The Importance of Expressing Our Gratitude

Are you living by your words in gratitude?

Love and light
Isabella

Gratitude - The Ultimate Choice

Have you ever known someone who seems to be able to be positive and keep a good attitude despite the chaos all around them? You know, the person who is always appreciative of the good times, but also seems to be able to focus on the positive in the face of adversity? They seem to find the good in the people that drive you crazy, and the opportunity in challenging situations.

I remember hearing many years ago about the story of Roger Bannister, the first man to run the 4-minute mile and break not only a record, but also the limiting beliefs about what was possible. I look to this story for hope about the plight of mankind on lots of different issues. It points to the fact that if one man can do it; anyone can-even when it comes to being more grateful!

One of the unique features of being human is our ability to literally "change our minds" and choose our thoughts. In the case for gratitude it is something that I am extremely grateful for!

If we so choose, gratitude is something that we could actually extend throughout the entire year. As it turns out, the choice to do so could be the path to better health and more importantly, a lower stress level!

The Many Benefits of Gratitude

As it turns out, grateful people--who are defined by those who consider gratitude a mode rather than a mood-- have an edge when it comes to health. The research of Robert Emmons PhD of the University of California suggests that grateful people take better care of themselves, have healthier diets, exercise more and get regular physical examinations. It would appear that that regular feeling of thankfulness also helps people cope with daily stress and problems.

Immune Boost

Lisa Aspinall, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Utah has also found links to optimism and better immune function. This effect also had an impact on people with

health issues, like AIDS as well as surgical patients. They all had better outcomes when they maintained attitudes of optimism.

Adversity and loss decreases with gratitude

It has been found that when someone experiences great loss or tragedy, that it is still possible to experience gratitude. In a web-based survey taken after 9/11, it was interesting to note an increased level in gratitude after this most tragic day! This has been attributed to an increased sense of belonging after the horrific event.

Christopher Peterson, PhD who did the study noted that gratitude in the aftermath of 9/11 seemed to create a buffer to even the most negative effects of stress, including post-traumatic stress disorder!

In other studies by Aspinall, facing losses early in life can experience great personal growth overtime.

Greater Well Being and Relationships

In fact, cultivating gratitude appears to contribute to a sense of greater well-being, and can even strengthen your relationships. When we find things to appreciate about others, the ones who are appreciated usually reciprocate with more kindness as well, and also do more to earn the appreciation!

Can I really make Gratitude my new Mode?

Gratitude can be cultivated by just about anyone. The brain is just like any other muscle in the body and learning to be more optimistic is just like any other skill- it is learned by practice. Try incorporating some of the following into your life, and notice if there is a significant increase in your feelings of gratitude.

Cut Out Comparisons

One of the biggest contributors to feelings of inferiority and stress is the simple act of comparing yourself to others. This is usually because we make the wrong comparisons.

We look at things through the mirrors of LACK or ABUNDANCE. Focusing on what you don't have compared to another can cause stress. Focusing on how lucky you are to have someone around you who is such an inspiration is a way to incorporate an attitude of abundance. It is simple shift- and it is the difference between having stress, and cultivating gratitude and optimism.

Keep A Gratitude Journal

This is probably the number one suggestion by most mental health advisors and life coaches. Not only will this help you cultivate a more positive attitude, but it will also be a great catalog of sorts to read during times when it might be a little more difficult to be grateful. People who journal on a regular basis even exercise more, have fewer physical symptoms and feel better about their lives as a whole.

Watch your Language

Carefully monitor the way you talk to yourself throughout the day. Instead of focusing on problems you are faced with reframe it and choose language that promotes the benefits of a particular situation instead. This can help when you have to cope with a difficult person in your life and help you develop more patience and understanding.

Write Thank You Notes

Make it a goal to write at least one thank you note a week. Buy some special decorative or monogrammed stationery and make it stationery and a pen you love to write with and make it a beautiful ritual.

Article Source: Angela W Bussio

 Practicing gratitude can help you find your life's purpose. Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group.  The one thing you could do to improve everything about your life - your emotional health, your physical well being and your lifespan - would be to move into a daily practice of gratitude.

The Key to a Successful Life is Easier and Closer Than You Think

It seems everybody wants to know the answer to this question and strangely it's very simple. It can be summed up in one word.. GRATITUDE!

In my mind this quote says it all. If you want to be happy and successful start right where you stand, here and now. Look around you and see what you have to be grateful for right in this present moment. Is it your kids? Is it that you have a bed to sleep in at night? Is it that you have a job or is it that you are alive and can take this moment to be grateful that the earth is spinning on it's axis and the sun has come up to give you a new day to try a different approach to life?

Whoever you are and wherever you are, you can find something in your life to be grateful for and it is my guess that once you see one thing to be grateful for you will find another and another and another. That's how is works for me and I am certainly not that different from you. I remember a time when I was incredibly sick and the doctors didn't know what was wrong with me. I could hardly breath, so it was very hard to talk. It took so much of the little energy I had just to walk 15 steps to the bathroom. I laid in my bed looking out the window and was so grateful to be able to see outside. I watched the birds singing on the bare branches of the trees and longed for the new leaves of spring to emerge, as that would be my indicator that I was on my way to wellness. The leaves did come and I did get better. It took me about 18 months to fully recover from that illness and today when I remember those trees I am overcome with emotion. I cannot find enough words to express the gratitude I have for my body's ability to heal itself. I knew it was up to me to create my own health and I trusted in my connection to spirit that I would become well. As I spent days pretty much immobilised with what felt like only my mind working, I focused on being healthy, seeing myself well and knowing it would happen.

At the same time I acknowledged that if it was my time to go I was eternally grateful for my life and I played happy memories over and over in my head. Gratitude keeps your mind from wandering into negative thought patterns and keeps you open to the great wonders of life. If you are open and in a receiving mode there is nothing that The Universe cannot bring to you. It is only your belief in barriers that makes them real.

Gratitude in the moment brings a smile to your face, your body and mind start working in the perfect harmony, clarity eventually emerges and all becomes right with the world again. If you truly feel there is nothing in your present to be grateful about, look to the past, you are sure to find at least one thing to be grateful for. The mere fact that you are reading this and have a chance to change your circumstances is a great place to start. All beings want to be happy and gratitude will take you to happiness in a heartbeat. Start with a small smile and I bet you will end up with a big grin. A smile is priceless, it can't be bought and it is the best gift to give anyone. Relieve your frustration, anger, blame, hurt, worry and all those negative feelings that have been holding you back from your happiness with a few grateful thoughts and see your world change to reflect your new vantage point.

The best advice I believe I give my clients is to start a Gratitude diary. Write something in it everyday and see how your world blossoms.

I agree with Buddha when he said, "We are what we think"

Have fun, be grateful and be happy, then success can't help but find you.

Gaynor is passionate about helping people achieve their passions. With over 25 years of Personal Development study and vast business knowledge Gaynor is well equipped to assist business owners, executives and employees alike.

Businesses can achieve greater profitability, increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, build stronger and more enthusiastic teams, retain skilled staff, attract highly sort after staff and more, when they introduce the techniques Gaynor offers.

Individuals can achieve increased confidence, increased relationship and communication skills, reduced stress, greater clarity when faced with life's challenges, a sense of direction and purpose, more vitality and zest for life plus a sense of peace and contentment.

Article Source: Gaynor Parke

 Practicing gratitude can help you find your life's purpose. Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group.  The one thing you could do to improve everything about your life - your emotional health, your physical well being and your lifespan - would be to move into a daily practice of gratitude.

Today's Gratitude 17 February 2016 - Enjoying Coffee at Marina Mirage

Today I am grateful for the delicious coffee and breakfast I enjoyed at Marina Mirage, Gold Coast, Australia. That's what I call living!

 Practicing gratitude can help you find your life's purpose. Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group.  The one thing you could do to improve everything about your life - your emotional health, your physical well being and your lifespan - would be to move into a daily practice of gratitude.

The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life by John Kralik

One recent December, at age 53, John Kralik found his life at a terrible, frightening low: his small law firm was failing; he was struggling through a painful second divorce; he had grown distant from his two older children and was afraid he might lose contact with his young daughter; he was living in a tiny apartment where he froze in the winter and baked in the summer; he was 40 pounds overweight; his girlfriend had just broken up with him; and overall, his dearest life dreams--including hopes of upholding idealistic legal principles and of becoming a judge--seemed to have slipped beyond his reach.

Then, during a desperate walk in the hills on New Year's Day, John was struck by the belief that his life might become at least tolerable if, instead of focusing on what he didn't have, he could find some way to be grateful for what he had.

Inspired by a beautiful, simple note his ex-girlfriend had sent to thank him for his Christmas gift, John imagined that he might find a way to feel grateful by writing thank-you notes. To keep himself going, he set himself a goal--come what may--of writing 365 thank-you notes in the coming year.

One by one, day after day, he began to handwrite thank yous--for gifts or kindnesses he'd received from loved ones and coworkers, from past business associates and current foes, from college friends and doctors and store clerks and handymen and neighbors, and anyone, really, absolutely anyone, who'd done him a good turn, however large or small. Immediately after he'd sent his very first notes, significant and surprising benefits began to come John's way--from financial gain to true friendship, from weight loss to inner peace. While John wrote his notes, the economy collapsed, the bank across the street from his office failed, but thank-you note by thank-you note, John's whole life turned around.

365 Thank Yous is a rare memoir: its touching, immediately accessible message--and benefits--come to readers from the plainspoken storytelling of an ordinary man. Kralik sets a believable, doable example of how to live a miraculously good life. To read 365 Thank Yous is to be changed.

 Practicing gratitude can help you find your life's purpose. Come and join us in our DailyGratitude4Life Facebook Group.  The one thing you could do to improve everything about your life - your emotional health, your physical well being and your lifespan - would be to move into a daily practice of gratitude.

How Being Grateful For What You Have Will Make You A More Positive Person

If you ever have wondered why other people had something that you were not able to get, you probably felt as if life were unfair. This is negative thinking that needs to be eliminated from your life. Think back to when you were a child.

There were plenty of times that you could not get what you wanted and it could have been a toy to that extra Popsicle. Your parents probably told you to be grateful for what you have. You probably did not know what this meant at such a young age, but it was a wise lesson. As adults, one of the most important things you can do is being grateful for what you have.

The reason that being grateful for what you have is such an important lesson in life is because you will be a much more positive person. You will not focus on any of the negative things in your life because you will be so focused on what you have. Not only is positive thinking great for your mind, it also is great for your health. So many people worry so much in their lives that it ends up affecting their health in a negative way. You can prevent illnesses in your life by thinking positively and being grateful.

Another reason why being grateful for what you have is so important is because there are people who would do anything for what you have. It may not seem like much to you because you might want more, but to those less fortunate, it is the world to them. This is why it is important to be grateful because there always is someone who has it worse than you do. You will be able to realize how blessed you are to have what you have.

Being grateful for what you have also is important because you will become a happier person overall. You will not have negative thoughts that bring down your spirit because you are happy with what you have. This does not mean that you should settle. It simply means that you are able to realize what you have and appreciate it. You realize that you could have nothing, so you should be happy for what you have. When you focus on what you do not have in life, you never will be happy. Even if you get those things, you will worry about losing them. This is why you should appreciate what you have.

Article Source: David Nuka

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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 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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 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 ❤