The Path to Personal Growth » gratitude

Gratitude Quotes

Lena — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 04:28:49 +0000

It’s been one of those days today. I couldn’t string together two coherent sentences if I tried. So I am very grateful that others, older and wiser than I have written so much about gratitude that I can borrow a few of their words to share with you today.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes about gratitude.

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. ~Johannes A. Gaertner

The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated. ~William James

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~William Arthur Ward

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart

When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears ~Anthony Robbins

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~Author Unknown

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John F. Kennedy

Gratitude is the memory of the heart. ~French Proverb

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?” ~William A. Ward

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. Epictetus

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

Thanks for being here! Don’t forget to share your favorite gratitude quotes in the comments!

Photo Credit: Burningwell.org

Gratitude: Remembering To Be Grateful For the Little Things In Life

Lena — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 04:59:01 +0000

I am grateful to wake up and see the sunrise.

Have you ever sat down to write in your gratitude journal and not been able to think of anything to write?

While it seems that we should never lack for things to be grateful for, sometimes we’re so focused on the fact that nothing really big happened in our day that we forget that we have a whole host of little things to be grateful for.

What do I mean by little things? Here are a few ideas for the next time you have trouble coming up with something to be grateful for:

the food you eat
the clothes you wear
a roof over your head
your friends and family
your pets
your internet connection
having cash in your pocket
waking up in the morning

It’s so easy to take for granted the things that are around us every day. That old saying, “familiarity breeds contempt” rings true in many ways. Don’t take that the wrong way. I’m certainly not implying that you are contemptuous of any of the things I’ve listed here.

What I am suggesting is that sometimes we get so caught up in the whole culture of wanting more, that we forget to stop and appreciate everything we already have in our lives.

Being grateful is such an important part of life. Recent studies have even convinced the scientists that having an “attitude of gratitude” can have a positive effect on health and well-being. It doesn’t matter what, or who, you are grateful for — large or small, it’s the feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for what you already have that gets the Universe sending more of the good stuff your way.

So, what little thing are you grateful for today? Feel free to share in the comments below.

I’m grateful for you being here!

Monday Movies – The Gentle and Forgotten Art of Blessings

Lena — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:03:11 +0000

Who knew that choosing one movie to start the week with would be so hard? I rarely spend time surfing You Tube so when I decided to do a Monday Movie feature and pick one video to start the week in a calm and relaxing way, I had no idea how many videos I’d end up going through to find the one that felt just right to post.

Enjoy!

Five Reasons Meditation Should Be a Part of Your Daily Routine

Lena — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 03:09:13 +0000

One of the things I’d like to add into my daily routine is meditation. For me, it’s pretty much a hit or miss thing right now even though I know that it would do me so much good. And somehow I don’t think staring at the blank screen and wondering what to write qualifies.

Meditation has always been associated with feelings of peacefulness and well-being, and I don’t know about you but I can always use more of those feelings in my life. Experts say that taking even just ten or fifteen minutes a day to slow down and meditate can have great benefits. Here are a few ways that taking time to meditate can affect our lives:

1. Mediation makes a great stress reliever. If you can manage to relax and be peaceful for just fifteen minutes a day, the effects will be noticeable.

2. Meditation also can improve your physical health. Several studies have shown that meditation can improve overall health because lowering stress also helps to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.

3. Meditation helps you control your thoughts. A lot of stress comes from being unable to control our thoughts. Taking time to meditate helps to stop negative thoughts in their tracks.

4. Meditation also helps bring feeling of happiness and gratitude. By taking the time to reflect on all the good things in your life, you draw even more good things to you, which results in even more feelings of happiness and gratitude.

5. Meditation helps improve your concentration. When you can achieve peace of mind during meditation it will have an effect on how you live because when your mind is less stressed out, it is better able to concentrate on the important things in life.

These are just a few of the ways that meditating can help to reduce stress and improve your life. It may take some practice to develop the habit but allowing yourself fifteen minutes peace and relaxation is worth adding it to your daily routine.

Some January Comment Love

Lena — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:32:24 +0000

I was pretty light on the new posts last month, and it looks like February is shaping up for more of the same. But that doesn’t mean I love my commenters any less. I love every single person who stops by to visit me here, whether or not you leave comments.

Shileen
Shelly
Sarai

Thanks again to everyone who visited, and an extra helping to everyone who took the time to leave a comment. And please, if you stop by leave a comment. I love to return the favor and check out everyone else’s sites, and I can’t visit you if you don’t let me know who you are and where to find you!

A Little Visitor Appreciation

Lena — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:14:36 +0000

This post is a little later than I wanted it to be. In my isolation phase last week I just wasn’t up to posting much, and I’m sure that the gratitude that I feel for each and every person who visits would not have come through. It doesn’t matter to me whether you leave a comment or not (although I really really love getting comments), on some level a little piece of me knows that someone has been here and it always makes me smile.

I can’t think you by name if you didn’t leave a comment, so if that’s you considered yourself thanked

And a super thanks to those who did leave comments in December. I really appreciate you taking a moment out of your life to share your thoughts with me.

Multiple Comments

2 – Lucy – Lucy’s Life in Suburb World

Single Comments

Ellen – Creative Laundry
Marelisa – Abundance Blog at Marelisa Online
Glen – PluginID
Paula – Welcoming Spirit
CK – Divine Purpose Unleashed

Thanks to everyone who took the time to visit and/or leave a comment.

Lena

Looking Forward, Looking Back

Lena — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 04:32:15 +0000

It’s been a good Christmas Day. That’s the first time I’ve been able to say that and mean it in about ten years. Up until now, I’ve spent so much time worrying about what we didn’t have that there was no enjoyment in the day at all. It was just another day of stress designed to remind me that I wasn’t as successful with my life as I wanted to be. I also realize now that I’ve always compared these Christmases to the ones we had when I was a child… when I didn’t have any responsibilities except to enjoy the day. And when I wasn’t doing that I was busy telling myself that next year things would be better. Not once in the last ten years did I just sit down and enjoy the day as it was for what it was. Until today.

There’s definitely something to this whole living in the moment thing. Having experienced it once, it’s a feeling I want more of in the coming year.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a need for looking forward, or looking back to some extent. Accepting each minute as it the gift that it is creates an amazing feeling of peace in the moment. But the historian in me still wants to remember and look at the past and dissect it to know what I can do better in the next moment. And the optimist in me still wants to look forward and plan for tomorrow so that all my future moments can be as amazing as this one.

The trick for me is going to be in finding a balance between remembering, planning, and doing. And remembering to enjoy it as it happens, not file it away under the “I’ll think about it tomorrow” category.

For today, I’ll enjoy the feeling of peace and accept this gift for what it was. Stress-free, worry-free days don’t come often enough for me. My path isn’t that smooth just yet. But I’m getting there, and for that I’m very thankful.

A Christmas Story in the Making

Lena — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 04:31:33 +0000

I’ve been feeling decidedly un-Christmassy this year, as you’ve no doubt noticed by the lack of holiday talk. Ever since my parents passed away, and my son grew up, it just doesn’t seem to mean as much. I really think that it’s because there’s no going home for the holidays anymore and this is the one time of year when I really miss having a home to go home to.

When I hear of people losing their homes, especially at this time of year, it really makes me sad because I know how important it is to have that place that ‘s like an anchor in your world. The one place you know where you’re safe, where you can always go back to, where your family has grown up and made so many memories. It’s really heart-wrenching when someone who is a member of your community comes forward and asks for prayers because instead of getting ready to celebrate the holidays, she’s packing and getting ready to lose her home.

That happened this week, and what followed is nothing short of amazing. I know that as a group the Internet Marketing community gets a pretty bad rap a lot of the time. But let me tell you, when someone needs help I have never seen another group band together so quickly or give so selflessly. And that’s what’s happening right now.

There is a movement afoot to create a real Christmas story with a happy ending for this woman and her family. The Internet Marketing community has come together in a virtual barn raising of sorts to help save her home. To watch them in action is a sight to behold, and I’m so very grateful just to be a small part of it. You can see what’s happening here: A True Christmas Story – Virtual Barn Raising and if you can help out at all, that would be great too.

What’s Good in Your Life?

Lena — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:27:09 +0000

I’ve kind of gotten away from writing on the theme of thanks for this month’s NaBloPoMo so we’re going to rectify that tonight. This morning while I was doing my daily round of bloghopping I came across a cool little post by Vanessa Smith at Let Your Life Bloom.

The gist of her post was that we often forget to recognize all the little things that are good in our life. The examples that she used were her bathrobe, the shower, and even the floor.

That got me thinking about the whole cycle of paying attention, noticing the good things around us, and being thankful for them. It’s easy to remember to be thankful for the big stuff. But how many times do we really stop to appreciate all those little things that are good in our lives?

Just thinking about what’s good in my life today brings to mind my favorite pen, peppermint tea, and my mittens. And I’m extremely grateful for all of them.

What about you? What’s good in your life today?

On Being Thankful

Lena — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:07:17 +0000

There’s been a lot said lately on the subject of thankfulness. I suppose that’s understandable given that the United States just celebrated their Thanksgiving holiday, and the Christmas season is upon us. Whether you celebrate either holiday, there’s always room for a little more gratitude in all our lives. We really shouldn’t wait for one day a year to come around to celebrate our thanks. And so for the next thirty-one days I will be writing on the theme of “thanks” as part of the National Blog Posting Month.

I never used to be thankful for a lot of the little things in my life. I never had enough, always wanted more, bigger, better… you get the idea. Now, after surviving two heart attacks, I can honestly say I’m thankful for every day that I wake up in the morning. It really does cause a shift in one’s perspective and make you that much more grateful for what you have.

Another thing I’m extremely thankful for is the ability to write and blog, even though I don’t do it nearly often enough. I’ve thought about doing a gratitude journal for awhile now but never got around to making the commitment to blog every day. I suppose I could blame it on my shyness and say I didn’t want to publicly post things that I’m grateful for because that’s just a little to personal. But then I realized that there’s not much point about talking personal development to others if I’m not willing to share my own personal growth stories. In that respect I’m grateful that I stumbled on the NaBloPoMo site late last night. It’s given me the kick in the arse I needed to get moving and start blogging every day.

What are you thankful for today?