Gratitude For Others

Be grateful for what others have. Don't look on it with envy and jealousy. Instead appreciate what others have. If it is what you want in your life. Then see yourself with it also.

Oh Happy Day

Write down 10 things I am grateful for right now. Once done I will put this paper where I will see it first thing in the morning. Read it and bring on the feeling of gratitude, appreciation and happy feelings. Let me start my day off happy and try and keep it that way throughout the day.

Practice Gratitude

Get in the habit of gratitude. As I go through my day say thank you for every single thing I have to be grateful for. I have heat in my house, hot water for a shower, shampoo for my hair etc. Notice everything I can and say thank you a lot. It really is amazing all the things I have to be thankful for if I take the time to notice.

I Feel Winter

Today we are having another blast of snowy weather. I feel Jack Frost nipping at my nose, snow landing on my face, the wetness from an icicle dripping on my head, and a snowball hitting my back. I also feel the coziness of fleece against my skin and the warmth of a heavy sweater on this chilly, winter's day. There is also the feel of heat emanating from a roaring fire and the warmth from hot chocolate going into my mouth.

In my gratitude journal, I will write about the feel of winter.

I am grateful for the gifts of winter and I appreciate having the opportunity to reflect on it through my taste, sight, feel, hearing and smell.

Fa La La For Winter

Listen to the wonder of the hooves clattering on the rooftop, bells ringing, and ice hitting the windows during a sleet and ice storm. Then there are the comforting sounds of children laughing while throwing snowballs, sledding down a hill or building a snow fort. There is also the crackles coming from a fireplace and ice hitting the house. Sometimes you hear the metallic sound coming from blades as they glide along an ice covered pond. Swish, swish, swish.

Write in my gratitude journal the sounds of winter that I am grateful for.

Tastes Of Winter

There is nothing like biting into a freshly baked cookie warm from the oven. Another winter treat is catching a snowflake on my tongue. Well that really is more about fun than taste. Thank you for hot soups, candy canes, Super Bowl chili, and Valentine, conversation hearts. My favorite is the yummy taste of hot chocolate after an afternoon of sledding or building a snowman. Who has the marshmallows?

Record in my gratitude journal the tastes of winter that I am thankful for.

Eye See Winter

In winter, eye see twinkling white and colored lights throughout the neighborhoods, luminaria flickering up the driveways, snow blowing down to the ground, snowmen on front lawns, bare trees, and ice crystals on window panes. Eye also see heavy coats, snow boots, and steam coming off a hot bowl of soup. Beautiful!

In my gratitude journal, write all the sights of winter I am thankful for.

Winter Scents

In appreciation of the 5 senses of winter, I will start with honoring the scents of this season. Some of my favorites include the fresh pine smell emanating from live wreaths and Christmas trees, the cozy feeling you get from the smell of a cinnamon scented candle and the holiday cookies baking in the oven. Record these scents in my gratitude journal. Delicious!

We Are Who We Are

Practice not judging people. While I'm at it, practice not judging myself.

More Mood Shifters

Find my mood shifter. When I am in a negative mood, use my mood shifter to get me back to a positive place. I have this beautiful place I visited many years ago and when I think about this place, it puts a smile on my face. Other mood shifters include funny movies, sitcoms, upbeat music, writing in or reading from my gratitude journal, recall a happy memory of my children, and a solitary walk on a warm, sunny day.

Make a list of my mood shifters in my gratitude journal. Use one of these to turn a negative mood into a positive mood.

Ask Questions

Ask questions to help focus my thoughts on the positive I have in my life and also on what I would like to have in my life. Why am I so healthy? Why do I have so many people in my life that love me? Why do I have a career I love and that I am successful at?

Gratitude Weakness

I am going to go to the library and look for some books that will help me be more grateful. Maybe I'll find a book about listening, email etiquette, or compassion. I am open to the possibilities of what I will find and what can help me on my journey of gratitude growth and appreciation.

Appreciating Others

Take the time to appreciate others. Note any act of kindness, regardless how small. I hope to be amazed at all the positiveness that comes my way.

Update: I am amazed. Sometimes I only notice the negative that happens to me: someone knocking into me in a crowded store without acknowledging it, cars cutting me off, and other rude behavior. When I was intentional with noticing positive comments and courtesies, there was a lot of good said and done. There is a lot to be appreciative in my day and I need to continue to take the time to notice and be thankful for the good coming my way.

Appreciating My Day

As I go through my day, remind myself of all the good in my life. For example, in the morning be appreciative of my hot shower, heat in the house, a nice car to drive to work and a job to go to. Continue the appreciative thinking throughout the whole day.

Appreciation of Winter Luxuries

Sitting here watching the makings of another winter storm, it reminds me of the everyday things in winter I am thankful for. I am thankful for moisturizer to combat the dry, scaly skin caused by indoor heat. While we are at it, I am thankful to have indoor heat to get me through a long, cold days and nights. Other things I am thankful for during this season are megadoses of vitamin C, my daughter snuggling next to me in her blanket, vaporizers and grilled cheese sandwiches with a hot mug of soup. I'm going to think some more about the things I am thankful about during winter and write them in my gratitude journal.

Proactive Feelings

Do not be reactive with my feelings. I will go to bed with great feelings about the next day. I will know that when I wake up, I will be in control of my feelings. I will feel positive and absorb the good all around me.

Holiday Reflection

As I'm traveling on my journey of gratitude, I've gotten much better on focusing on the positive. It was very easy to let go of things during the holiday visit with family that may have pushed my buttons previously, as I looked on this time with family with gratitude and joy. Though it is hard at this moment to be positive, as my daughter went home yesterday and I miss her terribly. But, I will remind myself of all the great stuff that happened over these 2 ½ weeks and take action so that we will all be together soon. Real soon.

Sing For Joy

Have you ever been sad and chose only sad music to listen to? Well I have. In retrospect, when sad I should be listening to music that lifts my spirit and makes we want to sing for joy. My challenge tomorrow will be to make a playlist of happy, mood lifting music to add to my Ipod. From now on I will use happy music as one tool to shift my mood from negative to positive.

Looking At The Positive

In anticipation of a snow storm that will hit my area overnight through the afternoon, I started obsessing over all the bad stuff that can happen.: A rough, slippery commute or driving home from work in a whiteout. Then I decided to focus on the positives of a snowstorm: The beauty of snow covering the evergreens, ice crystals on window panes, and catching snowflakes on my tongue. Focusing on the things I enjoy about a snowstorm has changed my attitude from dread to excitement.

Look for the good.

Update: I forgot to post this last night, but I'll post it with the results. The snowstorm kinda happened. Before leaving for work, I soaked in the beauty of my backyard's snow covered trees and even caught a snowflake on my tongue. Driving to work was a bit slippery, but I felt calm and in control. My attitude was very positive and I was able to not become anxious in anticipation of the drive to work.

Believe In Love

Driving to work today, a song came on that had the line in it “I believe in love.” Okay, that's what I am going to do. Believe in the power of love. Love myself. Love everything good and wonderful. Basically, look for the love.

The Importance Of Me

Today I was reading a book that asked us to list all the people that are important to us. Go ahead and do that now.

The author then went on to ask if we had put our name on the list. I didn't. Why is it that I don't consider myself important to me?

It's A Great Day

Start the day knowing it is going to be a great day. If needed, remind myself during the day that life is great and the day is great.

Turning Negative Feelings Into Positive Feelings

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to be positive and what a difference it has made these past few days. Every time I slip into negative behavior, I put on a gigantic smile and feel better immediately. The smile reminds me to look for the good and to feel the good. I've done this exercise of smiling before, but had focused on others reactions to me. The smiling this time is a reminder to myself to focus on the positive.

On The Road To The Life I Deserve

Keep implementing my New Year's Plan and know that my future will be better than my past.