Let’s just kick this gratitude party off with you knowing, I am grateful for you.
Really. I am.
So, what’s gratitude?
In a sense, without using the overly wordy dictionary definition it’s the feeling that embodies the words “Thank you”.
Wanna start your free 7-Day Gratitude Challenge?
DISCLAIMER: This is a slightly different post today, because much of it is from Dr. Emmons, the master of all things gratitude. I’ve paraphrased one of my favorite books by Dr. Emmons (given to me by my mentors at the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy), The Little Book of Gratitude.
Three steps are necessary to find the kind of gratitude that stokes joy over the long-term - looking for, receiving, and giving back the good.
A powerful meditation to set you on the path is to focus on these steps. If you carry 3 small stones with you, these will be tangible reminders of the three steps to gratitude.
JOY - Look for the Good:
To feel gratitude we have to be attuned to the good in our lives, and this gives rise to joy, which is the pure and simple delight in being alive.
GRATITUDE QUOTE:
“Joy is where the whole being is pointed in one direction, and is something man never knew hoards but always wants to share.” - Frederick Buechner, author and theologian
To have joy, our eyes must be wide open in gratitude. Gratitude is the gateway to joy.
2. GRACE - Receive the Good:
Once we see the good, we must learn to accept it, absorb it into our being. Grace allows us to accept the good without crippling feelings of indebtedness, embarrassment, or a sense of inferiority.
What does grace look like to you? Ask yourself the following questions.
Have you ever experienced grace? What were the circumstances? What were the distinguishing features of the grace you received?
Is grace a quality of the divinity, of humans, or both? What words or images describe human and divine grace?
Is grace a frequent or rare experience for you? If rare, what has blocked you from receiving grace in your life?
3. LOVE - Give Back the Good:
Real gratitude promotes a desire to reflect the goodness received by creatively seeking opportunities for giving. This is love, the third dimension, or stone, of gratitude.
Gratitude makes those who receive grace long to give it back.
GRATITUDE QUOTE:
“There are two kinds of gratitude: the sudden kind we feel for what we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give.” - Edward Arlington Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
These are the three stones of gratitude that will seal your practice helping you further make gratitude not just a daily journal entry, but a way of life filled with joy, grace, & love.
Wanna continue your personal-development for better health, sleep and mood?
Join me for the 7-Day Gratitude Challenge, starting Every Sunday, this season! I Can’t wait to up my gratitude game!
It’s free - and easy to sign up! Just click here to reserve your space, and go grab your favorite journal! :)
I leave you how I started this; I am grateful for you.
With love + gratitude,
Laura