company)
Navigating uncertainty and transformational change
Working with modifying their communication style
Purpose-driven - Want to explore and live more closely aligned to their values
Interfaith Work
I will shift the rest of my time toward services as an interfaith minister offering retreats, blessings, rituals & celebrations across the life cycle of life and work, and spiritual coaching & companioning services, as well as delivering a handful of sermons each year. These services require much of the same skills I have cultivated these past 35+ years in business (coaching, counseling, speaking, design and facilitation of personal growth experiences). The content goes deeper in terms of helping people explore more of who they are and how they can more fully manifest in the world to do good work.
Time-limited Offer
I am opening my calendar for December for discovery calls if you are interested in executive coaching or spiritual coaching & companioning work with me. Happy to talk rituals and celebrations as well. If you book an exploratory call in December and decide to work with me, I will take 30% off your executive coaching service throughout 2026, but I’m only opening up a limited number of those slots.
This is not a pressure-filled black Friday offering, but an open-hearted honoring to support you to make a commitment to yourself, and in gratitude for celebration of the 20th anniversary of Sage Leadership Strategies, LLC – which will occur in June 2026. You can imagine, we have many stories of how leaders and organizations have pursued their goals and dreams during this time of historic change in the world. If any of what I’ve shared resonates with you, or someone you know (feel free to share this information), I would love to speak with you or them.
With the advent of AI, the qualities of what makes us truly human is more important than ever. True, deep connections matter. Personal relationships matter. You matter. And we appreciate your ongoing affiliation.
Thank you all for all you do to make the world a better place that works for more people.
Suze Shaner-Brodax is an executive coach and leadership & organization effectiveness consultant. She is also an Interfaith/Interspiritual Minister and teaches yoga and meditation – tools to keep one sane in uncertain times. She helps professionals step up to their fullest leadership, life and growth potential. At times this means getting out of their own way in getting important stuff accomplished. www.sagelead.com.