{"id":2621,"date":"2012-02-27T20:38:34","date_gmt":"2012-02-28T01:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/blissblog\/?p=2621"},"modified":"2012-02-27T20:38:34","modified_gmt":"2012-02-28T01:38:34","slug":"gratitude-as-a-way-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/blissblog\/2012\/02\/gratitude-as-a-way-of-life.html","title":{"rendered":"Gratitude As A Way of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/107\/2012\/02\/THANKYOU.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2625\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/107\/2012\/02\/THANKYOU.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"214\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div>In a recent article written by Melinda Beck in The\u00a0Wall Street Journal, she shared:\u00a0 &#8220;A growing body of research suggests that maintaining an attitude of gratitude can improve psychological, emotional and physical well-being.\u00a0 Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. They\u2019re also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly and have greater resistance to viral infections.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div>Within the article is a test that readers can take that measure the degree of their gratitude. I scored 42 out of 42 points. It indicated that people who score in the 40-42 range, see life as a gift and that for them,\u00a0gratitude is a way of life. I do and it is. Hard to imagine feeling any other way. Perhaps it has something to do with my upbringing. In my family, we were taught that awareness and expression of gratitude were natural outcomes of\u00a0 healthy interactions between people, regardless of age. Never did I feel less than because I was a child. My parents thanked my sister and me and each other in our presence. Thank you notes were sent following birthdays. Appreciation for the blessings in our lives was as natural as breathing. Besides, it just plain feels good to immerse myself in thankful mode. I sometimes think of it as being <em>thank-full to overflowing, <\/em>just as a stream can overflow its bank, so too can we let our appreciation water and nourish the grass around us, as we grow our relationships.<\/div>\n<div>I love ritual and engage in it throughout my day. When I awaken, I give thanks for the\u00a0day, brimming with opportunity to create anew. Over the next 12 hours, especially if I am feeling anything but grateful, I pause and consider what it is I appreciate about my life circumstances, even as I may be hardpressed to find something to like about the current situation. When I do that, it feels as if a huge boulder has been lifted. Before I drift off into dream land, I take stock of my day and count my gifts and treasures. I also periodically create an &#8216;attytood of gratitude list&#8217; and listen to songs that express thanksgiving, singing along with gusto. As a result, I find that I am consistently healthier and happier than many people I have encountered. Since like attracts like, I am discovering lately that the folks with whom I cross paths are indeed more pleasant to be around.<\/div>\n<div>I invite you to take time and create a list of 10 things for which you can be grateful. It could be as simple as being able to open your eyes and see the sun streaming into your home.\u00a0 Create a gratiude vision board with pictures and words that evoke a sense of serenity and appreciation. Tell the people in your life that you are\u00a0grateful for their presence, even those (especially those) who push your buttons. AND it is important to thank the woman or man in the mirror for sticking with you all these years.<\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/youtu.be\/ZRe339H4Iwg\">http:\/\/youtu.be\/ZRe339H4Iwg<\/a>\u00a0 You Inspire Me: A Song of Gratitude by Skye Dyer<\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/youtu.be\/D6jB7PFSw8k\">http:\/\/youtu.be\/D6jB7PFSw8k<\/a>\u00a0 They Shaped My Life by Jason Mraz<\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/youtu.be\/HliNxhlDP4o\">http:\/\/youtu.be\/HliNxhlDP4o<\/a> The Thanksgiving Song of Gratitude by Bob Baker<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In a recent article written by Melinda Beck in The\u00a0Wall Street Journal, she shared:\u00a0 &#8220;A growing body of research suggests that maintaining an attitude of gratitude can improve psychological, emotional and physical well-being.\u00a0 Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":233,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,40,1,2,3,14,4,7,38,18],"tags":[1507,4837,315,1505,1506,1504,584],"class_list":["post-2621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-abundance","category-affirmations","category-attracting-what-you-desire","category-bliss","category-gratitude","category-how-to-invite-bliss","category-inspiration","category-re-creating-your-life","category-transformation","category-wellness","tag-bob-baker","tag-gratitude","tag-jason-mraz","tag-melinda-beck","tag-skye-dyer","tag-the-new-york-times","tag-wayne-dyer"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - 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She has also contributed to several anthologies and personal growth books. Edie has interviewed such notables as Ram Dass, Wayne Dyer, Debbie Ford, don Miguel Ruiz, don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. Marianne Williamson, Grover Washington, Jr. Noah Levine, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Weaver, Ben and Jerry and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She calls herself an Opti-mystic who sees the world through the eyes of possibility. 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