Gratitude

I have been thinking about gratitude quite a bit this past week. I read an article about gratitude that was very interesting with fascinating facts and great tips and just had to share!
Start a gratitude journal of things your thankful for in your everyday life. Even the little things! Like the cream cheese on your bagel, your hot shower, your comfy bed, the hug that was well needed.
Optimism and gratitude can be learned by working on your thoughts and staying positive and sometimes you have to FORCE the positive!
As my family was eating Thanksgiving dinner we went around the table and shared three things we were thankful for and how nice it would be to be able to ponder on what we are thankful for throughout the entire year!?
Studies show that an increased focus on gratitude can offer a lasting boost. One way to help shift a person's outlook--and one that's gained buzz on talk shows, including Oprah's is by keeping a gratitude journal.
The benefits from counting blessings are tangible emotionally and physically. People are 25% happier and more energetic if they keep gratitude journals, have 20% less envy and resentment, sleep 10% longer each night and wake up 15% more refreshed, exercise 33% more and show a 10% drop  in blood pressure compared to persons who are not keeping these journals.
These statistics blew me away and made me realize how important being grateful is for me spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally.
I've decided to purchase a blank book where I will list at least three things per day. They can be big or small but there are always things to be thankful for in my daily life. Soon you will be able to look back on your lists of all the things you are grateful for; especially the days when your stressed or depressed. Remember that all gratitude doesn't need to be saved for the journal. Tell the people in your life how much you appreciate them. From people in your family to sales clerks and postal employees you encounter in your day. Everyone likes to know that they're appreciated and their positive reactions can help put you in a positive mood too!

Go get them gratitude journals! :)

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. --Melody Beattie