Living In Gratitude: Unforgettable Thank You Notes

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I keep all of my letters, postcards, and thank you notes. I’ll keep them forever! ~Jane Levy

For the most part, technology is incredibly beneficial. It enables us to do a lot more in less time, allowing us to be more efficient and effective. But there are drawbacks. Faster communication has reduced the level of personal connection in daily interactions, especially when it comes to expressing our gratitude.  Instead of a handwritten note, most of us tend to send a quick text or email. But written thank you notes are a small touch that has the potential to leave a lasting impression that make people feel very special.

Handwritten notes may be sent for any occasion after a meeting with an important customer or client, when you receive a gift, or when you’re invited to an event. To ensure a positive response, keep your thank-you notes short, simple, and meaningful.

Here are 3 more tips to keep in mind to write thoughtful thank you notes.

Invest in branded stationery

Order stationery custom-made especially for you rather than purchasing a pack of thank-you cards from the store. The design and style of the card should reflect your personality or personal brand (if using for business thank you notes). It will also be more enjoyable to you, the writer, to use beautiful, personalized stationery. Read more

Living In Gratitude: The Science Of Smiling

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A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Phyllis Diller

When we are happy, our natural response is to smile. But when we smile, is our natural response to be happy?

Its been scientifically proven that even faking or forcing a smile will minimize stress and makes us happier.

This was what psychological scientists Tara Kraft and Sarah Pressman discovered when they had 169 participants produce one of three facial expressions:

  • a neutral expression
  • a half smile
  • a big, ear to ear smile

Only half of participants were told to smile.

Once their expression was ‘in place’, participants did a series of stressful, multi-tasking activities. The researchers monitored heart rates and self-reported stress levels while the subjects completed these various tasks. Read more

Living In Gratitude: Holiday To Do List

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The holidays are filled with family, food and festive celebration as well as To Do lists that add to our stress and can detract from the enjoyment of the season. From dashing around buying, wrapping and mailing gifts, to planning menus, shopping and preparing food, to making sure we fit in all of the events and parties, we are so busy checking off items on our list that we often lose sight of the meaning of this time of year.

Maybe it’s time to take a step back and rewrite our list. When we change our perspective, that To Do list becomes filled with things the season is really all about.

Be Present

Live in the moment. Enjoy the task at hand and the people you’re with rather than worrying about what’s to come or what’s happened. Enjoy your now. Read more

Living In Gratitude: Laughter

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Laughter is important, not only because if makes us happy, it also has health benefits. And that’s because laughter completely engages the body and releases the mind. It connects us to others, and that in itself has a healing effect. ~Marlo Thomas

There is nothing quite as enjoyable or amazing as laughter. The ability to laugh is an incredible gift. Laughter doesn’t need to be learned, it’s an innate ability that we all possess, from the youngest baby to the oldest adult. As Charles Dickens once said, “There is nothing in the world for irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”

Laughter takes many forms, from a giggle to the full-blown, doubled-over, can’t breathe belly laugh. Laughing allows us to let go of our stress and tension, release anxiety and live in the moment. Laughing is therapeutic and lifts our spirits. In addition to being the best medicine, its also an instant vacation! Read more

Living In Gratitude: So Many Reasons To Give Thanks

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With Thanksgiving just a few days away, it seems like the perfect time to talk about giving thanks. After all, that is what this special day is all about: gathering with family and friends and expressing gratitude for all the blessings and abundance in our lives.

Each year brings with it a cornucopia of things, challenges, changes, adventures, opportunities, losses, renewals, laughter, sadness, lessons and stresses.

It is always easier to appreciate the obvious positives – a promotion, wedding, graduation or birth – but many of us do find ourselves lacking when it comes to being thankful for life’s hardships, losses and even day to day irritations.  Read more

Living In Gratitude: Wholehearted Living

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Wholehearted  living is about engaging in our lives 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: Blessings In Disguise

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And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.

~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

California has been experiencing a historic drought over the past four years. Initially, not many of us paid much attention to our decreasing levels of precipitation but during the past year or so, we have had to address our lack of water to ensure we had enough to meet our needs.

In times of abundance, we tend to take things-like water-for granted. We got used to letting the faucet run while we hand washed dishes and brushed our teeth. We would indulge in long, relaxing showers, washing our cars in the drive and nurtured expansive, verdant lawns.

Those things have changed as we’ve become more aware. From this drought, most residents of California have a renewed appreciation of how vital and precious water is. We are now embracing conservation methods that include the practice of letting our grass go brown or replacing it altogether.  Read more

Living In Gratitude: Slow Down

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Sustained busyness is taking a toll on the quality of our lives and our relationships.

Free time.

Two words that most people, including children, are unfamiliar with and wish they had more of.

Our free time has been filled with work, errands, chores, extracurricular activities, social obligations, classes, projects…the list goes on. And to top it off, we are always connected. Thanks to technology, we are reachable at all hours, wherever we are, whatever we’re doing. All of these things can lead to feeling overwhelmed, stressed and irritable.

Being ‘on‘ all of the time, always rushing from one must-do task to another negatively affects our health and wellbeing along with our productivity, creativity and ability to focus. Our relationships can also suffer as we don’t have time to communicate and connect. The good news is, you can stop the ‘hamster on a wheel‘ mentality and slow down without falling behind.  Read more

Living In Gratitude: Don’t Look Back

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Don’t allow yesterday to take up too much of today.

Too often, we focus on the past and things that happened rather than focusing on the here and now. We beat ourselves up or worry about what could have been, what we should have said or done. Or, we dwell in the past, reliving what was and not living what is.

This is like reading the same chapter in a book again and again, not making progress because we never move forward.

We’ve all had things happen that we regret or wish we could change. Often, these lessons are very challenging and we continue to dwell on them, looking back and reexamining every facet of the situation and asking “What if?” 

What if I had taken that job or done better on that project?

What if I had helped that friend in need?

What if I hadn’t spent so much time working?

What if I hadn’t reacted in anger?

What if, what if, what if…. The list is an endless one if we allow it to be.

It’s okay to ask ourselves these questions as a way to acknowledge and accept our past so we can make a change for the better as we move forward.  But dwelling on all of our what ifs doesn’t allow us to participate in today.

Read more

Living In Gratitude: Make the Most of Every Day

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As we get caught up in the tasks, responsibilities and stress of life, we can fall into a pattern of ‘just getting by’, letting our days blend together rather than making the most of them.

By embracing an outlook of living intentionally, we actively participate in life. We purposefully seek to add enjoyment, accomplishment, awareness and appreciation in every day rather than ‘surviving’ until the weekend.

Below are 10 tips to making the most of each and every day.

1. Start your day early

Those who rise early tend to be more productive, motivated and energized than those who sleep in. Mornings are quiet and calm, allowing uninterrupted time to plan your day, center yourself and kickstart your productivity.

2. Nourish your body properly

Food is the fuel you provide your body and the better the fuel, the more efficiently your body will perform. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of mindless eating or grabbing something quick, but it by shifting your focus, you can ensure your body receives delicious, healthy food at each meal. Read more