A feeling of scarcity can hit us when it comes to safety or, uncertainty, money or your sense of worth and value. It’s founded in a sense of ‘not enough’. I don’t have enough time, I didn’t get enough sleep, we don’t have enough staff, not enough beds, discharges before 9 am. There aren’t enough clinic slots or theatre access. There are not enough ticks on the sheet, not enough completed reports… I could go on.

The ‘not enough’ thinking occurs automatically and evades all of our days. So before you’ve got going on the day, there is a sense of inadequacy, being behind we’re already losing.

I found the way out of that pit is through gratitude and connection. It’s not an obvious leap from the fear of not having enough or being enough to being able to feel grateful. In fact, you may be saying:

‘how can I be grateful when the day looks like this, we’re short-staffed and I’m still expected to do all this…what do I have to be grateful for?’

If that’s what’s going through your head, it’s OK, the choice you’re about to make is the personal leadership step to choose a mindset of sufficiency and abundance.

Sufficiency isn’t an amount, it’s not one step up from not enough or two down from plenty. It’s an intentional way to think about the circumstances we are in. That is where gratitude steps in to help.

Gratitude is not about denying the negative or difficult things that are happening in the world. Rather, it is about acknowledging those challenges while also recognising and appreciating the good things that we have in our lives.

It's a practice of intentionally focusing on and being thankful for the positive things in our lives. This can help to shift our perspective and bring more positivity into our daily lives, even amid challenging times.

When we express gratitude, we acknowledge the goodness that exists in our lives. We notice what matters to us and in that acknowledgement, we confirm its value. We cultivate a positive outlook that can help us overcome challenges and setbacks.

Research has shown that gratitude can have a range of benefits for our mental and physical health. People who practice gratitude regularly tend to experience lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. They have higher levels of life satisfaction, optimism, and resilience.

Gratitude can also improve our relationships with others. When we express gratitude towards someone, we show them that we appreciate and value them, which can deepen our connection and build trust. Gratitude can also create a positive feedback loop, where expressing gratitude leads to more positive interactions and experiences.

Additionally, cultivating gratitude can help us shift our focus away from what we lack and towards what we have. It can help us recognise the small joys and blessings in our lives, even during difficult times. This can help us feel more content and fulfilled and can make it easier to bounce back from adversity.

Gratitude is a powerful practice that can bring numerous benefits to our lives. Taking the time to reflect on the good things in our lives and expressing gratitude to others can help us create a sense of joy, connection, and resilience.

There are a million ways you can bring gratitude into your days, start with this Practice Guide for micro moments throughout your day. Or you can dig into this more with this workbook, exploring a range of approaches, so you can test and try what works for you right now.