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Living In Gratitude: The Gift Of Giving Thanks

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I’ve discovered that ‘giving thanks’ is a sweet gift to myself and others. ~Carol Adamski

One of the most timeless and thoughtful gifts you can give someone is your gratitude. Not only does it make the recipient feel appreciated, but it makes us as the giver, feel wonderful as well.

Be lavish and heartfelt with your appreciation of others. Spread those genuine “thank you’s” around. Notice how those two little words hold so much power and meaning.  Read more

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: It Is Impossible To Be Grateful And Depressed

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It is impossible to be grateful and depressed simultaneously.

And when we are feeling down, one of the quickest ways to boost our spirits is to reflect on what we have to be grateful for. Even when our days are darkest, there is always something we can appreciate. Really.

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Gratitude To The People We Care About

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Giving thanks. It’s easy to forget and it’s easy to take for granted those people in our lives who we truly care about. When we tune in and feel gratitude it opens our hearts and brings us to a plane where true joy happens.  The most important place to feel and express gratitude is in our most important relationships. Yet, often we take those relationships for granted. What would happen if we took a few minutes each day to give thanks to our partners, children, family? I think that a lot of insignificant gripes would drop away. Seeing and expressing gratitude has a way of moving us to step back, see the bigger picture and remind us what we really want. Open your heart. Give thanks. See what happens.

How would you like to show gratitude to the people you care about?

 

Living In Gratitude: Have an Attitude of Gratitude

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Take time to reflect, write in your journal or post on Facebook.

Consider for a moment all of the things you have to express gratitude for…

  • Music to soothe your soul
  • Good friends to celebrate special occasions
  • Each of your senses with which to fully experience life
  • The beauty of every season
  • Walking barefoot in the sand
  • The small of freshly cut grass
The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for. ~Zig Ziglar

Living In Gratitude: Each day I am thankful for…

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Take a moment and reflect on the things for which you are thankful.

  • Nights that turn into mornings
  • Friends that turn into family
  • Dreams that turn into reality
  • Likes that turn into love

And a few more….there are so many!

  • Sleeping in
  • Laughing until I cry
  • The bright warmth of the sun
  • Vacations
  • A peaceful, rejuvenating walk in nature
  • Spending time with loved ones

Living In Gratitude: Most of all, be thankful

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Take time to reflect, write in your journal or post on Facebook.

 

In what ways were you kind, thoughtful, genuine and thankful today?

  • Allowing the person with one item to go ahead of me in line.
  • Leaving secret, sweet notes for my spouse/partner/kids.
  • Letting my coworkers know how much I appreciate their talent.
There are many ways to show and express kindness, thoughtfulness and appreciation. Look for opportunities each day to let those around you know and feel your genuine gratitude.

Gratitude: Coming Home To Happiness

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It’s easy to grow accustomed to the many things and people that support us in daily living. Sometimes I find myself complaining about what is lacking and forget to see and appreciate all the goodness in my life.

Recently, the cables were down in my neighborhood for a whole day. I had no access to the Internet. Can you imagine?! At first, I didn’t know what to do with myself. How many times have I put “Internet connection” on my gratitude list? Never. It’s there now. (See journals below.)

Gratitude is one of the practices that leads to contentment, happiness and abundance. One of my favorite stories that illustrates gratitude is about Nasreddin, a legendary Sufi jester said to have existed during the Middle Ages.

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One day Nasreddin saw a man sitting in a shadow of gloom, face in his hands. The man looked so forlorn that Nasreddin stopped, hoping to be able to console him.  Read more

Get Ready, Get Set, Hug!

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You can’t wrap love in a box, but you can wrap a person in a hug.

A hug is one of the most basic ways humans touch. A positive exchange of energy, a hug creates a connection that cannot be expressed in words.

  • We have ‘hello’ hugs and ‘goodbye’ hugs.
  • We celebrate with a “congratulations!” hug.
  • Hugs show appreciation and support.
  • Hugs make us feel safe, secure and loved.
  • They can lift our spirits and make us smile.
  • Hugs can help us heal, break down barriers and allow us to feel understood with no exchange of words.

Hugs are powerful.  Read more

The Key To A Happy Life

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Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more. ~ Brother David Steindl-Rastl

Part of the holiday season is the giving of gifts. Giving can be a wonderful expression to show caring and appreciation. These gifts don’t have to be material or store-bought; the ones that aren’t, often, are so much more meaningful. Read more