5 Benefits of a Practice of Gratitude

Showing your gratitude can be a great way to spread positive feelings in the world around you. When you think about it, reaching your goals starts with a single positive thought, right?

How do you feel when someone sincerely expresses his or her gratitude to you for something you did?  Doesn’t it make you feel good about yourself?  These positive feelings can lift you up, boost your enthusiasm, and motivate you to achieve even more.

Feeling grateful for what you have can produce the same good feelings and sustain your drive toward your goals.

This shows how gratitude can have some seriously positive snowball effects.

Here are some of the benefits of gratitude:

1. Reaching your goals. When you feel grateful, it tends to be a lasting and selfless feeling.  It’s much more than just a momentary burst of positive energy; it has staying power that will provide a great boost for you to reach your goals.

* When you express your gratitude to others, ensure that you’re open and expressive. People don’t know what you’re thinking; hearing it can make all the difference.

2. Strengthened relationships. There are many ways you can express your gratitude to your loved ones, including saying, “Thank you,” writing a letter, or giving them a thoughtful gift.  When you learn to avoid taking your loved ones for granted, you’ll have a long lasting and loving relationship.

* Showing gratitude is a two way street.  Learn how to effectively express your gratitude and, just as importantly, to receive it as well.

3. Improved communication. Gratitude can mean better communication all around.  By expressing your gratitude to strangers, they’ll be more likely to show an interest in helping you, too.

* Gratitude is such a powerful entity that it can even help you communicate with your pets!  They should be appreciated too.

4. More effective constructive criticism. No matter how we express constructive criticism, it often makes the recipient defensive or even angry.  No one likes a blow to the ego.  In this situation, a grateful attitude can take you a long way.  You can express criticism quite effectively when you also emphasize what you appreciate about them.

5. Preserving memories. You can preserve memories in a positive way when you keep a gratitude journal.  You’ll be able to enjoy your memories again and again when you read about these happy times in the future.

Show Your Gratitude Every Day

Showing gratitude to others may seem like a selfless act, but it’s something that you also benefit from.  When you show your gratitude every day, you change the way you think.

You’ll appreciate your good life when the majority of your thoughts remain positive.  Negative thoughts can sometimes be overwhelming, and just because you have them doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.  They happen to everyone, but you can strive to keep them to a minimum with the help of a grateful attitude.

One way to show your gratitude every day is to remind yourself of the big picture when a negative thought arises.  If a petty argument with your spouse makes you feel angry and heated, take a deep breath and think for a moment.  Remember that the argument is not permanent and, instead, feel grateful for the gift of this relationship.

We need to value our time here on earth and make the best of each and every day.

Calling All Stressed Moms!

Being a mom has been one of the most rewarding jobs of my life, but there are days (many of them, can you relate?) where being a mom is one of the most difficult things I’ve done! I often think, “Why didn’t my mom tell me about this?” I was just having this conversation the other night with my hair stylist, a mom of two, as my daughter had a bit of ants in her pants!

As mothers, we often forget to take care of ourselves because we’re caught up in the madness that is life. It doesn’t matter if you’re a stay at home mom or you work outside the home, being a mother is stressful! I’d like to share some strategies to help combat the stress monster:

Get the kids on a schedule. The best thing that we can all do as moms is to get our kids on a schedule and keep them on it. The keeping to it and the consistency always seems to be the hardest part.

When you try to stick to a routine you’ll feel more comfortable handling breakfasts, lunches, naps, and bed times. When you don’t have a schedule, you may begin to feel scattered or disorganized and your stress levels will increase exponentially! Things are always unpredictable when kids are involved, but when you have even the simplest structure, your days will be a little more predictable and you’ll save your sanity!

Don’t be afraid to put yourself in time out. Many mothers feel like they just have to keep pushing forward when they are about to come unglued. Oh how I can relate! We get stressed and often need to take a breather, just like kids!

Instead of continuing to push forward when you are about to snap, walk into another room and just breathe deeply for a few minutes. I encourage my daughter to do this, it’s good advice for us moms, too. While you are breathing, picture how you would like to respond to the situation and then remind yourself that it is important for you to follow through in a calm manner. It takes some consistency and conditioning, but it can really help.

Eat healthy. If you ask 100 moms what their diets are like, at least 85 of them will look at you and cringe. Unfortunately, there’s a tendency to just eat what you can, when you can. Even if you are on the go you need to make a conscious effort to eat well. When you eat nutritious foods, you are providing your body with the energy it needs to keep up with your kids and cope with the stress you encounter every day. We always seem to put ourselves last, but we are really no good to anyone if we don’t take care of ourselves and that includes how we nourish our bodies!

Create a support system. Teaming up with other moms makes a great support system. I have a core group of moms who are only a text, phone call or e-mail away when I need support. It’s always such a relief to know that something so simple and effortless can help so much. It’s always good to know that I have someone I can call who won’t question my abilities but will just listen and empathize.

All moms feel the stress that comes with the job, so make sure to surround yourself with other moms that will be happy to listen to you when you need a shoulder to lean on; and be sure to return the favor!

Make time for yourself. As moms, we often forget that we’re important too! This is why you need to make time for yourself every day. You may think that there is no time, but there is if you get help or if you sneak in some relaxation after the kids go to bed or before they get up. Give yourself a manicure or pedicure (or take yourself to get one-if it’s in the budget), drink that cup of tea slowly, read a book, take a long bath, or get a massage. Your relaxation time doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it needs to be there. Even 15 minutes every day can make all the difference!

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Gratitude and Conscious Appreciation

Sitting at my desk, I pulled out one of my Wayne Dyer Inner Peace Cards and here’s what it said:

“I appreciate all that I am and all that I have.  Stop focusing on what you do not have, and shift your consciousness to an appreciation for all that you are and all that you do have.”

I think this can be tough for a lot of people, especially in today’s tough economic times…however when you can make the shift that Wayne speaks of it can create a world of difference.  It takes the power away from what you don’t have and makes what you do have that much more special.

I have heard so many people say that they love their Gratitude Bracelet for this reason.  It’s a visual reminder for them to be grateful and thankful for all that they have no matter what the circumstances are.  You may have something special that symbolizes this for you–it’s a great way to have a tangible reminder when some days can be tough.

Today’s Inspiration

Some food for thought today:

“When we refuse to take time off until we get caught up with our work, we never take time off.  Life isn’t about being caught up.  Life is about participating.  That’s all.  Just participating.”

I know I often spend a lot of time feeling like I need to catch up especially in today’s fast paced chaotic world.  It’s a difficult pattern to break, but we will never be caught up.  It’s a matter of moving forward and doing what you can do and taking time to give yourself a break.

Be well!