gratitude

Gratitude Journal – The Basics

December 9, 2014 by Joni Leave a Comment

Journaling goes a long way to helping you create the life you desire. You can start with something simple like a list of 3-5 things you are thankful for each day. However, do yourself a favor once you are comfortable in this space, push it further.

Don’t just go through the motions. To reap full benefit of the gratitude journal make the conscious decision to become happier and more grateful. This isn’t a chore to scratch off your to-do list each day. It’s a gift you give yourself and it’s FREE!

Go for quality not quantity. If you have just one fabulous thing to be grateful for then write about it with gusto. Give it attention and detail as you write about it. A list of five superficial things isn’t the goal here.

Get personal. Things don’t make you warm and fuzzy. People do. Focus on people who touched you in a special way and express your gratitude in your journal (or in a hand written note to them!).

Work backwards. Instead of amassing a long list of good stuff, take a moment to imagine life without certain blessings in your life.

Celebrate surprises. Did something unexpected happen today? Document it and how it made you feel. The surprising spice of life is sometimes the thing that brings stronger feelings of gratitude to the surface.

When it comes to creating a gratitude practice, do what’s comfortable. Again, remember, it isn’t a chore to scratch off your list. Journaling your feelings of gratitude is a gift you give yourself. If you only feel “it” once a week then so be it, but make it mean something to you. Dig deep and make it quality over quantity.

Other Ideas to Practice Gratitude Daily

• Do you like to take pictures like I do? Then snap a shot of a person, place or thing you’re grateful for. Maybe start an album for just these pictures and every so often create a slideshow with music to relive the moments and memories.

• Surround yourself with positive quotes and images. I have a collection of inspiring (to me) quotes that I have shuffle through my desktop. Good mojo! Want to take it deeper? Associate specific experiences or people in your life to a quote or two.

• Love yourself. No really…I mean get a pen and paper and write a list of the top 20 most fabulous things about YOU. Don’t be shy. We are all fabulous in our own unique way.

• When you are ready to test your gratitude mettle make a list of 5 people in your life who are difficult to get along with. More than 5? Just focus on 5 at a time! For each of those people, write a list of 3-10 qualities for which you’re grateful. This one is powerful. Don’t be afraid to give it a whirl.

Let’s start today! Want to? 🙂

Start a Gratitude Practice

December 2, 2014 by Joni Leave a Comment

Gratitude. It’s not just for social etiquette.

As tiny humans, from the time we were able to interact with adults, we are taught to say thank you. Thank you is drilled into our heads as a polite thing to say. It’s part of the social norm, the social etiquette of a civilized society. We recite from rote and pay no mind to what it really means to us physiologically.

Recently, the science, yes, I said science, of gratitude has really blossomed. Positive Psychology is a relatively new field in science that looks at how ordinary people can become happier and more fulfilled. Gratitude plays a big role. Doesn’t matter how young, old, sick or tired you are – gratitude helps. Even “Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a Rather Large Amount of Gratitude” (A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh).

Benefits of Gratitude

Increases your happiness
Protects you from stress and negativity
Reduces your materialism
Leads to better relationships
Improves sleep quality and duration
Increases immunity

Really want to understand how scientists study the relationship between gratitude and biological responses in our bodies? Watch Dr. Wendy Mendes of the University of California, San Francisco, discuss her research, “Effects of Measured and Manipulated Gratitude on Biomarkers of Health and Aging.” Super interesting and proof positive that gratitude makes you healthier while making your life sweeter!

Barriers to Gratitude

There are barriers to gratitude and they are self-imposed. Before you read further, promise to be candid with yourself and see if there is something you can improve upon in this list.

Thoughtlessness – Ouch! None of us like to feel like we are thoughtless, but when we run the gerbil wheel of life instead of mindfully walking our own path things are forgotten. For example:

• Too busy doing
• Not understanding where true help comes from
• No time to dedicate to others
• Not paying attention to others’ feelings, comments or behaviors

Discontent – Follow me here and ask yourself the question, “How can I share true positive feelings if my mind is cluttered with negative emotions?”

Selfishness – Another ouch! Be honest with yourself and see if you have any of the following habits.

• Disregarding team efforts
• Taking credit on the back of others
• Motivating by personal gain
• Disrupting conversations or meetings
• All day on the phone with no respect for others

Gratitude Practice

Something so simple can garner huge benefits in living a more sustainably healthy and happy life. Living an attitude of gratitude is not difficult, but may feel awkward at first. Remember, as humans, we tend to gravitate to the familiar – whether it is good for us or not. This includes our thoughts. Try these tips to flex that gratitude muscle inside. Dust it off and work it out real good! You will see and feel results. Others will notice it in you too. Once you see and feel the difference, don’t stop. Push through the pull of ‘normal’ and create a vibrant new normal for yourself.

1. Journal – Scientists have found keeping a gratitude list can increase your well-being and significantly increase your happiness. There is data showing daily or even weekly gratitude journaling is helpful. It’s a good practice to take 10 minutes a day to write down things you are grateful for and that bring you joy. They can be big or small as long as you tune into the feelings of gratitude for having them in your life right now.

2. Meditate – Dedicate a few minutes each day to gratitude. If you are new to meditation there are powerful guided meditations centered on gratitude to get you started. This short video by Brother David Steindl-Rast is fabulous as well. Great reminder – watch it and bookmark that baby for future reference!

I have faith in your ability to adopt an attitude of gratitude. My heart swells with gratitude that you are here reading this – right this very moment. Peace and blessings…

A Helping Hand

October 3, 2013 by Joni Leave a Comment

Autumn… falling leaves, bountiful harvests, a nip in the air, and a thankful heart. This is the time of year we see the world with softer eyes, clearly noticing those less fortunate than ourselves. As thanks for our own abundance, and persistently tugging at us like a toddler on his mother’s skirt, is our need to do something ‘good’ for someone or something. Do you volunteer? It is part of the human condition that we are drawn to helping one another. The Independent Sector reports, “according to the Corporation for National and Community Service, about 63.4 million Americans, or 26.3 percent of the adult population, gave 8.1 billion hours of volunteer service worth $173 billion in 2010.1 For the latest information, please see www.volunteeringinamerica.gov. “1

Wow! Imagine if the percentage was a mere 10 percent greater or included the youth of this country. That is incredible power from a renewable resource…with no negative effect to the environment!

The ROI (return on investment) from time volunteered is no longer an intangible. We not only reap the psychological or spiritual reward, but the physiological reward as well. For adults the Corporation of National and Community Service issued a report in May of 2007 that stated, “Volunteers have greater longevity, higher functional ability, lower rates of depression and less incidence of heart disease.” 2

Tweens (as my niece refers to herself!), or teens, are becoming a formidable volunteer force in this country due in part to the service-learning educational method. Studies show improved student performance in academic achievement, stronger social and personal skills, and civic involvement. One study followed students for 15 years following graduation from High School. Results showed that High School students involved in service-learning were, on average, civilly involved in their communities and voted more than students who did not participate in a service-learning program.

Great news for everyone! Not only does volunteering, or selfless service, improve your community, your world and your soul – but your mind, health and longevity as well! Wait…..did I say…selfless service. Now that is an oxymoron for most teens and some adults, but herein lie the beauty of volunteerism. As the former First Lady, Barbara Bush so eloquently put it, “Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others.” I concur! Now get out there and volunteer for your own well being as well as the well being of others.

How To Volunteer

Instead of only allowing the philanthropic urge speak to us during the holiday season, let’s make it a year round commitment. There are many deserving charities in each corner of the world. Finding one that fits us is easier than ever before. You can start with these:

VolunteerMatch.org boasts having the largest online network of non-profits. They have an easy to use search function to help prospective volunteers find the organizational fit. There are even virtual volunteering options available for those not able to get out and about, but have internet access.

A government resource for prospective volunteers is the Corporation for National and Community Service website. This is one stop shopping for groups such as; AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and the Learn and Serve programs.

There are tremendous websites dedicated to helping kids find a volunteer organization. Inspiring sites such as KidsHealth.org supported by the Nemours Foundation, speak to the teen, not at them, explaining the benefits of volunteering.

Non-profits have compelling resources at their disposal on sites like Civic Reflection that force an earnest look at civic life by utilizing Literature as its catalyst. If you belong to an organization this is definitely worth a peek!

Ready?… Set?… Make a difference!

Other articles to boost your feel good quotient:

Attitude of Gratitude

Honoring Intuition

1 http://new.independentsector.org/volunteer_time
 2 http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/newsroom/releases_detail.asp?tbl_pr_id=687

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