about not getting a raise when your neighbor is unemployed,” he wrote. “Homeowners are unhappy that home values have fallen, but it’s a relief to have avoided foreclosure.”
Indeed, gratitude is still popping up everywhere. Turn on the TV. I recently listened as a career coach on The Today Show advised job seekers to put the words, “Thank you,” in their job search tool kits, declaring that the key to distinguishing oneself from the masses is to send a thank-you note. Gratitude moves us to do all kinds of things, inspired by joy. Gratitude can help us transform our fears into courage, our anger into forgiveness, our isolation into belonging, and another’s pain into healing. Saying “Thank you” every day will create feelings of love, compassion, and hope.
Let That Word Be Thanks
Better
than if there were thousands
of meaningless words is
one
meaningful
word
that on hearing
brings peace.
Better
than if there were thousands
of meaningless verses is
one
meaningful
verse
that on hearing
brings peace.
And better than chanting hundreds
of meaningless verses is
one
Dhamma-saying
that on hearing
brings peace.
—Dhammapada, VIII, Attributed to Buddha
Learn as You Go: How Should I Breathe When I Meditate?
Meditation often begins with a deep intake of breath and a long exhalation. But you don’t have to keep breathing that way after you’ve started! The deep breath at the beginning is intended to refocus yourself on the moment, on what you’re doing now—namely, the meditation practice. Once you’re refocused, you should breathe normally, allowing your body to take care of itself again while you meditate.
“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”
—Amit Ray
“Do not encumber your mind with useless thoughts. What good does it do to brood on the past or anticipate the future? Remain in the simplicity of the present moment.”
—Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
“If you aren’t in the moment, you are either looking forward to uncertainty, or back to pain and regret.”
—Jim Carrey
“The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment. That’s all there ever is.”
—Eckhart Tolle
“Few of us ever live in the present. We are forever anticipating what is to come or remembering what has gone.”
—Louis L’Amour
“The present moment is the only time over which we have dominion.”
—Thích Nhất Hạnh
“You have to remember one life, one death—this one! To enter fully the day, the hour, the moment, whether it appears as life or death, whether we catch it on the inbreath or outbreath, requires only a moment, this moment. And along with it, all the mindfulness we can muster, and each stage of our ongoing birth, and the confident joy of our inherent luminosity.”
—Stephen Levine
Engage and Immerse: Breath-Focused Meditation (One to Five Minutes)
The breath-focused meditation is typically a short meditation intended to refocus you during your day. You can do this anytime, anywhere. I usually do it when I feel particularly stressed but don’t have a lot of time to meditate.
Start by sitting in a comfortable position. Take a deep breath in and let it go, slowly, gently closing your eyes, then return to breathing normally. Take a few moments to notice how your body feels. Does it feel good? Are you sore anywhere? Tense anywhere? Once you’ve acknowledged these feelings, allow yourself to let them go. Softly pull your focus inward to your breath. Notice how each intake of air is different from the last. If you find yourself straying to other thoughts, gently let go of them, allow them to pass you by, and bring yourself back to the breath. Allow your breath to lead your mind instead of the other way around. Continue this for a few moments. When you’re ready, slowly, gently open your eyes. Think of the blessings in your life, and continue your day with that sense of being blessed.
Power Thoughts: A Thankful Way of Life
“Gratitude and esteem are good foundations of affection.”
—Jane Austen
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
—Marcus Aurelius
“I have found that worry and irritation vanish the moment when I open my mind to the many blessing that I possess.”
—Dale Carnegie
“It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.”
—Naomi Williams
How You Can Have an Attitude of Gratitude
1.Be grateful and recognize the things others have done to help you.
2.When you say, “Thank you,” to someone, it signals what you appreciate and why you appreciate it.
3.Post a “Thank you to all” on your Facebook page or in your blog, or send individual e-mails to friends, family, and colleagues.
4.Send a handwritten thank-you note. These are noteworthy because so few of us take the time to write and mail them.
5.Think thoughts of gratitude—about two or three good things that happened today—and notice the calm settling through your head, at least for a moment. You have activated a part of the brain that floods the body with endorphins, or feel-good hormones.
6.Remember the ways your life has been made easier or better because of others’ efforts. Be aware of and acknowledge the good things, large and small, going on around you.
7.Keep a gratitude journal and set aside time each day or evening to list the people or things you’re grateful for today. The list may start out short, but it will grow as you notice more of the good things around you.
8.Being
