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Gratitude Can Shift Any Attitude with Wholehearted Coach Kristen Yeh · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Simply Wholehearted Podcast with Amy Wiggs, your wholehearted life and business coach.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: You should know this podcast will inspire you to grow in self-awareness, be passionate about your faith, and get clear on your calling.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: If you are new here, then welcome to the community of multi-passionate women who love to go deep on topics like faith, Enneagram, relationships, leadership, and community.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: This conversation might provide the step you need to make the change you desire.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get started.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Friend, I know you're no stranger to the phrase that gratitude can shift any attitude.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: But sometimes it's a lot harder to muster up gratitude, especially during the stress, the busyness, the hustle, and even the emotion of the holiday season.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully by now you know that you can count on me to talk about the real struggle of life alongside practical and spiritual application to help shift not our circumstances necessarily, but maybe how we view and engage with the circumstances that you might find yourself in.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: So this conversation has been planned and designed around giving you some encouragement in the midst of the holidays to find and explore the spirit of gratitude, but also to provide you some practical ways to engage in that rhythm in this next month.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: So Kristen Ye is another wholehearted coach.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: She's an Enneagram 5, and you may have heard from her before if you've listened to the last couple of years, Nine Types series.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: She has very kindly represented the Enneagram 5 by just sharing more about her life and this last summer, a little bit more about motherhood from a Type 5 lens.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: So in this conversation, we're talking about a 21-day challenge that Kristen hosted last year during November to help her community and also the co-coaching community that I host to help shift her gaze in a spirit of gratitude.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, it was really powerful.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: I loved it personally, and I'll share more about my experience.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why I asked her to share in this podcast episode about what she did last year because she's going to host another gratitude challenge this year.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I've hopefully shared this in an amount of time that you can listen to and join us this year.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're listening to a little bit later and it's mid-challenge, like mid-November, it's not too late.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: You can actually jump in at any time and you can benefit from this amazing resource and process that she's created.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: So this year, her 21-day gratitude challenge is going to guide you through a journey of discovering gratitude again.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: And she has unique daily prompts to help you explore the many different facets of gratitude.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, like there's different facets.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just a write three things that you're grateful for.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: She really goes in deep.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: And again, we talk more about this in our conversation, but she asks unique questions to help you really dig a little bit past some of the quick answers that might come up in gratitude.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: So that way you can just explore a little bit more about what you have to be thankful for.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: She's also going to offer a quick daily gratitude prayer.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: And she's gonna also help you understand why gratitude matters and how to grow a heart of gratitude and also deepen your practice of gratitude.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I happen to know that Kristen and another wholehearted coach actually started the journey last year and have continued all through the year.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: They've just paired up, did that together, and it has beautifully and radically impacted their lives for the better.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: So Kristen truly knows what she's talking about as far as practicing this and growing and explaining her viewpoint on gratitude.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: So she has a lot to share today.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: And also, you'll definitely want to check out the show notes of this episode so you can register for this free 21-day gratitude challenge that she's offering.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_00: And again, if you're hearing this a little bit later and the gratitude challenge has already started, go ahead and sign up.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: We want you to join in and you'll want to follow Kristen because she has several different challenges throughout the year that are so beneficial that I participate in as well because they benefit me spirit, mind, and body.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: All right, let's get right to this amazing conversation.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Kristen, I am so glad to have you on the podcast again, though we haven't gotten to do a conversational podcast together before.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: I know this is new and fun.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's so fun.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: For our friends who are listening, if they recognize the name and the voice and your Enneagram type, which is Kristen Ye, who's a wholehearted coach in a type five, they have heard you before share from a type five perspective in our Inea Summer series.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that was a lot of fun sharing parts of my story with yours.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: It was.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I was so grateful because to be honest, my type five clients are not always very eager to share their story on the airway.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: So I appreciate you filling in twice with two different perspectives.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's a big deal, and it's it's definitely something new in me stepping up and doing something new.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Well, speaking of stepping out, I have gotten the privilege of having a front row seat of your becoming a coach journey.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: From the moment we chatted about doing the become an Enneagram coach process to how do I continue to build my business?
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: To what does it look like to become a wholehearted coach?
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: And it's just been really fun to do this with you.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd love for you to share just a little bit before we dive into our theme of gratitude.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: Tell us a little bit about becoming a coach and running your own business.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, there's so many challenges we could talk for hours, but for you, do you have a few summations of how it's been specifically challenging or rewarding for you as a type five?
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, I mean, coaching was not something that I ever foresaw that I would be doing.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: And God has been very clearly laying out this path for me.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: So that's been exciting, just to watch him lead and to go where he does.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: It has been a wild ride.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: And as a type five, it's been a challenge to put myself out there because as a business owner, I can't hide or fade into the shadows.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I need to just bravely take lots of steps, even when I don't have all the answers or feel completely comfortable because I want to be competent and I've never run my business before.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: And so I had a lot to learn.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: And while I love learning, and that really excites me, taking those next action steps, you know, is sometimes a challenge.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: And so I've been just doing it scared a lot of the time, just stepping out in faith and doing it scared.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but when I follow the lead of the Holy Spirit, I trust him and I trust his lead.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: I don't trust myself often, but I trust the spirit.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: So I think God has been leading me to take steps in faith and to not overthink it.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I'm learning not to get stuck in my head, but just to do it.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: And it's been a lot of fun.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: I think that will preach in itself.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: And really, no matter what type we are, we all need to be living in that way with God as our CEO and the Holy Spirit directing and being willing to be bold and courageous.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: And it's tough for anybody, it's tough for the seven.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you have done it, and I think what's probably maybe fun from my standpoint is that honestly, most of the time I would never know how scared you were because you just seem to do this stuff.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: We have this idea during a call, and we might boxer back and forth about it, and then you do it.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, wow, that's amazing.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: If I don't take the step and just do it, then I will get stuck.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: So I just have to get out of my head and just do it.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's a good point for us overthinkers.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_00: We get stuck in there.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's one thing to ideate a little bit, but once we've landed on things, we have to take action.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, we're gonna go, what about this and what about that?
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: And tweak this and tweak that.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, we've got to follow through it.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Make the plan and then follow through with the plan.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: So good.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: I've seen you do do that.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: One of the other conversations that we have a lot with the whole hearted coaching group that we have, we talk about sharing our story and sharing up authentically and maybe even the good, obviously, but also maybe the hard and the not so pleasant things to um to share.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the things I appreciate about you is that you have shown up very vulnerably.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: You show up vulnerably in your newsletters on social media, and you know, you film yourself after going to the gym or at blueberry picking, or you talk about the mistake you made uh last weekend that you're still thinking through and and all of that.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: So you have done that and kind of hinted at.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: You've maybe done it scared anyway.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: But what has helped you show up authentically from that standpoint, besides a good dose of courage, because it does take that?
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I really appreciate you affirming that because showing up authentically has been a huge growth process for me.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it all stems from a deeper understanding of my identity in Christ and how he uniquely crafted my personality.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: You know, identity in Christ is a pretty churchy phrase that my 20s and 30s I thought I understood, but in reality, I really didn't.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_01: And so all the time, right?
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: Learning that has been key.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: And as you know, my business logo has a tree as part of the logo, and I like to think of that uh word picture of a tree when I think about identity, because that has really helped shape my view of it.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: And above the surface of the tree, you see the leaves and the branches, and they're always changing depending on the season or the circumstance.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: Below the surface are the roots, and those keep growing deeper and wider underground, and they keep that tree sturdy and standing and unwavering through the storms.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: And you and I have talked about this before, you know, as a fascinating side note, you know, the roots are actually growing the most in the winter when things above ground are dark and cold and bare, and you know, hello suffering.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, nobody wants it, but it is when I've grown the most.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, there is a measure of gratitude for that growth in the midst of the hard things.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I spent a lot of my life defining myself by what was above the surface, you know, what people can see.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_01: You know, my roles as a wife and a mom and a sister and a daughter.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: And when those things were going well, then I felt great about myself.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_01: But when they weren't, I didn't.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: And what God has continued to teach me is that I need to define myself by what is below the surface and be rooted in who he says that I am.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: So rooting myself in the fact that I am adopted and when I'm chosen and I'm called for a purpose and I'm loved and I'm treasured and I'm accepted and wonderfully made.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: And he created me in a unique way for deep relationship and connection with him.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: And so when I lean into that identity, I have a sturdiness of soul, and there's a new freedom to show up in relationships with courage and with authenticity because I'm not looking to those around me for my identity.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm looking to him.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so as I was thinking about this, it's this fun, amazing loop because leaning into my identity in Christ and really believing who he says I am enables and empowers me to show up with authenticity.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: And when I show up authentically, then it points me back to the God who created me with a unique personality and perspective.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: So understanding that about myself and my creator, you know, then enables me to be more authentic.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so it's just this continual loop of identity and real relationships that has been a joy to walk through.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: I love the visual of the tree as you have expanded on this for you and the growth journey.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: And something I've been noticing this fall that we're in the midst of the seasonal shift here in the Midwest.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: And this really ties into our overall topic.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_00: But what's interesting to note because it's true, we've talked about the tree stuff because my husband's an arborist, and your logo, and just other, we talk a lot about the planting and growing cycle and all of those sort of things when it comes to business.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: But Kansas City had a great amount of rain this spring and summer.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: There was these torrential downpours, we had problems with flooding, but it hasn't really rained here in about three weeks.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: And there was some promised bouts of rain.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: They ended up skirting around us.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: And so what we're viewing is that the leaves are changing quickly out of distress.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so I walk a lot, I mean, obnoxious amounts.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm always taking and I try to go a lot of times without anything.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I can just observe beauty and you know, hear the Lord.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm I'm just looking around and seeing all these leaves.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: And it's made me a little bit sad because I think, really, Lord, could we have all of that rain, all of that soaking?
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: And just because three weeks goes by without a drop of rain, we're gonna have maybe a hurried, rushed fall that isn't as brilliant.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: And it's had me thinking about this beast you talk about with identity.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: We may have dealt with our identity in our 20s and in our 30s, but we might need to go at it afresh and new.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: And like the gratitude rhythm, yeah, maybe we're grateful, but have we soaked ourselves in the rhythm?
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: Have we soaked ourselves in God's presence?
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: Are we doing that on a regular basis?
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: Because it is really easy in life to be unintentional for three weeks and to look up and realize you're in a drought.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so I've been thinking about that analogy a lot as it pertains to my life and those that I coach and just my whole desire here for the whole hearted community is that we have always got to be soaking and and we dismiss the rhythm so quickly and go, oh, but I did all that soaking a couple months ago or a while ago.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'll be fine.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's okay if I don't do it for three weeks when in actuality you won't be.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: So right.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: We need to continually be immersing ourselves in those things.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: And in different seasons, it's gonna look different.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: And so, yeah, you might have to learn a new way of doing it in this new season that you're in.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so the new way of doing something last year in 2023, as we were, you know, talking about ideas of how do you bless your community and grow your community?
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: One of those ideas was like, hey, you know, what would it look like to invite other people in this journey that I want to do in regards to gratitude?
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: So why don't you tell us a little bit about like what was the catalyst?
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: Was there a moment that you go, oh, I think maybe I've been a little bit dry here?
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: And not only do I want to do it, but I want to invite others into the process.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: Well, 2023 was a really hard year for me.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: Gotta witness.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it was full of disappointment and rejection and heartache and so many tears.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: I cannot even tell you how many tears I cried in 2023.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I was grieving the loss of a relationship with someone that I love very dearly.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: And so, in the midst of that hard, I knew that I had a choice because what we pay attention to, we notice.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I could keep focusing on all that was hard, or I could intentionally look for beauty, look for blessings, look for God's provision and look for his presence.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: And you know that brain science fascinates me.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I wanted to build those new neural pathways in my brain to see the good, you know, to see the ways that God was showing up instead of being stuck in my old ruts and my old ways of thinking.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I started the challenge because I knew I needed some accountability to be intentional about gratitude.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't really start the challenge because I was a pro.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_01: I started the challenge because I needed to build my gratitude muscle.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I knew that doing something like that in the context of community was going to be a huge help to me and bless those inside of the community.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: I keep thinking of this phrase, gratitude can shift any attitude.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: So as you successfully did that 21-day challenge, and there's probably a lot of stories to tell from that.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_00: I know I have some ones as well because I participated, I signed up, and I did it.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: Just tell me some more of the fruit of what that looks like.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I think gratitude is an action of soaking ourselves.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: And just like we had talked about the tree, it's soaking ourselves so that way we can bear good fruit and the color can come in time or the leaves can change gradually instead of this harsh withering, like we're experiencing in the Midwest.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: Gratitude doesn't change the actual circumstances, but it completely changes how I view those circumstances and what I believe about those circumstances, and how I act in the midst of those circumstances.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: I think gratitude fuels hope because when I'm noticing the ways that God is present and providing, it reminds me that He is working in my life and in the lives of others, even when I don't always see it.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: And so it was really amazing because when I started for beauty, I started seeing it everywhere.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: I would notice a gorgeous sunrise on my way to work, or these puffy white clouds that were moving through the sky, or intricate and delicate flowers along a walk.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_01: And those things had always been there, but I just hadn't noticed them before.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_01: You know, and the same thing of when I started looking for blessings, I I found them.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: They were there.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: And it's simple, it can be simple, like a delicious meal that I savor, or a warm shower on a cold day, or a joke that I share with my kids.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: These aren't grandiose things, but they are everyday blessings that I started to really pay attention to.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_01: And then when I started looking for God's provision, I started seeing it all over the place.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_01: I started seeing it in especially the women that he's provided in my life during this time.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: Women who prayed for me and empathize with me and really helped me to see small shifts and movement that are in the right direction and affirm that.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: with me.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_01: And when I started paying attention to where is God's presence in the midst of all of this hard, I started to sense his presence in a really tangible way.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I started to hear his voice more and feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_01: And it's been a really amazing confirmation that when he commands us to be grateful, it's for a good reason he has a good reason for that.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: And you mentioned stories from people who participated in the challenge.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: I think one of my favorite bits of feedback from the challenge was one of my friends who said that she went from sitting down at the end of the day, you know, trying to think of things to write down to be grateful for to actively searching for those things as a part of her day.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: So it just became natural and she started noticing it as a rhythm of her day rather than oh I have to sit down and write some things about I love that.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that is true in my life as well.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_00: Now anyone can practice gratitude.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: You can get a journal just for your gratitude.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: Anne Boskamp wrote a well-known book on it and we hear it.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: But there was something that I enjoyed that felt very different with this.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'd love for you to get in the a little bit of the details of how you ran it, how you're planning on doing it in this coming month here in just a couple of weeks.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_00: So there was a lot of prompting specific prompting you did for us.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't just like hey you want to join me and for 21 days you write down some things you're grateful for.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: No, it was you have really intentional thoughtful prompts to help us examine things maybe from a different perspective or come in looking for something different.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: So again I like did it because I I wanted to support you and I'm like yeah I could use more gratitude.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: I just had no idea how much it would actually help me and and really keep me accountable and help me see things I hadn't seen before.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd love for you to give us a little sneak peek maybe what you did before and how what you're going to repeat again because I I thought it was fabulous.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_00: And if we could sustain it, it'd be worth doing all year.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: But what's great is that you do a few challenges a year.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's really fun to do that so we can establish some different habits and rhythms.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, tell us a little bit more of the details.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah so what I did was I sent out a daily email for all the participants in the challenge.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: And in that email there was a daily gratitude and growth prompt.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: And so it really helps us to expand our idea of the areas where we can experience gratitude or the lens through which we can look at it.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: And so this year I'm planning to do the same.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: I'll have a daily short encouraging email that will really help point us back to the giver of those good gifts.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: I mean that's my goal is we want to take our eyes off of ourselves and we want to turn them back on to you know the Lord who is the one who gives us these good gifts.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: And so gratitude for gratitude's sake isn't going to help us but if it causes us to focus our eyes on the giver on the Lord then that is really where the change happens.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm excited about people participating and really experiencing the joy of trying something new in the context of a supportive community where there will probably be some days where you're not going to get it done.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: And that's okay.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we just start over the next day and we we try it again.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_00: So you know this isn't for people who are you know going to be perfect but it's for people who are imperfectly walking this journey and what does it look like to keep on keeping on I love that last year we had there's a little special bonus that I think everyone could do in theory and that was our the group of wholehearted coaches were on a boxer thread where you helped remind us to practice that.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: And that was so cool because you know we had some friendship you know basis so we could feel free to engage without judgment.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: That was important we all felt safe and it was the opportunity to share some unique aspects of our life that we hadn't shared before and it kept me accountable to share something different to be grateful for something different because when I'm going through my tough times I do think the Lord I woke up today and thank you for my coffee and thank you that my legs move and I can get really rote because I I'm feeling so bogged down by my circumstances.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: And so anyway I loved that additional layer and I think that is something that our friends could do when they sign up to do your gratitude challenge.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_00: They could pull a couple of friends in on it and do a group text to keep each other accountable or Voxer if you use that or group me, whatever all the things like you could do this all sorts of ways and that way it's not 20 people responding and weighing everything down but it's just a few people and then who can like joyfully nudge each other when they're posting because then it's like oh yeah that's right.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: They're telling me I'm going to sit down and do this.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that was a really nice bonus last year.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah I I loved that aspect as well and so I would encourage people to pick one or two friends and do this together because like you said the aspect of community I mean you you're doing it within the the Thrive Innegram community but even the smaller community of people that you see on a daily basis or are in contact with on a daily basis, those relationships will will deepen and grow as you share your gratitude together and hold each other accountable and encourage one another along through the process.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of times we're vacillating when do we start because oh the holidays are coming or oh we know this is crazy for the moms I reach because of sports seasons or graduation or summer there's always something.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: So with that it's we are definitely launching into the busiest time of the year.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so the second busiest right you have your April May and then you have November December but you intentionally chose November to dig into this rhythm and to invite people into this process.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I know there's a lot of excuses that could come about but I also saw out the unique pressures of the season this was a vital step and process to be able to experience a change or a shift even in the midst of all of the disappointments and everything.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: So we just speak to that a little bit for those who are going yes it sounds like a good idea but can I really pull it off when I have all of these other things happening or I feel and experience all these things during the holiday season.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah well I mean I would encourage everybody not to think of this as just one more thing.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_01: You know the holidays can be really challenging and there's a lot of joy but there's also a lot of grief in the midst of holidays for a lot of us and you know what I'm learning is that I can hold both the joy and the grief at the same time and there's time for grief.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying that gratitude's going to erase that grief.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: But what I am saying is that the intentional practice or habit of gratitude magnifies the joy.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I want people to think about how they can magnify their joy this holiday season by trying this habit gratitude.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_00: Ooh I feel like there's a byline in there magnifying the joy because it's true I think I can remember sometimes where I was physically when I engaged with that chat and was prompted to seek out what I had to be grateful for.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I definitely am one of those who experienced grief around the holidays.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: And there just will be that until my dying day and maybe more layers and the the reality of life ahead.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I I think that it did it shifted my focus a lot of times and reminded me all that was good even in light of what was hard.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: And again it didn't change those hard things.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_00: They aren't going away but it it helped buoy my spirits and the joy to be able to also hold the grief pieces without it being that being the overarching theme and said joy could be in the midst of that.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I love that it was definitely the fruit.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I I mean I I guess I just want to share for my friends who are like oh I could just pull out a journal and do gratitude.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah you could you could please do but listen you probably won't so this is my dare like either don't do gratitude or go ahead and do this challenge and just see what this is going to do.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah like it's just a try and see and even if you do it for seven days it's seven days that you didn't do it just like the rain we were talking about maybe we won't get enough rain to get us to where we need to by the end of fall but even if we had seven inches of rain, seven days of rain, we would be doing a lot better than we're doing now.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so may I just you know submit that idea as far as whether it's gratitude and soaking in the presence of God and getting in his word.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I I just love this Kristen I love getting to talk to you.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_00: I so appreciate fives in my life because it is my line of growth and I seek out growth and I desire more focus and steadiness and and just the essence of of what you offer.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_00: So you've you've said so much here but I'm just wondering because you probably do you have any like last pieces of advice or encouragement for those of us to engage with the rhythm of gratitude during the upcoming season yeah I guess I just want to encourage people that God is there.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_01: God is there in the midst of it with you and it may just take a little bit of looking and a little bit of intentionality but when you look you will see him and that will cause you to want more and more and more about him so good.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_00: I can think of so many people including myself of what that truth speaks to so I've seen you seek it out and live that out Kristen so I know that's spoken from a heart that is intentionally seeking that.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_00: Kristen so appreciate your time and your energy into this and sharing and I'm so excited to finish out this year in gratitude with you.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: Looking forward to that I love learning from Enneagram fives and I'm pretty sure I've said that every time I get to interview and talk and learn from fives with you, but I just do I appreciate how much they demonstrate my upstream growth path and I really do aspire to be more learned, thoughtful, focused, to savor, to slow down, to balance out the fast paced, overly sometimes enthusiastic personality that I naturally am.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I just appreciate Kristen I'm sure you appreciated this as well.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_00: So be sure to say hey on the socials you can find her on Instagram Thrive Enneagram, of course I'll link that in the show notes.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_00: And of course you'll want to sign up for her 21 day challenge as well.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: Let her know that you listened to this conversation and maybe something that you're taking away from what she shared today.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: Already friend I've got some more goodness headed your way as we prepare for this celebration season ahead in the Advent season.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_00: Next week Lisa Jo Baker is joining us to talk about her new memoir.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_00: It wasn't roaring it was weeping uh it's a powerful conversation and it's a powerful book.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited for you to hear from her and if you've been a longtime listener she has been a guest before and it was a fantastic conversation years ago.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I was thrilled that she could come back on and share a little bit more about her new work.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_00: Of course we talked about Enneagram and we also talked about launching our oldest kids off to college this year.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_00: It was a really precious time of reflection and something later on she came back and said oh I hadn't even processed that journey aloud and it was so sweet to be able to do that with you.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a good one.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely be tuning in next week.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: Until then remember we're all broken we're all blowing it it's the brave one who does something about it.