Time; energy; money; love….Most people feel at some time that they don’t have enough of one or more of these in their life. Are you feeling like there is never enough time; energy; money; or love in your life?
Even in regards to our family situation, we can choose to ruminate on what is missing or we can change the way we look at things. Here are some best practices I have been introduced to that I want to share with you.
The Gratitude Jar – by Josie Robinson
Do you see Serendipity in action in your life?
Recently, I received this book (The Gratitude Jar) as a gift from a friend. I laid it on my ‘to be read’ pile of books on my nightstand. One day I was at a local event where by my surprise the author spoke to us holding up her book and explaining her story to us. I instantly recognized the book in her hand.
There are signs of Serendipity all around us if we are open to seeing them. I told the author that I took this as a sign for me to finally read this book.
What I gathered from the book is the importance to TRULY FEEL grateful for what it is we are writing down and entering into our gratitude jar.
The second key is to share it with someone. This is something I had not done previously. It turned out to be quite joyful sharing this daily entry with a close friend I would email each evening. It also helped keep me accountable.
This is such an easy and quick way to express daily gratitude. One quick sentence about something we are grateful for in the day. EASY PEASY.
My Gratitude Jar on my Gratitude Plate I got from Cafe Gratitude in California a few years ago.
The Prescription For Gratitude – Lissa Rankin
I had tried for many years to do be consistent with a gratitude journal but was unsuccessful in really getting into it. Instead of something that made me feel good, it was like another thing to check off of my daily ‘to-do’ list. I ended up dreading it.
That all changed once I read Lissa Rankin’s blog post .
Now for the past almost three years, I actually look forward to writing in my nightly gratitude journal. Throughout the day I am taking note of what is happening because I am excited to enter this into my nightly gratitude journal.
Here are the questions I answer nightly. With answering these questions, I am looking for ways to add the words ‘I am grateful for because….’
- What surprised me today? – It might be something that I thought was going to be a bad experience and yet it turned out to be great because I can find the silver lining in it all.
- What inspired me today? – This could be something I read or something that somebody said to me.
- What touched my heart today? – This one is my favorite because it is the moment in my day where I catch myself holding my hand over my heart because of something I saw or possibly personally experienced.
Getting Unscrambled – 30 Days of Love – by Mary Caelsto
When was the last time you told yourself “I love you”?
This book was sent to me and was a bit different than most books that I read, however it was a phenomenal experience.
As the author states, “We don’t take the time to think about ourselves.” By following the steps in this book to journal to yourself in a very special way, you are “showing that you are thinking, and caring about you.”
I have to admit when I started this 30 days experience, I was quite hesitant because it felt kind of uncomfortable. Well, it didn’t take long to get into the swing of how good it felt to journal to myself and recognize the various great qualities that I have. There is no waiting for someone else to do it for us! Very. Interesting. Indeed.
What about you? What will you do for yourself because you feel like there is just not enough time in the day to get everything you want to get done? Or maybe that you don’t have enough energy to accomplish the activities you would like to. Or is it not enough money for this or that? Maybe it’s the feeling of not receiving the love from family that you were wishing for?
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer
Just do it, one of these daily activities to change the way you look at things and create your own miracles. You are worth it. Take time for you.
Have you a different daily ritual that helps keep you remembering that ‘you have enough’ and that ‘you are enough’ or will you be trying one of the ones above. Please share in the comments below. I would love to hear your thoughts.
It would be a pleasure to share a Skype visit with you to discuss any questions you might have.
How fun that you encountered the author of The Gratitude Jar and that pushed you into reading and implementing the practice. Love that! I really like Lissa Rankin’s questions as well. They really do open up thoughtful inquiry and bypass that “this gratitude thing is just another thing on my list of to-dos”. And yay you for embracing the 30 days of love practice – what a perfect way to celebrate yourself.
I think each of these practices is a beautiful way to reclaim time for yourself. The whole point of life is that it is YOUR life and you get to claim your time.
Deborah Weber recently posted…Love Your Body 2015
Actually, I have enjoyed each of the new practices so much that I have continued them. I may not fill out an entry for my gratitude jar every day but I do it several times a week. Also, with the ‘love practice’ journaling. I TRULY enjoyed that so I am continuing to make time for that several times a week as well! Thanks for your comment, Deborah.
I’m glad you’re back Elda and it sounds like you’re in a wonderful state of mind. In Al-Anon many years ago, a phrase was bounced around that I’ve used a million times over the years, “Gratitude is everything.” At the time I was not grateful and had to search sometimes, now I just know that its true and changed it to, “I have everything I need.”
kimberly recently posted…Day 48 – Making Peanut Butter
Thanks for the welcome back Kimberly! I like that saying you have, “I have everything I need.”
A client sent me a photo of a wall art piece she has hanging in her kitchen. It’s quite beautiful. The saying is, “Dear God, I want to take a minute, not to ask for anything from you, but simply THANK YOU for all that I have.” Pretty right on point.
Welcome back, Elda.
These are interesting questions to ponder. I’ve started documenting a rating for each day, along with a brief description of what I did. I think adding one item of gratitude to that would be perfect. Thanks.
Amy Putkonen recently posted…The Procrastination Habit
Thanks Amy! That’s interesting. I haven’t heard of documenting a ‘rating’ for the day. I wonder if it happens to be a challenging day, would a person look for the silver lining or just rate the day poorly. I do believe there is always something we can find to be grateful if we are open to seeing it. Thanks for your comment.
Thank You for your inspiring words, Elda!
A couple years ago, my husband and I decided to keep a nightly gratitude journal for 45 days to celebrate our 45 years of marriage. To our surprise, just a couple sentences by each of us every night opened up new insights and a deeper sense of appreciation for each other! And the best part??? We are still doing it and are committed to it ‘forever’! In my life, consciously choosing to feel grateful multiplies what I’m grateful for and it is the foundation for all my joy!
What a lovely experience, Mary! Thank you so much for sharing. I wish more couples would do this. If we were to focus on what the other person does offer us and demonstrate gratitude for them, then it would definitely strengthen the relationship because as we know, “what we focus on grows”.
Congratulations on your more than 45 years of marriage filled with JOY!
Elda,
Great post and welcome back!
You are so right on serendipity relative to an unexpected face-to-face with the author of The Gratitude Jar. Sometimes we need more than a nudge to see what right in front of us, don’t we.
You offer some fun ideas to make gratitude a practice vs. an afterthought. I look forward to trying some of the ideas you outline above.
Nanette Levin recently posted…Small business owners who play games are more fun
Thanks Nanette! Yes, I am learning to be more watchful of the signs that are right in front of me and to take heed.
Glad to hear that these ideas resonated with you! Let me know how it goes for you.
Yes, Elda – in regards to quality of life, gratitude reigns supreme. I believe we usually have more than enough – but our aspirations and over-commitment can make us feel like we’re falling short. Focusing on gratitude keeps it in perspective. I like the idea of a jar ( and inviting others to participate with you! ).
Great point about how sometimes our aspirations and over-commitment can get in our way of feeling good about our life. As you mentioned, it is all about our perspective. Thanks for your comment, Michelle!