2020 Year End Top 10

December 31, 2020 No Comments

Happy New Year friends! Thanks so much for reading my blog. I believe that what we appreciate, appreciates! So I’m keeping up my long-standing tradition of expressing gratitude for the top 10 moments I experienced this year. Obviously, 2020 presented unique challenges, but we made it through! And we didn’t come this far, just to come this far. So let’s keep pushing forward with hope, knowing the best is yet to come. Happy 2020! xo, Brit

1. Honeymoon and New Year’s in Aruba

Zach and I were fortunate to travel out of the country one last time before COVID-19 hit. Little did we know, we’d be quarantining together at home for the rest of the year. We even got matching “BZ” tattoos while we were there! So grateful for fun in sun for a week after our wedding and fireworks on the beach New Years Eve.

2. Celebrating 5 years of business

This video captures it all. Being an entrepreneur is an exciting, lonely, fun, challenging experience and I would’t change it for the world. So grateful to do this work, full-time for the past 5 years!

3. Launching GRIT Fitness Virtual Studio

A few years ago I launched a mobile app with the hope of creating a virtual fitness studio experience…that project wasn’t profitable and didn’t take off very well. While COVID-19 shut down my brick and mortar businesses, it propelled the development of our new virtual studio. Now we have the ability to truly connect and workout with women all over the world via your livestream and on-demand fitness classes. Learn more about GRIT Fitness Virtual Studio HERE

GRIT goes global – let’s claim it!

4. Harvard Business School Case Study Published

💥PUBLISHED💥 @harvardhbs WOW. Navigating COVID-19 as a small business owner has been quite the journey the past 2 months, BUT seeing a Harvard Business School case published this week with ME as the protagonist is something to be celebrated! Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that MBA students all over the world would study the company I founded 5 yrs ago (and still maintain 100% ownership) to learn about effective entrepreneurship. For 15 months I had pleasure of working with most brilliant case writers and professors at Harvard as they traveled from Boston to Dallas and followed me around all day, interviewed my instructors and staff, performed detailed research about the boutique fitness industry and so perfectly captured my start up story @gritbybritand critical decision points and highs and lows I’ve experienced along the way.

This case is all about the big decision I had to make to grow GRIT beyond our start up phase…we wrapped it up in late 2019…and now it looks like we’ll need to start working on the sequel, “How to pivot your business and thrive in a global pandemic! 🤔” I’m so grateful for all that I learned through this process and more importantly to be role model for young, black, female founders all over the world and be one of the very few black women protagonist in a Harvard Business School case. If this girl from Mesquite, TX who went to public school can go to Harvard and start her own thriving business, you can do ANYTHING!

5. Being on Master’s of Scale Podcast and partnering with Capital One Business

Massive shout out to Capital One Business for selecting my company GRIT Fitness to highlight as one of the courageous small businesses who have pivoted our business model during COVID-19. I had the pleasure of sharing our story on the Masters of Scale podcast, in a 3 part feature (starting at minute 4:15, then 22:44 and last at 45:25). Here’s the link to listen to the full podcast (which is really good btw) – I hope it inspires and encourages you.

6. Buying our first home!

I finally gave up the Dallas Uptown hi-rise life for a proper house. This was my first time going through the home buying process. My lil bro just got his real estate license, so he was our realtor. Zach and are about 6 months into home ownership as husband and wife and we couldn’t be more grateful.

7. Reopening my fitness studios after shutting down due to the global pandemic

To God be the glory for keep my business afloat. The support and loyalty of our amazing members (I LOVE YOU #GRITFAM) and staff (I LOVE YOU #DREAMTEAM) allowed us to weather the COVID-19 storm and keep the doors of all 3 GRIT Fitness studio locations open. In environment where so many small business are shutting down, each day I’m just grateful, as a small business owner, just to be here.

8. Opening GRIT KO Boxing Studio

3 years ago I had the vision for GRIT KO – a safe, judgment-free place for women to learn proper boxing technique, let out aggression and get a killer workout with their girlfriends! It took us a year to find a space for the studio. Another year for our team to do the market research and create the format. Finally at the end of 2019 we signed a lease for a 2,500 sqft space, spent lots of 💵💰on equipment and finish out while investing tons of time training with a professional fighter (thank u @m.o.v.e.hq) The team and I were ready and eager to share this awesome experience with the GRITFAM in March 2020, but then… RONA 🦠

We put all plans on hold and instead of opening GRIT KO, we converted our brand new boxing studio to a 2nd spin studio so we could safely serve more women while allowing for social distancing. BUT, after 3 years of hustling and adjusting, we finally opened the doors to our KO Boxing studio on November 8, 2020 and classes have been AMAZING so far!

9. Rettig Family vacation to Panama City Beach

We drove 12 hours from Dallas to to the Gulf Coast, with my hubby and my lil pup, Pearl. It was Pearl’s first time travel and she did so good – I was so proud of her! Honestly, this was the best trip I have experienced in a really long time. There’s no time like family time…especially when I have a special someone to share it with now too.

10. Celebrating 1 year of marriage

Zach and I celebrated the ano! We enjoyed a chill relaxing week, 100% off of work. I spent the day looking at our beautiful wedding photos and we took the top layer of our wedding cake out the freezer and ate it for good luck. But we don’t need luck. If God is for us, who can be against us? I’m so blessed to do life with my amazing husband, Zach.

YAY for 1 year as Mr. and Mrs. Wold #ToHaveAndToWold

End of Year Top 10

2019 Year End Top 10

December 20, 2020 No Comments

2019 was a year of transition…I went from being sick to being well, single to married and from small business owner to CEO of a company with over 90 team members. All my life I’ve prayed for the these milestone transitions, but they have each come with huge sacrifices and challenges. Last year I learned that I have to say “no” to GOOD to say “yes” to GREAT — good and great are mutually exclusive; it’s impossible to have both — those changes are uncomfortable and scary. At the end of the day, I know for sure that we can create the lives of our dreams as long at we have the GRIT to stay positive, the tenacity to fight like hell (even when we don’t feel like it), a heart to serve others, and, most importantly, we trust and believe that God is for us and His plans to prosper us will always prevail if we keep our faith. 2019 was the best the year of my life so far, not because everything went according to plan (it didn’t) nor because I made no mistakes (I made several) but it’s the year that I’ve truly learned to just enjoy the journey — the good, the bad, the ugly. I’m grateful for all of it. Learning to love the “messy” stuff is powerful. Why? Because I’m not afraid of failure. Challenges don’t paralyze me. And critics don’t make me doubt myself. I’m here, in this position, for such a time as this, on divine assignment and NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME SHALL PROSPER – in the name of Jesus! (Isaiah 54:17) Thank you 2019 for all of the challenges and beautiful transitions.

Here are my most memorable moments from my “transition year” of 2019…

1. Girls Winter Trip to Denver in February

Zach and I had been dating for about 2 months and I knew I wanted to handle this relationship differently than my past relationships. I wanted to love without losing myself. The old me, would have cancelled all of my personal plans to make myself available for my new man, but I’m proud that I stayed committed to my friends and my personal passions. We had the best time eating drinking, talking and site seeing. There’s nothing like girlfriends.

2. When Zach told me he loved me

March 22, 2019…1 year ago today, Zach and I hung out at Katy Trail Ice House for 11 hours straight watching March Madness basketball (yes 10am to 9pm). We’d been dating for 3 months after meeting on Hinge…and at the end of that really looooong date, he told me he loved me 😍 now, you might think that was just the summer beer talking, but 3 months later we got engaged and the rest is history! I love sharing my love story especially during times of crisis, because I felt so hopeless about ever finding love before I met Zach. I was 34, single, worked over 80 hours per week, super stressed out and overwhelmed running a small business, slowly recovering from Bell’s palsy / Ramsey Hunt syndrome, had been on non-stop online dates but had yet to meet the right person. I honestly wanted to give up hope finding a life partner and even spent a huge sum of money to freeze my eggs so I could preserve my fertility in case I had to go through motherhood alone. But it’s in THOSE moments when you’ve given you’re ALL and you truly have NOTHING LEFT, that you create space for a MIRACLE to happen. No matter what you’re going through, don’t lose hope. Miracles happen every day.

3. Wedding planning as the Bride to Be!

We got engaged in June our set our wedding date for December, only 6 months yikes!From engagement parties, wedding shower, 2 bachelorette parties and wedding dress shopping, guest listing and endless text messaging with my fabulous wedding planner – planning my dream wedding was an experience I’ll cherish forever, I love love love hosting events and to get plan one on this scale (we had nearly 400 people at our wedding) was so much fun! The best parts were the joy that it brought my parents AND that Zach loved being involved in the process. Can we do it all over again? JK

4. Visiting 6 countries in 6 months with my fiancé

Zach and I traveled to Italy, Croatia, England, Ireland, Costa Rica and Aruba! We are so blessed to enjoy the privilege of travel and our experience was a great way to get to know each other better and rack up some memories in our short, 6 month engagement. This was truly the experience of a lifetime.

5. Signing our 5th commercial lease to open a GRIT KO Boxing Studio

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED 🖊
I’d love to say that the commitment gets easier over the years, but I gotta be honest….we started @gritbybrit 5 years ago, this is the 5th commercial lease I’ve signed and I still get the butterflies of excitement (and fear) exactly as I did opening our first studio. It’s doesn’t get easier. But, I’m COMMITTED – emotionally, physically and financially!

God is so good. When we started this community, our only goal was to SURVIVE! AKA “not go out of business” – but the vision we have for ourselves in so much smaller than what God has planned for us. God wants us to THRIVE, not just survive! Never did I ever imagine that we would open 5 studios in 5 years. And let me tell you what, our success is not a result of sheer talent, skill or money. On the contrary, it’s the result of 2 things:

The passion, enthusiasm and commitment of the GRITFAM & DREAMTEAM 💕
The grace of God 🙌🏾 GRIT FITNESS is so much more than a boutique fitness concept, we are a MINISTRY, on a mission to empower women to accept themselves for who they are, fight like hell to become all that they have been called to be, and be a light in the world of compassion and community.

Whatever you are going through, know that the best is always yet to come. And if you feel fear…DO IT ANYWAY! You got this and you’re more than a conqueror

6. Being Selected as an Outdoor Voices Brand Ambassador

BIG NEWZ: I’m a part of the OV Family🤩 Thank you @oudoorvoices for naming me an official “Doer” I’m so honored and excited to represent the OV brand along with the #GRITFAM @gritbybritand help women all over the world get stronger, more confident and in greater community! I had a blast leading community events and being a role model for a fun, active, healthy lifestyle.

7. Getting accepted into the Leadership Dallas Class of 2020

It such an honor for the Dallas Reginal Chamber to select me into the Leadership Dallas class of 2020! During the orientation retreat, I spent 2 days tucked away with the smartest, kindest, most thoughtful business and civic leaders in Dallas to strategize, plan service projects and push ourselves to expand our leadership capacity. This was only the beginning of our year-long journey and I’m excited about the friendships, challenges and opportunities that I developed! The learning curve never ends and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to be the best leader for the #GRITFAM @gritbybrit and for the Dallas community!

8. Bachelorette Party in Napa in October

I was on cloud “wine” after the most amazing bachelorette weekend in Napa 🍷 🍇💕 Grateful for girlfriends who flew in from around the country to spend some quality time with me before my big day 😇 So blessed and grateful

9. Hosting 3 fitness and wellness retreats, including our first retreat to Costa Rica

In 2019 we traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Lake Texoma and Costa Rica for retreats. I’m so grateful for the PRIVILEGE to do this work. A wise mentor one told me, “the only way to be a successful entrepreneur is to truly enjoy the grind” and now understand what she meant. Words can’t express the experience of getting to pour sweat, heart and tears into 19 strong women on our 5th fitness/yoga retreat and most importantly, getting to play a small role in helping these ladies become all that God has called them to be

10. Wedding of My Dreams

MARRIED ❤️ 12.28.19 “Two are better than one…If either of them falls down, one can help the other up” – Ecclesiastics 4:9-10. This video captures it all 🙂 Thanks to our awesome videographer, Heacox Creative Co and photographer Pharris Photos

Lifestyle

2016 Year End Top 10

January 8, 2017 3 Comments

Happy New Year Friends! As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been on a blogging hiatus since Thanksgiving 2016 (the longest stretch of no-posting in gritbybrit history – yikes!). I’m not proud of this as blogging has been my most inspiring creative outlet over the past 4 years. In fact, starting this blog is what pushed to me pursue my ultimate dream – starting my own fitness/wellness company. It would be such a shame to neglect the one thing that gives me so much energy and motivation!

So, I’ve made a resolution to post weekly in 2017 and I commit to myself and to you that I will stick to it. You can expect at least one post per week from me for the entire year – yes that’s 52 posts from yours truly. Since my life has changed so much the past 2 years with the inception of my company, GRIT Fitness, I’ve decided I’m going to shift the focus of this blog to share more behind the scenes coverage of what it’s like running a start-up, innovating new fitness formats, building a brand and leading a team all while trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I also plan to share business insights and frameworks that I’ve created to help with time management, goal setting, growing your business and building your brand. Hopefully you’ll enjoy these posts! Please comment and lemme know what you think long the way.

But before I go full speed ahead with my 2017 blogging approach, I first what to take some to time to express gratitude and reflect on the awesome moments I was blessed to experience in 2016. Last year was definitely a period of growth, learning and FUN! Here are the top 10 moments I will cherish forever (in no particular order)…

1. Celebrating 1 year of business at GRIT Fitness

Wow. When I started GRIT Fitness in January of 2015, my only goal was stay alive. But not only are we surviving, we have a growing, vibrant , thriving community of over 2,000 awesome young ladies! Most of the ladies who were my very first members now serve as instructors, community leaders and front desk staff. We kicked off 2016 with a super fun Vino & Vinyasa 1-yr anniversary celebration. It was a blast!

2. Being on TV, twice!

Look mom, I’m on TV! This was so freaking cool and so totally unexpected. Fortunately, 2 members of the GRIT community happened work for Fox 4 and pitched a segment to cover my journey of creating GRIT Fitness. That led to a me sharing my story on Fox 4 “In The Now.” Then a producer at WFAA, Good Morning Texas reached out to us to demo some Dance Club Cardio moves on the show and talk about our fitness community. 2 terrific TV surprises in 2016!

3. Winning the Neiman Marcus Faces of Beauty Contest

This experience was totally surreal. I felt like a beauty queen! 5 women out of 1,000 nominated were selected for this amazing honor based on the impact they’re making on women’s empowerment. Neiman Marcus gave me a styling session, killer new clothes, a box of the most luxurious beauty products, a makeover and photo shoot, an intimate dinner with the company’s executives and a night’s stay a luxury hotel. Simply amazing.

4. Building and opening the GRIT Fitness Flagship Studio (2nd location)

What a journey! After getting rejected by two SBA lenders and from several other landlords (because I hadn’t been in business long enough), I almost gave up hope on expanding GRIT Fitness. But with the support of our community we raised $10K in a crowd funding campaign and I found an awesome small business lender in Austin, TX. After a few months of planning and strategizing, we were blessed to open our 5,000 square foot flagship studio, just 6 months after celebrating our 1 year anniversary.

5. Growing and developing my team at GRIT Fitness to 48 team members!

I started GRIT Fitness with help of 10 fabulous young ladies. 1 was my sister, 3 I met on Craig’s List, 3 were students in my Turbo Kick classes at 24 Hour Fitness and the others were just friends who wanted to support me. Now we are 4 times the size, but the closeness of our relationships remains. What I love about my team is that each girl serves at GRIT because she genuinely LOVES helping people and wants to be her best. And that’s why I feel like we are truly the #DREAMTEAM

6. Sweating and smiling in LA and NYC

I’m such a sweat junkie! This year I traveled to both LA and NYC just to explore the fitness scenes. I called it my “market research” trip as I took 13 classes in 3 days in NYC and 9 classes 3 days in LA. While I was in LA, I also attended the IDEA WORLD Fitness convention for the 3rd consecutive year. I LOVED IT! The learning curve never ends. I also treated myself to a nice hotel and great meals. I definitely like my vacations sweaty!

7. Quality time with my best friends in Seattle, Canada & Dallas

Being a small business owner, it can be challenging to allocate time to just chill and hang out with friends. Especially when most of your best fiends don’t live in your city. Fortunately, my friend Jenn got married in Quebec City so I got to reunite with most of my business school friends during that trip. And then my bestie from business school, Yassi pictured above, traveled to Dallas from South Africa for a work trip and we got to spend the entire weekend catching up, attending holiday parties and sipping mimosas. Last, one of my best friends from undergrad also got married and I got to catch up with all of my Cornell friends at his wedding in Seattle, WA. Quality time with great friends is simply priceless.

8. Finding a new church home at Shoreline Dallas

Before moving back to Dallas, I lived in NYC and I was member of Hillsong church which I absolutely loved (especially the awesome praise and worship music and relaxed culture)! After moving back home to start GRIT Fitness I struggled all year to find a church home that I really connected with. Fortunately my cousin invited to Shoreline’s SHINE Women’s conference and I love the diverse community, high energy and enthusiasm for strengthening our faith.

9. Spending the holidays with my amazing family

I am so grateful for my family. The older I get, the more I appreciate simply spending time with them. The 2016 holiday season was super special because we spent Thanksgiving in Florida hanging out at the beach and watching my bother, Austin, play in his holiday basketball tournament. Then for Christmas we just hung out at my parents’ house, went out to eat for Mexican food, and lazily hung around the house for 2 days. It’s the little things that matter most.

10. Hosting ‘Start Up Yoga’ for Techweek in Dallas

Can we say “GRIT concert”? This was hands down the most extravagant fitness experience I’ve ever been a part of – massive stage, flashing lights, live DJ, amazing venue full of Dallasite’s sweating and smiling. I’m so grateful that my team and I were presented with the opportunity to work with Techweek, one of the largest technology/entrepreneurship conferences in the world!

While I’ve classified these 10 moments as the “most memorable” there were several other “less flashy” moments that were equally meaningful to me. Like hanging out with my sister as “friends” despite our 8 year age gap, finally earning enough profit to write myself my first paycheck, holding hands with all members of my family and praying over the future of GRIT Fitness and my ability to be a good leader. 2016 was such a joy, but I know that the best is yet to come! Here’s to 2017, the greatest year yet. xoxo, Brit

End of Year Top 10

2014 Year End Top 10

January 1, 2015 2 Comments

HAPPY NEW YEAR MY FRIENDS! I want to take a moment and send you all of my love and good vibes. I expect great things for you in 2015, but you must BELIEVE that good things are in store. It’s a matter of our mind-set 😉

Instead of focusing on “resolutions” for the New Year, I want to simply bask in gratitude for all of the amazing things that happened in 2014. I figure if I just focus on the positive, the good vibes will carry over into 2015. So here it goes, my Top 10 Most Amazing Moments of 2014…

1. Making Greatist Top Blogs of 2014 – Just before celebrating my 2 year blogiversary, I was so honored to make the Greatist list of best fitness and happiness blogs.

Greatist.com 2014 Best Fitness & Wellness Blogs

2. Undergoing a Successful Surgery & Maintaining a Healthy Body – After finding out that I had 13 uterine fibroids, I decided to have a laparoscoic myomectomy to have them all removed. The surgery was a successful and I feel amazing. God is good!

3. Watching my lil sis graduate from Texas Tech University & visiting my lil brother at University of Tampa – I had so many proud big sis moments this year. I’m so grateful that my siblings are doing well and enjoying life.

My dad, lil sis, and mom at Kortani’s graduation (I took the photo)

4. Awesome weekly turnouts at Piyo on the Wetdeck at W Dallas Hotel – OMG week after week we had over 75 members of the Dallas Community come out to my PiYo classes at the W Dallas Hotel. D Magazine wrote us a raving review which was also super cool!

5. Celebrating my 30th Birthday – My dirty 30 was amazing! In addition to throwing the party of my life, my best friends flew into Dallas from all over the country to the celebrate the weekend with me. It was a magical!

6. Traveling to California for IDEA World Fitness Convention & Blog Fest – This was a huge turning point in my blogging journey. I learned so many helpful tips and met so many members of the fitness blogging community. I’ve already paid my deposit to attend again next summer – hope to see you there!

Just arriving to Anaheim,CA and soaking up the sun and cool California vibes!

7. Getting invited to join POPSUGAR Select + and SELF Magazine #SELFMade Collective – I feel so legit now! Be sure to check out some of my special features on popsugar.com and self.com

8. Teaching at BEYOND Pedaling – I finally made time to start teaching at my favorite cycling studio in Dallas. After putting it off for a year, the stars finally aligned and now I lead classes 2 days each week.

Posing after class with this fabulous crew! I love their energy!

9. Transitioning from a corporate career to an entrepreneurial path – After 2 long years of prayer and indecision, I finally took the leap of faith out of corporate America and into the world of entrepreneurship. You can click here to read my special feature about this decision on SELF.com.

My employee/contractor badges from the last 4 years…I’ve seen some things

10. Opening my first fitness studio – DREAMS COMING TRUE – I’m SO excited to start 2015 by opening Dallas Grit Fitness. This will be the first of several fitness studios I open year (stay tuned!)

So here’s to 2014, an amazing year. But as I truly believe, THE BEST IS YET TO COME! xoxo, Brit

Lifestyle

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

November 26, 2014 No Comments

Hey guys! HAPPY TURKEY DAY. I hope you take some time to unwind, eat delicious food and watch exciting football (GO COWBOYS!).

My family and I are traveling to Tampa, FL to spend Thanksgiving with my baby brother who’s a sophomore basketball player at the University of Tampa. We’ll attend his b-ball tourney this weekend and eat Thanksgiving dinner with his basketball team. It should be entertaining to share a Thanksgiving feast with 15 college boys. I’ll be sure to give you a recap, haha.

Yesterday I posted about acts of gratitude. One of the recommended actions is to write down things for which you are grateful, including your personal accomplishments. It’s okay to give yourself a little pat on the back every once in a while. This year has brought a tremendous amount of change in my life, but I’m so grateful for where I stand right now. From turning the big 3-0 to starting a new business and developing new personal relationships, I have so much to be grateful for. I’m also grateful for my blog victories like being published with SELF Magazine and POPSGUAR Select +. Hard work certainly pays off. It may not seem like it the midst of late night editing and killer works, but the truth is that we ALWAYS reap what we sow!

As I check out of for the holiday, I want to share two of my past blog posts that can help you have a happy, healthy Thanksgiving:

I’ll be back in blogging action next Monday. Holler atcha then! Lots of luv,

Brit

Inspiration & Motivation, Lifestyle

5 Acts of Gratitude to Boost Your Mood

November 25, 2014 5 Comments

As you know, this month is all about gratitude = the quality of being thankful. I’m so grateful to wake up everyday and do something that I love: share fitness & healthy living with people I care about = YOU! I’m also grateful for the opportunity to share my fitness business start up story with SELF Magazine. Woo ho0 – check out my article on self.com!

I’ve found that practicing acts of gratitude makes me a happier person. In fact, studies from University of California Berkeley show that grateful people are less resentful, more optimistic and healthier than their ungrateful counterparts. Also, physically expressing gratitude generates a greater happiness return than simply feeling appreciation. So just in time for Thanksgiving, here are five acts of gratitude to ensure you have the happiest holiday!

Savor the Small Stuff – Whether it’s your morning cup of coffee or hot shower after a long day, take a moment to be present and acknowledge your little luxury.
Say Thank You – Actually pick up phone, call someone and tell him or her how much they mean to you. Not only with they feel wonderful, but you will too.
Love Your Body – Go for a sweat session at your favorite fitness studio. Afterwards thank your body for its physical fitness.
Be One With Nature – Step outside and look around. Appreciating nature’s beauty can quickly lift your spirits.
Acknowledge Your Accomplishments – Make a list of three personal accomplishments and thank yourself for your dedication and commitment. We often express gratitude to others, but it’s equally important to appreciate ourselves.

This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to not only feel thankful but to also express your gratitude!

Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo, Brit

Inspiration & Motivation

Just in time for Thanksgiving: Happiness, Gratitude and GRIT

November 23, 2013 2 Comments

Hey gang – it’s almost Turkey Day! I know many of you are probably getting Instagram and Facebook overload from your friends sharing their “30 Days of Thanks” or whatever it’s called. While I’m sure it can be annoying, don’t “hate” too much. Turns out, drinking the gratitude Kool-Aid can do us good.

Let me digress for a bit. We’ll come back full circle. I promise.

While growing up in Texas I attended a small, Southern Baptist church and we had this ritual of giving “praise reports” during every service. At this time, members of the congregation would stand up and share something good that had happened during the week (i.e. a promotion at work, healing from a sickness, winning a big game, an exciting family vacation, etc.). We always did “praise reports” before sharing “prayer requests.” Prayer requests are unfortunate situations in which people needed prayer, support or encouragement. I always wondered why we had this practice of first giving praise before we prayed about a problem. Over the weekend, a friend shared this video with me (below). While watching it, “praise reports” started to make more sense… thankful happiness

“The Science of Happiness,” suggests that the simple of act sharing gratitude (aka sharing praise reports) is therapeutic in itself. Being grateful and expressing gratitude can actually give us the strength and perspective that we need to make it through tough times. In short, gratitude gives us GRIT. Gratitude makes us happier.

In true GRIT by Brit fashion, I also thought to myself, “Maybe expressing gratitude for 2 good arms, 2 good legs and a heart and lungs that work can be the extra push I need on days I don’t feel like working out?” haha – we shall see.

Watch this video from SoulPancake if you want to feel good, get in the Thanksgiving spirit and maybe even tear up a bit 🙂

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHv6vTKD6lg&w=560&h=315]

“Praise [gratitude] works best at the start, before the miracle, before the breakthrough, before the restoration.” – Brian Houston