Living in Gratitude: The Emotion of Procrastination

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We all know someone who is a master procrastinator, the person whose mantra should be, “I have not yet begun to procrastinate.” That someone might even be us.

The classic thought behind people who postpone projects, errands, or any variety of things is that they simply don’t have a grasp on managing their time. 

But a new school of thought on procrastination is emerging.

Psychologists are discovering that putting things off is much more of an emotional response than a lack of managing time.

The things we avoid doing are ones that evoke negative emotions that we don’t want to feel.

Boredom

Fear of failure

Nervousness

Feeling overwhelmed

Stress

Worry

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Living in Gratitude: Why Did the Coffee Spill?

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As we enter into a new year and a new decade, consider this analogy for what lies ahead.

You are holding a cup of coffee when someone bumps into you, causing the coffee to spill.

Why did the coffee spill?

Many of us would respond, “Because someone bumped into me.”

The answer is: Because there was coffee in your cup.

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Living In Gratitude: 10 Things to Quit in 2020

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The New Year symbolizes a fresh start, with many people making resolutions. Often these are things like losing weight, getting fit or eating healthier. These are all great resolutions, but we wanted to pose ten other possibilities that can make an enormous impact on your wellbeing, relationships, career and overall happiness.

Here is a list of ten things to quit in the year ahead. Whether you pick one or work on all of them, these are resolutions that will make life so much better. 

1.Trying to please everyone

2. Fearing change

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Living In Gratitude: Be Thankful

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Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something,
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Image by Makro_Wayland from Pixabay

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.

Author Unknown

May your Thanksgiving holiday and each day that follows be filled with gratitude and good things.

Living In Gratitude: Living in Limbo

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“Let go. You may not know what comes next but know that whatever it is…you will be okay.” -Unknown

Limbo is uncomfortable. It is that awkward state of “in between,” the place set smack in the middle of where you are and where you will be.

Whatever the reason for it, limbo finds all of us at various times in life. This in between state of being, especially if it lingers, can foster frustration, uncertainty, worry, stress, anxiety, fear, and a lack of fulfillment.

From limbo often sprout thoughts of, “What’s the point?” and “Why bother?” We put our life on hold in anticipation of the impending change whose occurrence and timeframe are ethereal.

When we are in limbo, opportunities go unclaimed.

Relationships go undiscovered or sometimes unnurtured.

Adventure and happiness may slip by.

All in anticipation of waiting for that something to happen “soon.”

We’ve all been there. And it can be hard to let go and know that whatever happens, we will be okay.

Although limbo is something most of us will face in life, that doesn’t mean it has to consume us. We can make a conscious decision to stop being fearful of what we can’t control. We can stop listening to that niggling negative voice in our head, stop feeding our worry, halt conjuring up worst case scenarios that will most likely never come true.

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Kindness: A True Game Changer

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Written by guest blogger, Gowtham Natarajan

As you stroll down the busy hallway at school during lunch with a group of friends, you look over and see a kid eating lunch by himself. But what do you do next?  

Do you keep walking thinking he chose to sit there? 

Go over to him and ask if he has anyone to spend his thirty-minute lunch break with? 

Offer to have him eat with you and your friends? 

This is probably a situation that many of us have encountered at one point or another. The question is, however, what did you do about it?

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Living In Gratitude: Loving and Investing in Friends

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We all know how important it is to invest in our romantic relationships, making special gestures of affection, planning for the future, and spending quality time together. Making this same investment of time and energy is just as important with our friends. All relationships need continual nurturing to sustain them and make them grow. Extending love, support, and energy to friends will ensure your relationship with each individual remains strong and deeply rooted. 

True friendships:

  • Are respectful, thoughtful, and consistent
  • Honor commitments, have boundaries and reasonable expectations
  • Give one another special attention and invest in their future together as friends

Our biological families are ones with which we are born. Friends are the people we’ve chosen as our extended family. They provide love, support, fun, community, and very often a deep understanding and acceptance of us. True friends deserve special attention and focused energy.  

Here are five ways to express your love and appreciation to your chosen friend family.

1: Thoughtful Gestures

Find ways to express your appreciation for each of your friends in a way that is tailored to them. Think of all the special things you might do for a new romantic partner and do these for your friends. Bring them their favorite meal for lunch, send them a card just because, make a mix CD of their favorite songs, offer to pet sit when they’re away, bring them homemade soup when they’re sick, offer to help them write their resume or help them plan a vacation. You get the picture. These types of thoughtful gestures will make them feel special, loved, and supported. It will also deepen your relationship.

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Living In Gratitude: Gratitude Literally Alters Our Heart & Brain

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An article authored by Arjun Walla shared some interesting scientific information backing what we always knew: gratitude literally impacts us on a molecular level.

According to the article, scientists have discovered that feelings of gratitude can actually change your heart and brain. Feeling gratitude can also be a great tool for overcoming depression and anxiety. Furthermore, scientists have discovered that the heart sends signals to the brain.

There are those people with seemingly very little who are overwhelmed with gratitude for a warm meal, rudimentary shelter, or some used clothing while so many of us who have all so much are always in search of more things to make us happy and fulfilled rather than appreciating what we have.

In a world where emotional intelligence isn’t really taught in school and the importance is put on striving for high grades, it’s no wonder so many people have difficulty feeling grateful. This is especially understandable if you’ve been brought up in the western world, which is full of consumerism and competition, a world where we’re constantly made to feel we are lacking so we need to strive for more.

Says Walla, happiness is a matter of perspective, and in a world where we are constantly made to feel like we are lacking and always ‘wanting’ more, it can be difficult to achieve or experience actual happiness. Many of us are always looking toward external factors to experience joy and happiness when really it’s all related to internal work. This is something science is just starting to grasp as well, as shown by research coming out of UCLA’s Mindfulness Awareness Research Center (MARC).

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Living In Gratitude: Vulnerability

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Vulnerability is defined as “uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.” And many of us have been taught to believe that being vulnerable is a sign of weakness. To protect ourselves against the perils of vulnerability, we employ emotional armor, which guards us against shame, hurt, scarcity, fear, and anxiety.  

But in her book, Daring Greatly, Brené Brown explains that vulnerability is a sign of courage and serves as the “birthplace of love, belonging, and joy.”

“Yes, being vulnerable is scary and yes, we’re open to being hurt, but can you imagine your life without loving or being loved?” asks Brown.

The very nature of love means opening ourselves to being vulnerable. With love comes the potential for hurt, grief, and loss. But a life without love is lonely, empty, and unfulfilling so we take the risk to love and be loved.

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Living In Gratitude: Daily Intentions

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Our intention creates reality. – Wayne Dyer

Studies have proven that happy, successful individuals have a set routine and habits that keep them focused. One of these practices is taking time time each morning to set a daily intention.

This helps alleviate stress, creating an inner peace and assuredness that provides a fresh perspective. An intention is simply a promise you make to yourself. Setting aside time to contemplate your purpose for the day ahead allows for the opportunity to collect your thoughts and make a commitment regarding what you want to achieve as well as your attitude and behavior. This positive intention can involve your health and wellbeing, self-care, your career, education, hobbies, social activities, family time. 

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