All too often, our minds dwell on problems not resolved, opportunities missed, relationships lost, promises not kept, poor health,faded dreams, and fears of an uncertain future, regrets, and longings. While life does bring its share of challenges and disappointments, it also brings us great joys: problems solved, opportunities seized, relationships built, great health,promises kept, dreams fulfilled, hope that reassures our fear—blessing upon blessing.
It brings with it the opportunity of today and tomorrow.
A clean slate to keep on trying or to start all over again.
An opportunity to move forward even an inch each day, in spheres of our life such as health, wealth, career,relationships and spirituality.
An opportunity to be a little bit better than what we were yesterday.
An opportunity to practice kindness and cut down on worry.
Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible.
With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.
I have seen the power of gratitude transform the health of extremely sick people.
I have see victims of cancer turn their lives around by changing the way they think, by changing their attitudes towards life and all around.
I have seen people throw away their sleeping pills and anxiety meds because they learnt it was never a cure,and the real cure lay in their minds, in their attitudes and outlook towards life and themselves.
I have seen gratitude transform relationships and careers and how it has inspired people who would never work out or eat well, to start doing so.
In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness.
Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
People feel and express gratitude in multiple ways. They can apply it to the past (retrieving positive memories and being thankful for elements of childhood or past blessings), the present (not taking good fortune for granted as it comes), and the future (maintaining a hopeful and optimistic attitude).
Regardless of the inherent or current level of someone’s gratitude, it’s a quality that individuals can successfully cultivate further.
When people think of Thanksgiving they think of turkey with butter and gravy mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, football, and Macy Day parades.
But the original significance of Thanksgiving has its roots in the Puritan religion of giving thanks for a special blessing.
As the story goes, in 1621 the pilgrims held their first feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts to celebrate their bountiful harvest.
The pilgrims had been starving and dying and unable to cultivate food on the land. A Pawtuxet Indian by the name of Squanto assisted
them in growing foods and milking sap from trees. He taught the pilgrims to fish and how to avoid poisonous plants. He also assisted the Pilgrims in forming an alliance with another Indian Nation Wampanoag. This affiliation became a symbol of harmony that facilitated a coming together of two nations on this Puritan religious holiday. The feast, which lasted four days, was to give thanks for a bountiful harvest and good health.
Commonly, giving thanks included a symbol of gathering in unity for a common purpose (sharing in victory),an opportunity to teach the young people about their heritage, and to prepare the heart in gratitude.
So, anytime something good happened (defeat of the British, thriving community, or a bountiful harvest as examples) a feast was initiated. If something terrible happened like a drought, illness, death, or defeat in war, a day of fasting was required to give thanks.
George Washington designated more than one day a year for giving thanks. He encouraged each person to give thanks and gratitude.
You can find ways to give thanks for all that you have and all that you are.
Spend less time counting calories and more time counting your blessings.
Don’t compare yourself with other people or design your behavior, lifestyle and self to be what other people want. That may be your biggest misery. Stay real and be who you are meant to be.
Take each day as it comes, giving thanks for the little things in your life, and remember that it’s the sum of small things that make up the bigger beautiful picture.
Happy Thanksgiving to all !!!
A few tips on how to cultivate gratitude in your life.
Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier, or thinking they can’t feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met.
Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel contrived at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.
Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis.
Write a thank-you note. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person’s impact on your life.
Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month.
Thank someone mentally. No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.
Keep a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one thoughts about the gifts you’ve received each day.
Count your blessings. Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings — reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for.
Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week.
As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you.
Pray. People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude.
Meditate. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment.
Although people often focus on a word or phrase (such as “peace”), it is also possible to focus on what you’re grateful for (the warmth of the sun, a pleasant sound, etc.).
Sacrifice a meal for the less fortunate: Probably the best advice i ever got. The day or night you feel like going out for a dinner with your family, actually don't go, and use that money saved to provide hot meal to someone who needs it. Its quite easy for us to donate and give away money for meals for the poor,but when you do it this way, you actually feel better and it becomes more meaningful.
Happy Thanksgiving to all !!
It brings with it the opportunity of today and tomorrow.
A clean slate to keep on trying or to start all over again.
An opportunity to move forward even an inch each day, in spheres of our life such as health, wealth, career,relationships and spirituality.
An opportunity to be a little bit better than what we were yesterday.
An opportunity to practice kindness and cut down on worry.
Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible.
With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.
I have seen the power of gratitude transform the health of extremely sick people.
I have see victims of cancer turn their lives around by changing the way they think, by changing their attitudes towards life and all around.
I have seen people throw away their sleeping pills and anxiety meds because they learnt it was never a cure,and the real cure lay in their minds, in their attitudes and outlook towards life and themselves.
I have seen gratitude transform relationships and careers and how it has inspired people who would never work out or eat well, to start doing so.
In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness.
Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.
People feel and express gratitude in multiple ways. They can apply it to the past (retrieving positive memories and being thankful for elements of childhood or past blessings), the present (not taking good fortune for granted as it comes), and the future (maintaining a hopeful and optimistic attitude).
Regardless of the inherent or current level of someone’s gratitude, it’s a quality that individuals can successfully cultivate further.
When people think of Thanksgiving they think of turkey with butter and gravy mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, football, and Macy Day parades.
But the original significance of Thanksgiving has its roots in the Puritan religion of giving thanks for a special blessing.
As the story goes, in 1621 the pilgrims held their first feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts to celebrate their bountiful harvest.
The pilgrims had been starving and dying and unable to cultivate food on the land. A Pawtuxet Indian by the name of Squanto assisted
them in growing foods and milking sap from trees. He taught the pilgrims to fish and how to avoid poisonous plants. He also assisted the Pilgrims in forming an alliance with another Indian Nation Wampanoag. This affiliation became a symbol of harmony that facilitated a coming together of two nations on this Puritan religious holiday. The feast, which lasted four days, was to give thanks for a bountiful harvest and good health.
Commonly, giving thanks included a symbol of gathering in unity for a common purpose (sharing in victory),an opportunity to teach the young people about their heritage, and to prepare the heart in gratitude.
So, anytime something good happened (defeat of the British, thriving community, or a bountiful harvest as examples) a feast was initiated. If something terrible happened like a drought, illness, death, or defeat in war, a day of fasting was required to give thanks.
George Washington designated more than one day a year for giving thanks. He encouraged each person to give thanks and gratitude.
You can find ways to give thanks for all that you have and all that you are.
Spend less time counting calories and more time counting your blessings.
Don’t compare yourself with other people or design your behavior, lifestyle and self to be what other people want. That may be your biggest misery. Stay real and be who you are meant to be.
Take each day as it comes, giving thanks for the little things in your life, and remember that it’s the sum of small things that make up the bigger beautiful picture.
Happy Thanksgiving to all !!!
A few tips on how to cultivate gratitude in your life.
Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier, or thinking they can’t feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met.
Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel contrived at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.
Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis.
Write a thank-you note. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person’s impact on your life.
Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month.
Thank someone mentally. No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.
Keep a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one thoughts about the gifts you’ve received each day.
Count your blessings. Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings — reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for.
Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week.
As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you.
Pray. People who are religious can use prayer to cultivate gratitude.
Meditate. Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the present moment without judgment.
Although people often focus on a word or phrase (such as “peace”), it is also possible to focus on what you’re grateful for (the warmth of the sun, a pleasant sound, etc.).
Sacrifice a meal for the less fortunate: Probably the best advice i ever got. The day or night you feel like going out for a dinner with your family, actually don't go, and use that money saved to provide hot meal to someone who needs it. Its quite easy for us to donate and give away money for meals for the poor,but when you do it this way, you actually feel better and it becomes more meaningful.
Happy Thanksgiving to all !!
