Journal, recently wrote there may be a positive by-product of the troubled economic times that followed the 2008 stock market dive: a decrease in the urge to complain. “People who still have jobs are finding reasons to be appreciative. It feels unseemly to complain 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 avoid foreclosure.”
Indeed, in these times of economic woe, gratitude is popping up everywhere. Turn on the TV. We 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. Click on to Facebook and check out the gratitude groups, where hundreds of people log on each day to give thanks for everything from the sun rising that morning to their neighborhood dog parks. Cathy, of Greenville, South Carolina, wrote, “I am grateful for a bark park to take my dog-children to, so I picked up extra poop and trash this morning.” Mary, from Philadelphia wrote, “I am so grateful for the beautiful snow outside.”
Gratitude floats our boats and 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.
But the fact is, the art of living—for that is what we speak about when we speak of gratitude—isn’t something that comes naturally to most people. Most of us need to work intentionally to increase the intensity, duration, and frequency of positive, grateful feelings—a daunting challenge indeed. But fear not, this workbook is here to help! Inside we have provided you with mindful meditations, hands-on exercises, profound practices, inspiring quotations, space for writing, thought-provoking questions, and even positive “power tools” that will help you build a more grateful life. Becca Anderson’s book is one I will turn to on a daily basis. To master the art of being a gratitude practitioner, you have to take time for gratitude every day; that works for me and it will work for you. You’ll be glad and oh-so-thankful you did.
Dear Reader,
Gratitude is one of the loveliest paths to personal growth. It can be subtle; after contemplating what it is to approach your life-thankfulness, you may find that you have the “half-full mindset.” Maybe instead of worrying Sunday nights about work and meetings and goals, you relax and remember to be grateful to have work you really enjoy. Next thing you know, your co-workers picked up on the fact that you were less stressed out and more fun to be around, and your desk becomes on oasis of positivity in the office and people leave your workspace with a spring in their step. Your family responded in kind, and your home is a calmer, happier place filled with calmer, happier people. Your friends who used to call you and complain about life now call and tell you all the good things happening. That one took a while but your aura of gratefulness eventually took hold and bloomed.
You, my friend, have an attitude of gratitude and are making the world a better place.
Well done, and please allow me to be the first to say thank you. I guarantee you, I won’t be the last. I am a big one for setting intentions and do so every morning. I intend you grow and soar in your wisdom and, if some of the ideas, quotes, and suggestions from the
“gratitude gurus” included in this book inspire you, all the better.
Blessings to you on your journey,
Becca
Power Thoughts:
A Thankful Way of Life
Gratitude and esteem are good foundations of affection.
—Jane Austen
‘Enough’ is a feast.
—Buddhist Proverb
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 to 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 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 time to write and mail them.
5.
Think thoughts of gratitude—two or three good things that happened today—and notice calm settle through your head, at least for a moment.
It activates 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 or 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 grateful shakes you out of self-absorption and helps you recognize those who’ve done wonderful things for you. Expressing that gratitude continues to draw those people into your sphere.
9.
Remember this thought from Maya Angelou: “When you learn, teach; when you get, give.”
10.
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