An Attitude of Gratitude

"Be Grateful!"  I hear myself nagging and challenging my two sons.

The Gratitude Grinch

Start your Gratitude Practice Today!

  I hear myself  doing Gratitude Self Talk while stuck in traffic and expletives are two seconds from parting my lips. Thank you God for this time in traffic. Time to reflect on your goodness! (this does not always work)

November is the month to be Thankful.  Sandwiched betwwen the spookiness of  Halloween and the chaos and cheer of Christmas.

It is the greatest time of the year to form an Attitude of Gratitude while preparing for all the joys and sometimes the pain of the holiday season. 

 Gratitude helps us to gain appreaciation for the little things that we so often take for granted.  According to many clinical studies, people who practice gratitude are healthier, have more meaningful relationships and  grow spiritually.

If  all the talk about red Starbucks cups and November 1st Black Friday sales have you feeling less grateful by the day, exhale and take a look at these suggestions to help gain or regain and Attitude of Gratitude.

1. Keep a Gratitude Journal or Jar. 

Having to reflect on all that we are thankful for and the kind and loving things that happen to us daily is transformative.

 Keep a  daily journal for the remainder of the month or keep it until January 1st to truly affirm a true gratitude practice.

Your entries can be as simple as saying I am grateful for......

Or 

It can also ask the following questions

What attribute/skill am I thankful for?  (the ability to forgive)

How did I show or was shown love today? (a great welcome from my pup)

What do I take for granted daily but today am truly grateful for? ( clean water)

 I do this activity with middle schoolers and you would be astonished and so excited to see how they mature in their awareness by the end of the month and so do I.

2. Get in Touch with Nature

 Spend time taking in Nature.  Even if it is looking at the stars for a moment or taking a nature walk and enjoying the last of the vibrant fall leaves.  

Take your Gratitude journal with you and jot down the vastness of possibilities  and the overwhelming thought that you are loved and are a part of this expansive universe of possibilities.  

Here is a link to an amazing article by the Chopra Center that sums up gratitude in a nutshell. http://www.chopra.com/ccl/cultivate-the-healing-power-of-gratitude

Remember to Strive Daily and Be Grateful.

November 11, 2015 

What are you grateful for? 

How about freedom?  Democracy?  The pursuit of happiness? Thank you to all of our Veterans.

GETTING UNSTUCK!

Small Stones Move Big Mountains

Have you ever felt stuck?

 Literally, like you just can't move.  Overwhelmed!  The To Do List Keeps Growing but your feet are nailed to the floor.  Your mind is going one million thoughts per second but your body remains frozen in place.

How do you motivate yourself at that moment to  STRIVE?

1. Allow yourself to take a  moment to breathe.  Relax or do a mindless activity and savor it.  Make sure that you time your free time so that you can move forward a little less stressed and ready to start the task without feeling deprived.
2. Analyze  the Cost and the Benefit of completing the task.  Seeing the Value of the task will help you feel more motivated.
3. Close your eyes and Visualize yourself doing the activity.  Do not just think of the warm and fuzzy side of doing the activity like the spoils after the war approach, but imagine the obstacles, what you need to do to counteract them. Remind yourself that you can definitely overcome and accomplish it. 
4. Write it down and make it plain.  Writing the task down and chunking the task into smaller more manageable "mini do's" or "mini- tasks" makes whatever the task from washing dishes to home renovation projects  much more "do-able".
5. Commit to completing the first step. Let the first "mini-task" be something small that you are able to do with  a clear result like making a phone call or doing a web search. An old friend use to say "Small Stones Move Big Mountains"  .  This has stayed with me for years. 
6. Celebrate!   Celebrate the fact that you were able to motivate yourself to accomplish at least the first "mini task". 
7. Commit to accomplishing the other " mini -tasks" and create a timeline to do so.

  
Be Strategic, Stress Free and Do not forget to Strive Daily!!!!