{"id":4564,"date":"2013-08-15T12:01:02","date_gmt":"2013-08-15T16:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/?p=4564"},"modified":"2013-07-28T22:23:05","modified_gmt":"2013-07-29T02:23:05","slug":"how-gratitude-can-be-a-power-tool-for-a-better-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2013\/08\/how-gratitude-can-be-a-power-tool-for-a-better-life.html","title":{"rendered":"How Gratitude Can Be a Power Tool for a Better Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Doug<\/a>I wwrite a lot about rhe impotance of having gratitude in your life. I even run a Conscious Gratitude group on Yahoo<\/strong><\/a>, where people can post what they\u2019re grateful for every day and read what others are grateful for. Regularly feeling gratitude can truly be a power tool for manifesting more of what you want.\u00a0 The more you understand its benefits, the more you\u2019ll want to practice it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I\u2019m thrilled to have Doug Vermeeren<\/strong><\/a>, an internationally renowned movie producer, director and author as my guest today. His award-winning film, The Opus,<\/strong><\/a> received critical acclaim and has been translated to more than 23 languages. Random House published the book version in more than 23 countries. His new film, The Gratitude Experiment (www.thegratitudeexperiment.com), is now premiering in many of the world\u2019s biggest cities. The documentary focuses on how awareness and acts of gratitude can positively transform any situation and improve one\u2019s life experiences, both professionally and personally.<\/p>\n

Can Gratitude Change Your Life?<\/strong>
\nby Doug Vermeeren<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe truth knocks on the door and you say, \u2018Go away, I’m looking for the truth,\u2019
\nand so it goes away. Puzzling.\u201d<\/em> – author Robert M. Pirsig<\/p>\n

Positive psychology entails a call for science and psychological practice to be as concerned with strength as with weakness; as interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst; and as concerned with making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology.<\/p>\n

People can become suspicious when you tell them that they can change their lives with a simple shift in perspective; it can seem too good to be true because it\u2019s an uncomplicated answer to many of life\u2019s challenges. But I\u2019m just one of many who have experienced a measurable life change with gratitude.<\/p>\n

I feel that everyone deserves that opportunity. Three areas in life that can be positively transformed with the power of gratitude:<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Attitude:<\/strong> Gratitude can help us overcome any problem or hardship. It gives us perspective on what\u2019s important, what we truly value and what we have right in front of us. In our small corner of this vast universe, we find the most miraculous thing of all: life. No matter what situation we are in or worries we face, we can always be grateful that we are alive on this beautiful planet. There is a world of possibilities open to whatever attitude we bring to it. Today we can appreciate this opportunity, giving thanks for everything we have and sharing with one another what we are grateful for.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Health<\/strong>: The positive thinking triggered by our gratitude has proven health benefits, including strengthening the immune system, reducing stress and depression, reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, better coping skills during hardship and overall increased sense of well-being, according to the Mayo Clinic. This isn\u2019t empty, New Age-y fluff. This is testable criteria and measurable health benefits.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Relationships:<\/strong> One of the most defining characteristics of the human race is our social nature. We are hardwired to work, communicate and interact with each other. Most of us understand the value of being there for each other, especially during hard times. However, research from the University of California-Santa Barbara shows that it\u2019s also crucial to be proactively positive during normal or good times, as well. Positive reinforcement during good times reinforces bonds and assures a friend, family member or spouse that you\u2019ll be there during hard times. A neutral response to good news from a spouse, for example, implies apathy and that the responder is less involved in the other\u2019s life. Embrace the good stuff not only in your life, but also in the lives of others.
\n***************<\/p>\n

Join the Self-Love Movement\u2122<\/strong><\/a>! Take the 31 Days of Self-Love Commitment<\/strong><\/a> and get my book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways<\/a><\/strong> for free at http:\/\/howdoiloveme.com<\/a><\/strong>. Read my 2013 31 Days of Self-Love Posts HERE<\/strong><\/a>. Join the Self-Love Movement\u2122<\/strong><\/a>! on Facebook<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please leave comments under my posts so we can stay connect<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wwrite a lot about rhe impotance of having gratitude in your life. I even run a Conscious Gratitude group on Yahoo, where people can post what they\u2019re grateful for every day and read what others are grateful for. Regularly feeling gratitude can truly be a power tool for manifesting more of what you want.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,6,2,15],"tags":[722,36],"class_list":["post-4564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conscious-gratitude","category-positive-thinking","category-self-empowerment-confidence","category-self-love-acceptance","tag-doug-vermeeren","tag-gratitude"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Gratitude Can Be a Power Tool for a Better Life - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2013\/08\/how-gratitude-can-be-a-power-tool-for-a-better-life.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Gratitude Can Be a Power Tool for a Better Life - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I wwrite a lot about rhe impotance of having gratitude in your life. I even run a Conscious Gratitude group on Yahoo, where people can post what they\u2019re grateful for every day and read what others are grateful for. 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Daylle's books have been translated into over 10 languages and are popular around the world. She speaks for colleges, organizations and corporations. Through her company, Project Self-Empowerment, Daylle creates programs and materials to help people empower themselves. One goal is to raise the money to self-publish her book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways and give it away for free in colleges and through organizations, to give thanks for all her blessings. Daylle uses her writing and speaking to help others find the kind of contentment and empowerment that she has.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/author\/dschwartz"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4564"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4649,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4564\/revisions\/4649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}