THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

photo courtesy of Christina Lane Photography

… for the holidays, for life

Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.
And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gratitude seems so simple and yet “thank you” can be two of the hardest words to say. These two words can make a profound difference not only to yourself and your own happiness but to someone else’s as well. Gratitude enables individuals to live in the present moment with good wishes and good feelings for self and others by having a positive outlook towards life. It also helps in secreting good hormones in the brain, which in turn help to maintain the well-being of psychological, biological and social health.

This season my wishes are for you to count your blessings and to feel content and satisfied with what you have in your life. Recognize what is important in your life and what you can let go of in order to move forward. Gratitude removes obstacles that restrain you from living the life you want.

How can gratitude change your view on life? Finding three things a day to be grateful for can shift your mood in an instant as it puts emphasis on the positive aspects of your life. By looking through the lens of gratitude your whole view can change because you are looking for the good things, and the not so good things seem to fade into the background.

Wishing you and your loved ones a Happy and grateful Thanksgiving!
Arianne

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GRATITUDE JOURNAL
Let Gratitude Enrich Your Life

How would it feel to feel to drastically increase your energy during the day with a simple practice of gratitude?
How can you be thankful beyond the holiday and actually grow in gratefulness all year through?

If you want to change your life, change what you focus on. A gratitude journal is not only a practice I abide but one I highly recommend to everyone as it allows one to focus their attention on the positive things in their lives. Keeping a gratitude journal is easy and on the simplest level, it involves making a note of the things that you are grateful for that day. You can decide how long your list is each day and how much detail you want to go into. The great thing is that it’s an easy habit to form and after a while you are left with a great collection of inspiring material to look back on when you are in need of a pick-me-up.

Below is a sample of the topics I address each day, I tend to write in the morning, other times at night, and sometimes in between, what is important is that you begin this practice and watch your spirit lift and your world open.

Morning:

• 3 things I’m grateful for
• What I can do to make the day awesome
• A positive affirmation/mantra

Night:

• 3 amazing things that happened today

Sometimes I pose questions to myself:

• Who brings out the best in you?
• What makes today better than yesterday?
• Who do I appreciate?
• How am I fortunate?
• What material possessions am I thankful for?
• What abilities do I have that I’m grateful for?
• What experiences have I had that I am grateful for?
• What happened today/yesterday/this week/this month/this year that I am grateful for?
• What opportunities do I have that I am thankful for?
• What have others in my life done that I am thankful for?
• What have others done that I am benefiting from in my life (even if I don’t know who those people are)?
• What relationships am I thankful for?
• What am I taking for granted that, if I stop to think about it, I am grateful for?
• What is there about the challenges/difficulties I have experienced (or am currently experiencing) that I can be thankful for? (e.g., What have I learned? How have I grown?)
• What is different today than it was a year ago that I’m thankful for?
• What insights have I gained that I am grateful for?
• What am I able to offer others that I am grateful for?
• What opportunities to help others am I thankful for?

The more you notice the small things, the more you notice that they are everywhere. The power of gratitude helps us see the gifts are in the small things in our lives, and the more we notice, the more that shapes how we experience our days.

When it comes to gratitude, there’s big power in noticing the little things.

Do you want to make gratitude a more important part of your everyday life but you’re not sure how? Contact Arianne at 858-232-8064 or arianne@implementingchange.com