Want What you Have

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A great article worth sharing.

Recently someone said to me, “Mike, I read the best book of my life a few years ago. It only had four words in it: Want what you have.”

As simple of a concept as this is, I was struck by its wisdom and began to think about it in my own life. Sadly, as I thought about it more deeply, I realized that I put more of my attention and energy than I’d like to admit on either wanting things I don’t yet have or thinking that some of what I have isn’t quite good enough the way it is. Can you relate? Read more

8 Ways Gratitude Boosts Happiness

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1. Grateful thinking promotes the savoring of positive life experiences. By relishing and taking pleasure in the gifts of your life, we extract the maximum satisfaction and enjoyment from our current circumstances.

2. Expressing gratitude bolsters self-worth and self-esteem. When we realize how much others have done for us or how much we’ve accomplished, we feel more confident.

3. Gratitude helps cope with stress and trauma because it allows us to positively reinterpret stressful or negative experiences. Expressing gratitude during personal adversity can help us adjust, move on and perhaps begin anew. As the saying goes, there is always a silver lining. Read more

Coming Soon: 30 Day Art of Appreciation Online Workshop

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We are in the throes of creating an exciting and enlightening Art of Appreciation online workshop and the two little dudes to the right are our partners in gratitude.

Robert Emmons, Ph.D. at UC Davis, has scientifically proven that when people are grateful on a regular basis, they experience a variety of measurable physical, psychological and interpersonal benefits. Read more

Gratitude “Prayer” by Louise L. Hay

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Deep at the center of my being there is an infinite well of gratitude. I now allow this gratitude to fill my heart, my body, my mind, my consciousness, my very being. This gratitude radiates out from me in all directions, touching everything in my world, and returns to me as more to be grateful for. The more gratitude I feel, the more I am aware that the supply is endless. The use of gratitude makes me feel good, it is an expression of my inner joy. It is a warm fuzzy in my life. Read more

Gratitude in the Workplace

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We have been running an 8 week series focusing on gratitude at work on the Gratitude Habitat Facebook page. Below are the weekly insights posted thus far. We have a few weeks left and will continue to update this blog with the final posts. Apply these suggestions to your work environment and see what happens….

3/22/11 People want to belong and feel appreciated by their employer. When shown gratitude at work, employees are happier, feel appreciated and take more pride in what they do. This generates contentment, which results in a healthier mental and physical state as shown by studies done by Robert Emmons and Michael McCollough. People who are happier work harder, are healthier and stay with a company longer. Read more

Grateful for Mother Earth

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On Friday, April 22nd, otherwise known as Earth Day, we conducted a survey on our Facebook page. The question was:

How do you show your appreciation to the Earth?

To date over 600 people have responded and the feedback keeps rolling in as the survey continues to move it’s way along people’s Facebook newsfeed. Read more

Expressing Gratitude — Hug It Out

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 A few weeks ago on the Gratitude Habitat Facebook page, we posted a question that asked:

“How do you like to express your gratitude?”

The appreciation options included giving gifts, sending cards, saying ‘thank you’, giving flowers and hugging or kissing the person to whom you are grateful to name just a few. Read more

Try Giving Yourself Away

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In the 1940’s David Dunn wrote an article for Forbes Magazine called “Try Giving Yourself Away.” In 1947 it was expanded and published as a book.

Dunn says he began a hobby of ‘giving himself away’ because he found that it enriched his life immeasurably. Below are his strategies and suggestions for those who wish to take up this enriching hobby. Read more

Gratitude is Everywhere

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Gratitude before me,

Gratitude behind me,

Gratitude to the left of me,

Gratitude to the right of me,

Gratitude above me, Read more

Kid’s Get Gratitude

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APPRECIATE NATURE

Nature is a major doorway to appreciation. The unarguable beauty and power encountered in natural places inspires a young child’s appreciation. The song of a bird, wind rustling the grass, a butterfly, all are beautiful & awe-inspiring… Let your child experience the wonders of nature through their senses. They will see your obvious pleasure and join you in your appreciation. Share what you’ve experienced later by reviewing the experience. Let your child experience the wonders of nature through their senses then discuss what they appreciated. Read more