Gratitude
8
11, 2023
14
11, 2022
Gratitude begins with Thankfulness
Blogging about thankfulness and gratitude in November is cliché.
On the other hand, there’s no better time than the month when our nation pauses for a whole day to give thanks.
Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested we should “cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.”
Here are two ideas that can help focus an attitude of thankfulness.
Use social media
Author friend Daphne Dyer is doing 30 Days of Gratitude posts this month. She suggests daily topics and gives her answers. Check out her posts on Facebook for daily gratitude inspiration.
Another friend Shelia Athens uses every Thursday to share gratitude posts all year.
Keep a gratitude list.
It can be hard to think of something to be thankful for, especially when those terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad days gang up. Research shows over time the act of physically writing out a daily list can produce a grateful attitude.
Writing’s not for you? Try grateful beads to help recall things to be thankful for.
I use a string of ten beads. Three beads remind me to be grateful for three people who touch my life. Six beads for six things, events, and occurrences, and the final bead reminds me to give thanks to our creator.
There are many options on Etsy Pinterest also has lots of ideas.
I discovered an M&M thankful game. Pick a color, name something I’m thankful for, and eat the M&M. Now that’s a game I can get into. Bring on the M&Ms.
Being grateful is a choice. Wouldn’t it be lovely to seek out things to be thankful for daily rather than only one day or one month per year?
9
11, 2020
Creating an Attitude of Gratitude with a Gratitude List
Gratitu
de is not most people’s natural disposition.
I understand.
It’s hard to be thankful when all around us is hurt and pain and disappointment and anger. It is 2020 and finding things to be thankful for seems impossible.
Gratitude doesn’t make sense, but it’s a needed discipline to push off negativity.
Being grateful is a choice. It’s not so simple to change our choices.
Developing an attitude of gratitude can take time and effort. One way to begin that change is to write a daily gratitude list.
I’m not saying it will be easy. On those Judith Viorst terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days, it might seem impossible. A daily gratitude list can help with an attitude adjustment.
How do you start a daily gratitude list? What to put on your list? Here are some suggestions:
- Write out a list of things you’re thankful for. The kinesthetic experience of tangibly writing is valuable for two reasons:
- The physical act imprints a feeling of gratitude at the cellular level.
- Handwriting is a slow process and provides more time for contemplation.
- Begin with two or three at first and work your way up to whatever number makes you feel comfortable.
- Chose simple things to put on your list. You woke up. In a warm place. The sunrise/sunset. There is so much to be thankful for, if we only have eyes to see.
Most important, you may have to pretend at first. So, fake it, if necessary, until the habit is established.
As your list making becomes habit, you’ll discover two things:
- Gratitude is all around.
- Gratitude grows the more you use it.
18
11, 2019
Two Ways to Cultivate Gratitude
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that in order to achieve contentment, we should “cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.”
Blogging about thankfulness and gratitude in November is cliché. But this is the time of year when we pause to focus our thoughts on being thankful.
Most of us will have a thankful attitude on Thanksgiving Day. Too often, though, our thankful attitude wanes for the rest of the year.
I’d like to suggest two ways to focus an attitude of thankfulness beyond one Thursday in November.
Use social media
Create posts, pictures, videos, and tweets that cultivate thankfulness on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Heaven knows we get enough of wars, earthquakes, floods, fires, sick children, murdered spouses and, lately, politics.
Research shows good news spreads faster and farther than disasters and sob stories. Why not counter the suffering and mayhem of mass media coverage and sharing positive, uplifting posts, memes, and videos to encourage attitudes of thankfulness in yourself and others?
Keep a gratitude list
Writing down what you’re thankful for everyday reinforces positive thoughts and grateful feelings.
Can you think of other ways to foster gratitude?
8
11, 2017
Focus on Gratitude – Cicero
Cicero says gratitude is the parent of all virtues. So what is gratitude?
Gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what we have. It’s being thankful and grateful. Gratitude encourages us not only to appreciate gifts but to repay them or pay them forward.
Studies show that when we deliberately cultivate gratitude, we can increase our well-being and happiness. Being grateful—and especially the expression of it to others—increases energy, optimism, and empathy.
So what are you thankful for today?