The Importance of Being Grateful

To appreciate something means to be grateful or thankful for it. When you are grateful, you literally open yourself up to receive all kinds of blessings and good things in life. You can receive most everything you want, truly. If you want healing, start by feeling grateful that you are still alive. If you want a new car, start by being grateful for the beat up clunker on your driveway. If it is more money that you want, start being grateful for whatever amount of money you already have.

You see, showing gratitude is the key to every positive thing in life. It is the key to successful relationships, it is the key to successful careers and it is the key to living healthier and happier lives. And this is where the importance of being grateful lies: Overall, it makes life better.

One of my favorite quotes by Michael Angier says... "If you learn to appreciate more of what you already have, you will find yourself having more to appreciate." Think about that!

Take a few moments to answer these questions to yourself... When was the last time you stop to think about one blessing you do have? When was the last time you felt grateful for that 'something' you already have in your life? When was the last time you told your partner that you appreciate their existence in your life? When was the last time you told your child that you cherish the moments you spend together?

Something as simple as a "Thank you for being in my life" or "I appreciate having you here, with me, today", can go a long way. It will make the other person feel good, for sure, BUT... it will make you feel even better!

One exercise that couples go through in marriage counseling consists of writing down all of the reasons they are grateful for each other. This is very powerful to strengthen the relationship as it makes you become conscious and grateful for the qualities that the other person brings into your life; things that sometimes are taken for granted. Moreover, what you become aware of and magnify, you get more off.

Even when they have to discuss the things they don't like, they learn to pay attention on the things that they do like about each other. After reading this, refer back to that quote again and you'll feel a greater impact on its meaning: "If you learn to appreciate more of what you already have, you will find yourself having more to appreciate."

So maybe your husband doesn't like to help with the dishes, but you can feel grateful that he's quite a handyman and that you don't need to worry about calling a plumber or an electrician! Or maybe your wife is not very organized around the house, but she's great at cooking your favorite dishes. Or, maybe your child spilled milk all over your new shirt right before you walked out the door for work, but he makes you laugh so much and makes you feel like the luckiest parent in the world.

The above examples are just an illustration of the millions of daily things that go on in most people's lives. We all have challenges, but realize that there is something good in every situation, ALWAYS. It just depends on what you choose to focus on!

I want to close this article by asking you to make a commitment to yourself for the next week. Decide to wake up every morning and think of at least 5 things that you are grateful for. Then say them out loud. You will notice a smile on your face without even trying. Make this a habit and I can guarantee you that just after one week you will be in a much better place. And in 30 days you will feel completely renewed. This is the power of being grateful!

 Article Source: Tamara Baruhovich

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Isabella ❤

Practice Gratitude To Transform Your Life

How many of the tips in the following article do you practice?  I do 2 of them.  Gratitude Journal via my Facebook Group and the mirror work.

I like some of the other tips too which I will start incorporating.  Will you be able to incorporate them also into your life?  

May these tips help you to start transforming your life for the better.

Isabella ❤

Article Source: Sandy Bidinger

Follow these steps to develop an attitude of gratitude. THE best way to raise your vibration and attract what you desire.

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to practice gratitude when you are following your path to personal development growth.

You should think of it not only as a tool for transformation but as a way of life.

Now, if you have wrapped your mind around the fact that we are all energy then you realize there is no separation and we are all connected. Everything is energy with it's own rate of vibration that attracts things of like vibrations to it. That of course includes our thoughts. And thoughts and feelings of gratitude are some of the most powerful and they allow for great positive shifts to occur.

THE TOP 2 WAYS TO PRACTICE GRATITUDE

#1. BE THANKFUL IN ADVANCE: It has been said that the most powerful form of gratitude is the kind which you express in advance of your actual experience. The expression of faith that this requires allows for the most effective type of vibrational shift.

#2. FIND THINGS TO BE GRATEFUL FOR IN BAD SITUATIONS: Focus on someone you have a conflict with or on a negative emotional situation in your life. You then look for things to be grateful for in those situations. They may not be obvious, but they are ALWAYS there.

Be grateful... that you only have to deal with this person once a month, that if it weren't for this situation - you wouldn't have met a new friend, that this situation now offers an opportunity for growth...

A newer, more positive energy will be come from this especially since you had to look deeper into yourself to find the gratitude.

OTHER WAYS TO PRACTICE GRATITUDE

KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL: It's a good practice to take 10 minutes a day to write down things you are grateful for and that bring you joy. They can be big or small as long as you tune into the feelings of gratitude for having them in your life right now.

Be grateful for: a stress-free commute to work, a call you got from an old friend, a delicious meal, a hug from your child, a compliment you received from your boss, a great night's sleep, an invigorating workout...

DO A GRATITUDE WALK: As you're strolling with the kids, walking the dog, or doing your chores, look around and rattle off as many things as you can think of to be grateful for. Tell the Universe out loud what you love about your life.

HAVE A GRATITUDE ROCK: This is something I first saw in The Secret movie. Find a small rock and keep it with you throughout the day and let it remind you to state something you're grateful for whenever you touch it.

WATCH A GRATITUDE AFFIRMATION VIDEO: Go to Wealthvibes.com for free 2 minute affirmation videos. Make it part of your daily ritual to practice gratitude.

WRITE A GRATITUDE LETTER: Write a mock letter to someone very important in your life who would be excited for your news. Tell them how grateful you are about this wonderful thing that has happened in your life. Doing this exercise will bring about intense emotions and will put you in a joyful, grateful vibration.

"Hi Julia, The most exciting thing happened this week... I couldn't wait to tell you about it. I went to the gym on Saturday and was working out when I ran into an old friend. I hadn't seen her since we were in school together. We got to talking about dating and she mentioned that she knew a guy who she thought would be great for me. He sounded really nice. She's going to give him my number to call me for a date. I am SO grateful that I ran into her. It's really exciting to think I might meet someone really special."

TIP: You can even write this "as if" that something happened to try and attract it into your life.

DO THE MIRROR EXERCISE: Talk to yourself out loud while looking into a mirror. Express your gratitude and appreciation. If you use EFT, tap around at the same time. Later on, you can use this image of yourself tapping in a visualization for a quick, enhanced gratitude refresher.

Just make sure you practice gratitude every day.  Create a routine that's easy and sustainable.

When it comes to creating and experiencing the kind of life you want, it's a law of the Universe that it will always deliver in the right time for the right vibration of your body.

So if you practice gratitude, you will energetically raise your vibration and speed up the process of attracting what you desire.

There is truly NO BETTER WAY to do that than when you are in a state of gratitude.

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 Subscribe to our BellaVita4Life Free Online Magazine App to help you achieve a healthy and meaningful life which is essential to balance your body, mind and soul.

 Come and join us in our BellaVita4Life-MagazineFacebook Page. We provide information to help you to reach your full potential and strive towards emotional, spiritual, social, financial and physical success and to improve your overall wellbeing.

Isabella ❤

How To Achieve Stillness of Mind Through This Guided Meditation by Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart Tolle is a wonderful spiritual Teacher. This guided meditation will help you to achieve stillness of your mind.

The benefits of having a stillness of the mind will help you to remove the Ego which can be full of anger, arrogance, hatred, jealousy etc. thus allowing you to enjoy the present moment = mindfulness.

Enjoy this mindfulness guided meditation

Isabella ❤

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 Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group of friends and gain in the benefits of writing your daily gratitude to help transform your life. 

 Subscribe to our BellaVita4Life Free Online Magazine App to help you achieve a healthy and meaningful life which is essential to balance your body, mind and soul.

 Come and join us in our BellaVita4Life-MagazineFacebook Page. We provide information to help you to reach your full potential and strive towards emotional, spiritual, social, financial and physical success and to improve your overall wellbeing.

Isabella ❤

How Being Grateful Has the Power to Change Your Life For the Better

Since including positive affirmations into my daily gratitude I have noticed that my life has been transforming.  I feel happier and my heart feels lighter, not so heavy anymore.

I have also noticed that since starting my Gratitude Blog (though I don’t post daily) I feel good when I post an article because I am having fun with it.  What a blessing.

I hope you enjoy the article I have posted below where the author explains how positive affirmations can help you to become grateful.

Enjoy J

Isabella ❤

Article Source:  Fatima Omar Khamissa

Are you grateful for what you have in your life? Most people like to believe they are, but they really deep down are not. Being grateful is definitely something that has the power to change your life for the better.

There are many things in everyone's life to be grateful for. Many people complain about their jobs and how much they hate it. This brings negative thoughts into your mind and can bring you down easily.

By using a positive affirmation you can turn this complaint into a positive one that states you are grateful for having your job. For example, say something like, I am grateful that my job provides me with a way to pay my bills.

Positive affirmations can really help you become grateful for the things you do have in your life. There are many people that have much less than you and if you can remember that, then it will be much easier.

Finding a way to be grateful is not as hard to do as many people believe. It just takes practice and the use of positive affirmations. Having a good attitude and changing your mindset to thinking positively will help you deep down to start really being more grateful for everything in your life.

Another powerful tool is to just take a piece of paper and write down everything that you are grateful for, right now. See how that changes your attitude instantly.

This will change your life because you will find that you are much happier with your life. Anyone that wants to live a happy life needs to learn how to be grateful because if you don't then it can be very simple to find yourself hating life and not being happy at all.

Even if you don't have everything you want in your life, finding a way to be grateful for what you do have and changing your mindset from negative to positive with affirmations or your journal can very easily help you manage to achieve everything you want to.

Don't be afraid to show others that you are grateful also. Let them know that you are grateful to be friends with them or to have them as your family. You will be amazed at how this will have the power to build stronger relationships with these people.

As you can see, not only can being grateful have the power to change your life for the better, but it also have the power to change the lives of others in your life, so use affirmations, start thinking positively and find a way to be grateful for everything you do have and eventually you will achieve all the others things in your life that you don't have yet and you will be much happier.

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 Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group of friends and gain in the benefits of writing your daily gratitude to help transform your life. 

 Subscribe to our BellaVita4Life Free Online Magazine App to help you achieve a healthy and meaningful life which is essential to balance your body, mind and soul.

 Come and join us in our BellaVita4Life-MagazineFacebook Page. We provide information to help you to reach your full potential and strive towards emotional, spiritual, social, financial and physical success and to improve your overall wellbeing.

Isabella ❤

The Key to Peace

After reading the article I have posted below I started expressing gratitude from the moment I wake up.  Prior to that, I now realize how much I focused on all the negative things in my life ie. what I hadn't achieved the day before, why did I eat that last night, where am I going to get the money for blah, blah, blah, why isn't anyone buying our house, all I want to do is lie in bed but I can't because I have so many responsibilities to meet today, I wish those light planes that fly over constantly all day long would just leave us alone...... on and on it went.

So this morning when I woke up I stopped my negative thinking in it's tracks and started saying "I love myself", then "I love my slim body", then "How I love the sounds of peace and quiet", then "I am so grateful for the financial wealth that I have in my savings account".  I did these over and over until I actually felt good.

It surprised me how much better I felt and as I write this I am still feeling good even though it is now 3pm.  What a change from all the negative thoughts I kept thinking over and over.  For the first time I didn't allow the light planes training pilots disturb my peace of mind.

I wish you peace of mind.

Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group of friends and gain in the benefits of writing your daily gratitude to help transform your life.  bit.ly/dailygratitude4life  

Enjoy the following article.  I would love to know your thoughts.

Isabella ❤

Article sourced:  Art Ramsay, Ph.D.

While there are many ways to bring peace into your life, living a life filled with gratitude has to be the quickest. I have found over the years that I cannot be angry and grateful at the same time. In fact, it is hard, or maybe impossible, for anyone to feel gratitude and any 'negative' emotion or thought at the same time. Try it yourself and see what results come from being grateful and trying to get angry; make it real though, don't try to fake anger or gratitude.

Most of us normally take things for granted. That is, our daily lives are on automatic mode and we chug along as always unless something disrupts our flow. Anything that seems to be working is thought of as "that's the way it is." Only when something pops up unexpectedly are we are pulled out of our 'reverie' and sometimes thrown asunder. Our first response may be to jump to conclusions and complain.

For example, you are driving to/from work in the 'usual' traffic snarl that you are so used to. Then, unexpectedly everything comes to a screeching halt and you sit. Minutes go by and nothing moves; you keep checking the time and strain to see what the holdup is about. Then frustration turns to anger and blame sets in resulting in complaints to anyone who will listen. If you are alone, you complain just to feed your anger, because your usual drive to/from work was interrupted.

Since we get trapped in our habitual way of living, believing this is the way things are, we have little time to express gratitude for anything. We may actually think we are grateful for things in our lives that we take for granted, but never express gratitude verbally or mindfully. It is like the groom that tells his bride, "I love you. If that ever changes I'll let you know", then never says the words to her again. Expressing gratitude is huge.

There are two times during your day when the verbal expression of gratitude creates the best results - when you wake up and before you go to sleep. Expressing gratitude first thing in the morning sets the pace for your day. I used to sit on my deck with a cup of coffee in the morning and give thanks for everything I could think of - the new day, the sun, the clouds, birds, sounds, quiet, my family, and so on. It worked well until I noticed that there was a gap between getting out of bed and the gratitude time, sometimes filled with negativity.

When I changed to giving thanks upon getting out of bed, my day lightened up. It is like the old saying about how you feel when you look in the mirror in the morning saying either "thank you God it's morning" verses "oh my God, it's morning." You want your day to start off with a smile verses a frown don't you? Doesn't a smiling face look better in the mirror than a frowning face?

Gratitude lifts you as you begin your day. Wearing a smile while you drive to work or wherever and expressing gratitude lifts your vibration and is likely to keep it there. If you run out of things to feel grateful for, make something up. For example, if in the moment, you have expressed gratitude for everything you can think of, then give thanks for something you want in your life that you don't presently have. This is actually a way to begin a manifestation, but is beyond the scope of this article.

Now I am not suggesting that you just continue to express gratitude all day long; that you become trite and take away the honest feeling of gratitude. Starting the day with gratitude sets the tone, or vibration of your mind, and lifts your attitude. If, during the day, something comes along, and it will, to pull down your vibration, expressing gratitude will offset the lower vibration if that is necessary. It may be that you need to feel the lower vibration for some reason, but that is again, beyond the subject being discussed here.

Ending your day with gratitude is likely to help you get to sleep faster and lay the groundwork for a more restful sleep. It also helps put behind you things that occurred that you need not remember or deal with anyway. Some situations seem to hang around and bug us all night even though they had little meaning to begin with. After a while you will be able to discern when briefly reviewing your day, what situations are worth remembering and which ones are not.

Below are some pointers to express gratitude in the most helpful way:

• Express your gratitude verbally
• Feel the words that you are expressing
• Be honest with yourself; don't say you are grateful if you are not
• Express gratitude every day
• Thank people for what they do for you or give you and mean it
• Be grateful for you; express gratitude for who you are
• Pull yourself out of negativity by expressing gratitude

You cannot express gratitude enough. It cleanses your mind, your emotions, your attitude, and your body. Anger and other low vibratory emotions are changed, when a high vibration like gratitude is repeated and felt. Note that “felt” is a major aspect of being grateful.

Start a list right now of everything you can think of that you are grateful for and then add to the list every day. Use it in the morning and before bed to get into the practice of being grateful. After a while you won't even need the list.

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 Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group of friends and gain in the benefits of writing your daily gratitude to help transform your life. 

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 Come and join us in our BellaVita4Life-MagazineFacebook Page. We provide information to help you to reach your full potential and strive towards emotional, spiritual, social, financial and physical success and to improve your overall wellbeing.

Isabella ❤

Why You Need to Practice Gratitude

Since I started my blog to help me through my feelings of despair and hopelessness I am beginning to learn the importance of having an attitude of gratitude.

Apparently gratitude is an important characteristic to develop. However it is much more than just expressing gratefulness aloud or through a gratitude journal.  It also involves living your life being grateful.

As President John F. Kennedy said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

In the article below you will find many useful tips on how to practice a life of gratitude.

Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group of friends and gain in the benefits of writing your daily gratitude to help transform your life. . bit.ly/dailygratitude4life  

Enjoy!

Isabella ❤

Article Source: Robert L. Jones

What is Gratitude?

Before looking at why you should practice gratitude and how you can add gratitude to your life, it's important to understand this characteristic. What is gratitude? Webster's Online Dictionary defines thankfulness as "A feeling of thankfulness and appreciation." It is also described as a state of feeling or being grateful. Instead of focusing on wants and needs, gratitude is a positive emotion that focuses on expressing appreciation.

Reasons it's Important to Practice Gratitude

Why do you need to practice gratitude? Have you ever met a person who was negative about everything? After being around that person, you may have felt that their negativity was sucking your energy away. By having gratitude as a core value, you can avoid being that person. Here are just a few more reasons it's important to be grateful.

- Gratitude helps put your life in perspective. You start seeing the glass as half full. It makes you realize how much you really have.

- An attitude of gratitude helps push you out of tough moments. Challenges will occur in your life, but when you use gratitude to look at those challenges, it will help you move beyond that challenge.

- Gratitude also helps you learn to appreciate the little things. You'll retain that childlike sense of wonder as you look at your blessings.

- Of course, gratitude will help you appreciate all the big things in life too.

What Research Says About Gratitude

You may be surprised to find that many researchers have studied gratitude. In fact, research shows that practicing gratitude offers many benefits. Here are just a few of the things researchers have discovered about practicing gratitude.

- People who regularly discuss gratitude enjoy greater levels of energy, better sleep, improved alertness and greater determination.

- When people keep regular gratitude journals, they exercise more often, they feel optimistic about their life and have fewer negative physical symptoms.

- Some new research shows that practicing gratitude daily may help to prevent coronary artery disease.

- Grateful people enjoy lower stress levels and a decreased risk of depression.

- Individuals who regularly practice gratitude report that they are better able to offer emotional support to other individuals.

Ways to Practice Gratitude

Now that you're more aware of why it's so important to practice gratitude, you may be wondering how you can begin practicing gratitude in your life. Here are some simple ways you can start being grateful today.

Way #1 - Keep a Gratitude Journal

One of the best ways to practice gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal. Research shows that this is one of the best ways to become grateful. Get a journal, or even a notebook, and start writing down things you're thankful for each day or one day a week.

Way #2 - Post Photos, Words, and Items of Gratitude Around Home and at Work

Remind yourself to be grateful by posting photos, words and items of gratitude around your home and at work. Quotes that inspire you to feel gratitude or photos that make you feel grateful will help you focus on gratitude.

Way #3 - Start Saying "Thank You!"

Simply saying "thank you" to people more often will help you practice gratitude.

Way #4 - Let Friends and Family Members Know You're Thankful for Them

Take time to let your friends and family members know that you are thankful for them. Practice gratitude by writing a thank you note, a special letter or send a text to let them know how grateful you are to have them in your life.

Way #5 - Practicing Gratitude as a Family at Dinner

When you sit down to a family dinner, go around the table and have each person say something they are grateful for before you eat.

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 Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group of friends and gain in the benefits of writing your daily gratitude to help transform your life. 

 Subscribe to our BellaVita4Life Free Online Magazine App to help you achieve a healthy and meaningful life which is essential to balance your body, mind and soul.

 Come and join us in our BellaVita4Life-MagazineFacebook Page. We provide information to help you to reach your full potential and strive towards emotional, spiritual, social, financial and physical success and to improve your overall wellbeing.

Isabella ❤

The Original Gratitude Dance!

This gratitude dance anyone of any age can do AND enjoy doing it.  

I felt happy just watching them dance.

Enjoy the fun and start doing the gratitude dance.

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 Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group of friends and gain in the benefits of writing your daily gratitude to help transform your life. 

 Subscribe to our BellaVita4Life Free Online Magazine App to help you achieve a healthy and meaningful life which is essential to balance your body, mind and soul.

 Come and join us in our BellaVita4Life-MagazineFacebook Page. We provide information to help you to reach your full potential and strive towards emotional, spiritual, social, financial and physical success and to improve your overall wellbeing.

Isabella ❤

How Gratitude Is Changing My Life From Despair to Happiness Part 1

I read an article recently called "Gratitude - A Cure For Depression?"   I was going through despair and hopelessness.

Anti-depressants holds no allure for me as I know that they wouldn't provide a cure, only a cover up, and horrible side effects eg. numbed emotions, suicide, depression, anxiety to name a few - not good nor the answer.

I read the article and realised that my brain was going around and around carrying a relentless pattern of sadness, despair and feelings of hopelessness in my thoughts.  I just couldn't turn off these feelings and thoughts.  My train was full of pain and every time it went around I felt despair.

In this article the author recommended to start a daily gratitude journal. She also said that once she began to deliberately think grateful and thankful good thoughts her brain started to begin to think positively and in time she found it more natural to default to a positive take on things that happened in her life.

After I read the whole article I sat there and thought about what I read.  Then an idea hit me.  Start a blog and a Facebook Group to help me to commit to daily writing what I am grateful for and to reach out to others who need help like I do.  This then would mean I would spend less time wallowing and in time reduce my feelings and thoughts of despair and start feeling happy.

Apparently research has proven that regular gratitude practice reduces the stress hormone cortisol and dramatically increases the feel-good hormone DHEA.

I liked the idea of having an all-natural "happy chemical" cocktail to make me feel better.

I hope this blog will also bring to you an all-natural "happy chemical" cocktail to make you feel better.

Please feel free to comment and add your daily gratitude for the day.

"I am grateful for this blog which I know will bring to me a balanced state of mind,  relieving from the emotional turmoil that I lived with for too many years."

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 Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group of friends and gain in the benefits of writing your daily gratitude to help transform your life. 

 Subscribe to our BellaVita4Life Free Online Magazine App to help you achieve a healthy and meaningful life which is essential to balance your body, mind and soul.

 Come and join us in our BellaVita4Life-MagazineFacebook Page. We provide information to help you to reach your full potential and strive towards emotional, spiritual, social, financial and physical success and to improve your overall wellbeing.

Isabella ❤