Living In Gratitude: 15 Ways To Live Life to the Fullest

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As you grow older, you’ll find the only things you regret are the things you didn’t do. – Zachary Scott

We only have one life to live. Below are some wise words of advice on how to make the most of each minute, each day, each year, so that we live our live to the fullest.

  1. The most important person in your life is the person who agreed to share their life with you. Treat them with the importance and appreciation they deserve.
  1. No one knows if they’ll a live a long life or a short. But either way, it pays to take care of yourself. Exercise, eat right, manage your stress, drink enough water, get 8 hours of sleep, floss your teeth. Your odds for a long, healthy life increase by doing all of these things.
  1. Stuff is just stuff. Don’t focus on acquiring material objects. Hold onto time and acquire experiences instead.

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Living In Gratitude: The Power Of A Hug

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A hug is like a boomerang – you get it back right away. ~ Bil Keane

Hugs are powerful.

They can be the comfort we need at the end of a long, frustrating day.

The impetus to express our grief.

A display of complete happiness.

An expression of thanks.

A hug can communicate, “I have missed you” as easily as “You will be missed.”

They can mean the difference feeling connected and feeling isolated.

Between hope and despair.

Never underestimate the power of a hug or our ability to ground another person long enough for them to catch their breath, to feel connected, to feel loved and appreciated, to see the possibilities they may have missed.

Hug often.

May your day be filled with gratitude and good things.

Living In Gratitude: Resolve To Be Grateful

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Be in love with your life, every minute of it. ~Jack Keroac

Every moment of life is an adventure and the start of a new year always holds the promise of a fresh start. Many of us choose this time to ‘start over’, to make changes in our lives for the better.

For those who’ve made a New Years resolution or two, consider making a resolution to be more grateful. Nurturing one’s gratitude can provide profound and life-altering changes.

Feeling and expressing appreciation spills over into all areas of life. Read more

Living In Gratitude: Listening to Understand VS Listening to Reply

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Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. ~Stephen R. Covey

Listening is an important part of communication but is also one of life’s most difficult skills.

When someone is speaking to us, there is a delay between what we hear and what we understand. During this time, we begin listening to our own internal conversation and as a result, our ability to comprehend what the speaker is saying declines.

This lag time can be a result of our physical or emotional state but odds are, it is due to our own thoughts and opinions that we seek out of every conversation to support our own personal beliefs. Called confirmation bias, this tendency causes us to only listen for what we want to hear.

Often, people also employ competitive listening in which they hear something they believe to be false. This causes a negative reaction, listening ceases and communication breaks down. Read more

Living In Gratitude: A New Year, A New Appreciation

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Be in love with your life, every minute of it. ~Jack Keroac

Every moment of life is an adventure and January 1st holds the promise of a fresh start. Many of us choose this day to start ‘over’, to make changes in our lives.

For those considering making a New Years resolution, nurturing one’s gratitude can provide profound and life-altering changes.

Feeling and expressing appreciation spills over into all areas of life.

It enhances our relationships, creating stronger bonds among family, friends and coworkers.

Gratitude nourishes our bodies, boosting our immunity and our overall health. Read more

Living In Gratitude: Let Joy Happen

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Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. ~Marianne Williamson

When we cultivate gratitude, we feel true joy and contentment, despite what we have or don’t have in our life. The Law of Attraction states that like attracts like. This means, when we are grateful for what we already have, we naturally attract more to appreciate. Read more

Living In Gratitude: Living Wholeheartedly

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Living wholeheartedly happens when we engage in life from a place of  worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion and connection to wake up in the morning and think, “No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough.” It’s going to bed at night thinking, “Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging. ~Brené Brown

Brené Brown is considered one of the biggest ‘thought leaders‘ of the modern era. Wife, mother, author, teacher and speaker, she has done extensive research into what it means to live a wholehearted life. She has discovered that there is ‘no amount of success, money, power or influence that buys you a free ride‘ in dealing with personal vulnerability and shame. Read more

Living In Gratitude: Simply Grateful for Today

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Each day, we have 24 hours. That equal 1,400 minutes or 86,400 seconds. Throughout each precious day, we make choices on our attitude, our behavior, our thoughts, actions and words.  These can be hurtful or helpful, both to ourselves and others. During each of those 86,400 seconds, we choose.

Make the choice to simply be grateful for today. Notice how that gratitude spirals both outward and inward, embracing others as well as lifting us up as well.

Buddhist monks begin every day with a gratitude meditation. This helps to awaken their joy, kindness and compassion in spite of everything, reminding them of the blessings of being alive. Read more

Living in Gratitude: 7 Ways to Make the World a Better Place

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You make the world a better place by making yourself a better person. ~Scott Scorrell

During our lifetime, each of us makes an impact on the world around us. One of the most significant impressions we can make is by doing what we can as individuals to make the world a better place.

Here are 7 ways we can have a positive influence.

1. DO NO HARM

If everyone endevored to achieve this goal, our world would be transformed. We should all do everything we can to live by this motto. Help others. Be patient. Smile more. Say thank you. Be courteous. Make eye contact. Spread kindness, love and goodwill everyday.

2. ENJOY YOUR TIME

Instead of focusing on the negative, look at what is wonderful and amazing. Sure, it’s easy to get caught up in what isn’t going our way, to complain, argue and get upset. Yet by looking for the good and being grateful for it, we can shift our outlook and enjoy what good the world has to offer. Read more

Living in Gratitude: Iroquois Prayer of Thanks

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We return thanks to our mother, the earth,

which sustains us.

We return thanks to the rivers and streams,

which supply us with water.

We return thanks to all herbs,

which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.

137 the only prayer you say in your whole life is

We return thanks to the moon and stars,

which have given to us their light when the sun was gone.

We return thanks to the sun,

that has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.

Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit,

in Whom is embodied all goodness,

and Who directs all things for the good of Her children.

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