Easy Way to Get Your Attitutde of Gratitude

November is such a great month for reflection. It’s an ideal time to start a gratitude practice or reinforce the one we already have. I started my gratitude practice after I was diagnosed with breast cancer and can’t begin to tell you what a difference it has made in my life. The good news is, you don’t have to face adversity to begin a practice of gratitude; you can start that today. I promise you, you will be amazed at the change your life will take.

If you get into a routine and follow it daily, you should see a change in your attitude and outlook between weeks 4 and 6. I was never one for a daily writing routine so it was difficult for me in the beginning but I stuck with it and to my surprise I actually look forward to writing in my gratitude journal. Here are some easy tips to get you started:

• Select a pretty notebook size spiral journal as your gratitude journal. Pick something that will make you feel good every time you open it. I find the spiral type works best for me.

• Write in it first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening. I find doing it at the end of the day is a nice way to reflect back on the day.
• Keep your entries short and sweet, 3 to 5 works well. Be sure to use your journal for gratitude entries only and nothing else. You will enjoy reading back on the entries at the end of the month.

Sometimes we don’t start journals because we don’t know what kind of entries to post. The very essence of a gratitude practice is finding everyday ‘small’ things to be grateful for. Let me get you started by sharing a sample post from my gratitude journal:

• Enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Shawn (my son) tonight, don’t get to see him much since he moved out. It’s always nice being together.
• I’m grateful for my automatic washer and dryer, it makes doing laundry a breeze. I remember hearing stories from my grandmother how she had to do laundry.
• Modern medicine is wonderful, that Tylenol I took for my headache really did the trick.

As you can see, it won’t be very difficult to find things in your day to fill your gratitude journal. When we become thankful for the very things we take for granted, things start to come into perspective. You may not be able to get together with your son, doing laundry could take a lot longer and be much more involved and you may have to live with that headache. How’s that for perspective?

Combine this practice with giving thanks before you get out of bed each day (something short and sweet that starts the day in the right way) and you are well on your way to a more fulfilled life.

These are the basic practices that transformed my life into an attitude of gratitude; I hope they help move you in that same direction. I would love to hear about your progress and from those with tips to share from their practice.

Gratefully Yours,

What Color is Your Angel?

Since this is gratitude Wednesday, I would like to give thanks to angels who recently came into my life. Last night I had the pleasure of attending a Mary Kay unit meeting. As a guest, I was pampered with a spa treatment for my hands (highly recommend it) and given the opportunity to try out some of their new makeup products. I loved the highlighting cream; it is pure magic and is the secret to making all of us naturally look younger. I am digressing…but had a great time with these ladies. I was invited to attend to share my story and how the Celebrate In Pink line of products came about. After the meeting, so many women came over to hug me and wanted me to know that I touched their lives in a special way because of the survivor they had in their lives. Little did they know how much they gave to me with each and every hug. It didn’t stop here. Three very special pink angels, Peggy, Lea and Barbara started to brainstorm as to how they could spread the Celebrate In Pink message and products throughout Mary Kay, how awesome is that?

These are ladies who exemplify and believe that by helping others get what they need or want provides everything that you need or want. That is the way the universe works. When you get that, and join the giving circle, you get what you want. Start trying to practice it in a small way and see what happens. Looking beyond ourselves leads to a more fulfilling life filled with kindness and gratitude…start your circle today.

So on this gratitude Wednesday I would like to thank my Mary Kay Pink Angels, Peggy, Lea and Barbara for your support, kindness and help in spreading the Celebrate In Pink message, we rely on angels such as yourselves to help us with that mission…thank you!

Gratitude Wednesdays - Safe Travel

Today my son and his fiancé left to start a new life in Boulder CO. They are extremely excited about the adventure and the anticipation of living in a different environment from the one they grew up in VA. They hopped into the car and moving truck and off they went for their 28 hour drive to Boulder.

How many times do we get into the car, plane or train and take it for granted that we will arrive safely at the other end? If you stop and think about how many things have to go right for that to happen and the number of times it always does (thank God) it’s a miracle when we do arrive safely.

Today, I would like us to think about just that…how often we don’t even notice that we did arrive safely. As you get into your car to go to work or school or to the store, just notice that you arrived safely and be thankful for that miracle. These are the things that when we start to notice them, leads us to a path of gratitude.

How many other things do you take for granted in your everyday life? Start to look for the obvious miracles, be thankful for them and over time see how they have pleasantly changed your life.

Gratitude Wednesdays - Making Connections

Today we’re going to give thanks for the many special people we all have in our lives. Oftentimes we take them for granted and assume they will always be there for us. How many times have we put off calling a friend because we didn’t have time? How often do we say to ourselves that we need to get in touch with “Annie” and catch up? Where does the time go? Before we know it, several months have passed us by and we haven’t made the connection.

The ironic thing is this…most of the things that keep us from connecting with our loved ones will always be there. Whether it’s the yard work, a project, the housework, you get the idea, it’s not going anywhere…unfortunately our friends and family won’t always be there. Too often we hear stories about finding the time to call “Annie” and all of a sudden one day we no longer have to fret about it as “Annie” is no longer with us.

Don’t wait for your “Annie” to check out without talking to you first. You have the power to place that call and make that connection. Studies show that people who maintain connections with others are happier. Add friends to your gratitude circle each day and take the time to keep in touch, it’s good for health and friendship.

How’s your gratitude attitude today?

Gratitude Wednesdays Kick Off Today

Today kicks off a new feature every Wednesday, called Gratitude Wednesdays. Giving gratitude each and every day should become one of our practices. If you aren’t there yet, hopefully this weekly post will remind you to do so on Wednesday’s and that will be a great start!

As we go through our day, most of us get caught up in the day’s agenda whether it’s prepping for that big meeting at work, doing well in school, getting the kids where they need to be, you know the drill. Some of us say, yea, yea, I am grateful for my health, my family, my job, my pets… you know, the BIG obvious things that we all fall back on when queried. Gratitude Wednesday’s should make you stop for a moment and be grateful for the LITTLE things in life that for the most part go unrecognized in your day.

A wonderful way to start your practice is when you awaken each day, be thankful that you indeed woke up and when those feet hit the floor and you are breathing and walking, the day can only go uphill from there. Many of us take this for granted and over look this gift of life that we are given each and every day. Do you know that according to the US 2000 Census data there were 49.7 million disabled Americans? How many of them do you think would like to change places with you every day?
As your day unfolds, look for more things to be grateful for, such as your safe travels, the beautiful birds and flowers in your yard, the many friends you have in your life, the yummy muffin you had for breakfast or the time you had to read your favorite book. Just look around and you will find an abundance of gratitude if you just look for it.

As we practice our Gratitude Wednesdays and recognize the small things in our lives that we are thankful for, we’ll start to recognize the abundance we already have and stop looking for the things we don’t have. Over time you will be amazed at the power of gratitude.

What are you grateful for today?