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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: 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: When Life Isn’t Fair

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We have no right to ask, when sorrow comes, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ unless we ask the same question for every joy that comes our way. ~ Philip S. Bernstein

Many of us live with the idea that life needs to be fair. When something isn’t fair, we experience numerous, negative reactions including petulance, outrage, hurt, despair, anxiety, and fear.

When our sense of fairness isn’t met, we often lash out at others or at ourselves. But where does this sense of entitlement come from, the idea that we must always be treated fairly?

There are many things in life, the world and history that aren’t fair. Terrible things happen to good and innocent people and good things happen to misguided and cruel people. Read more

Living in Gratitude: Thankful For My Struggle

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I’m thankful for my struggle because from it I have found my strength.

As the saying goes, there is a silver lining in everything. And that includes life’s struggles, disappointments and challenges.

When we come up against anything that challenges us, we have a choice. We can give in and feel sorry for ourselves or we can reach deep inside ourselves and harness the incredible power and strength we all possess. Some of us aren’t aware that we even have such mental, emotional and physical fortitude until a struggle presents itself.

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Living In Gratitude: The Letter T

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Name something that you are grateful for that begins with the letter T.

Off the top of your head, how many things can you list that you appreciate that start with the letter T? Think outside the box!

Living In Gratitude: Just For Today

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I will let go of worry.

I will let go of anger.

I will do my work honestly.

I will give thanks for my many blessings.

I will be kind to every living thing.

~Reiki Precepts

Letting go can be a freeing process, especially when we release negative emotions. Giving thanks for our many blessings allows us to let go and boosts our happiness.  Read more

Gratitude: Candy For Your Doctor? How Appreciation Changes The Interaction

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Appreciation can be a kind of wake-up call. It can spark aliveness and connection in both the receiver and the giver. Below is a description of a study that utilized candy to measure the response of doctors.

I liked the idea and put my own version to work:

Recently I visited a new doctor for my annual check-up. Instead of candy, I brought with me, as a gift, one of the Gratitude Habitat bookmarks. Written on it is, “Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.”  My appointment was at the end of the day. Dr. S. looked a bit tired. As I handed her the bookmark I simply said, “Thank you for the work you do.” She stopped, read it, took a breath and shared a story of how the day before, she told her ailing father how much she appreciated him and how important it was for him to be grateful, too. They talked about what they appreciated about each other and about life. She said that his spirit was lifted and his voice grew stronger. Her facial expression and voice tone were soft and open. Clearly a special moment was created.

My new doctor said to me, “This is a perfect gift for me. Thank you.”

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Living In Gratitude: Start Today With Gratitude

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Start today with gratitude.

Just as our morning cup of coffee or tea is vital to kickstarting our day, taking a few moments to be thankful can positively affect our day.

Noticing and expressing appreciation helps put us in a more optimistic frame of mind, liftting our spirits as well as our overall attitude. A daily dose of gratitude may even offer a bigger energy boost than our favorite caffienated drink! Read more

Living In Gratitude: Have An Attitude Of Gratitude

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Have an attitude of gratitude. The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for. ~Zig Ziglar

 

Attitude really can make a huge difference in our lives. Attitude is how we see the world and how the world sees us.

We have control over our attitude. We choose to be upset at the person who cuts us off on the freeway or we choose to let it go. We choose to get angry when our favorite sports team loses the big game, or we can make the choice to believe they will do better next time. Read more