here2inspire's Blog

I cannot believe it's been 5 months, 150 days since my last post. I made a commitment to myself to post 365 Days in Gratitude and so I am getting back on the Gratitude horse! I'm not going to try and recap where I've been spiritually, emotionally and physically - I'm just going to jump back in.

Today is a celebration of the birth of my baby 24 years ago - I celebrate you Paulie! Happy Birthday, I am so grateful to have you in my life!

I spent the weekend on a Spiritual Retreat in Wisconsin. It is absolutely beautiful up there, on a lake and surrounded with like-minded people. Walking in nature and being close to the water always makes me feel that all is right with the world. While walking by the lake I reminded myself that this is a form of meditation and I should honor myself for being present. And so, to begin, I am grateful that I gifted myself this weekend.

I am grateful to have surrounded myself with like-minded people. We lift each other up and support each other and so I am grateful to have spent three yummy days with friends old and new.

I am grateful that Rev MaryBeth reminded me how important it is to live in gratitude. And so, I am dedicating this Day 297 to Rev MaryBeth. Thank you, thank you for pointing me back to what inspires and nourishes me - gratitude!

What are you grateful for?

I am so filled with love right now. Welcome to the world Jacob! My grandson graced us with his presence today at 3:27pm. 7lbs 6oz of God's perfection. He is the sweetest thing and I am so grateful to have him in my life. The proud parents Rick (my oldest son) and Becky are just beaming with pride and I'm very proud of both of them.

It's funny how your life can change in an instant. While driving to the hospital today, all I kept thinking was "this is the most perfect day!" The sun was shining, the traffic was light. But honestly, it could have been a blizzard - nothing mattered except for the birth of this beautiful miracle of a baby. It's all perspective. Life is meant for family. Thank you Jacob, thank you for being in all of our lives. Thank you for making us stop today and realize what is really important - love. You, Jacob Ryan, are now and always will be surrounded by family and friends who love you dearly.

What are you grateful for?

This post is from Evie Burke, Certified Life Coach. "Find the joy in your life and work one insight at a time." To find out more about Evie and her work, go to www.oneinsightcloser.com

When I sat down to write this post about my perspective on Gratitude, all the ideas that I had disappeared. As I thought about what I was going to write I remembered something I read (or heard) last week. It was a challenge to list 100 things your grateful for. So, I decided to do it.

I expected to get to about 30 things and then be stuck. Not that I don't have lots of things to be thankful for, I do, but I wasn't sure about my ability to think of them quickly in one sitting. I surprised myself by having just over 50 items listed in one sitting.

I also noticed something after that sitting. I was much calmer and focused then I was before I started. Before I started I was thinking about the appointments I have today and all the things I want to get done. My mind was darting around from one thing to the next without stopping at anything long enough to actually make progress. After I listed out as many things I was grateful for as I could, I noticed that my mind had slowed down and I was actually concentrating on one thing.

Now, part of this is because I sat down and committed myself to one task and once I got into it my mind quieted. But something about writing down things your grateful for automatically shifts your mood. When you're focusing on the positive things that are in your life you can't help but feel a little happier.

Keeping a gratitude journal is proven to increase a person's satisfaction with life. Why? Well, you're more likely to focus on the good things that happen to you or around you when you know you want to write something down in your gratitude journal at the end of the day. And when you focus on the good things happening around you, you tend to be happier and more satisfied with your life.

If you're going through a difficult time or just aren't as happy as you'd like to be then start keeping a gratitude journal. If there's one part of your life that you're particularly unhappy with, try writing at least one thing about it each day that you're grateful for. For example, when I was really unhappy at my old job I started doing this and found that there were a number of things I was grateful for. Things like a kind word, the suggestion to get out of the office for lunch, or a conversation with a friend.

Have you ever heard the phrase "Energy flows where attention goes?" This is another reason that gratitude is so powerful. When we focus our attention on what we're thankful for, we're flowing our positive energy toward it and will attract more of whatever it is we're thankful for.

I'm going to go and think of some more things and people I'm thankful for. My goal is to have 100 before I go to bed tonight.

So, what's at the top of your 100 things your grateful for?

Wow, it's been 5 days since my last post. I honestly didn't think that many days had passed.

Today I received a call from my youngest son proclaiming he had officially graduated from college! He insisted that he didn't want to walk across the stage so I have to be understanding of that decision. Of course, as a Mom, I would love to sit in the audience and beam with pride as I watch my son strut across the stage wearing that huge grin that lights up a room. The bottom line is - he graduated. Paulie is one of those young men that, when his mind is made up, is focused and determined and won't quit until he is successful. Paulie, you have proven, once again, that when you put your mind to something, there's nothing you can't achieve and I am so proud and thankful to have you in my life. Congratulations!

Today was the last day of work at a company I had been with for 6 months. I enjoyed my time there and wish them all the very best. Working with a group like that makes you appreciate being associated with them. They are a very diverse group of individuals and work very effectively together. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to meet and work with each and every one of them.

What are you grateful for?

I am so excited! There are three things to celebrate today (well, actually I could think of many but):

1. This post marks the 1st of May - April Showers have brought May Flowers. Everywhere we walk in the neighborhood we see tulips, jonquil and salvia. Walking the dog this morning there were many people out mowing their lawns. The smell of fresh cut grass is one of my favorite smells. Like walking into your Grandmother's house smelling fresh baked apple pie, grass makes me feel the same way. I just love May and what's not to love, sunshine, flowers popping up everywhere helping us forget the 24 inches of snow just a few short months ago and warmer weather! Thank you!

2. 17 days away from my new grandbaby's upcoming birth. Yes, my son's first child is due to grace us with his presence on May 18 and I can't wait. Listening to my son talk about the upcoming birth of his first baby makes me grin from ear to ear. My son has grown into a wonderful young man, responsible, loving and kind. I am so proud of you Rick, you're going to make such a wonderful Daddy.

3. The fact that I've been blogging my gratitude for one third of the year! As I've mentioned before, I've kept a gratitude journal by my bed for years but I was never very committed in writing on a daily basis. Holding gratitude in my heart is changing the way I see things on a daily basis and I'm thrilled to be keeping diligence on this blog.

What are you grateful for?

The tight-knit community of BraveHeart Women is to help inspire, enlighten, console, lift up, mentor, empower and most importantly - connect!

For 2011 I've made a commitment to 365 Days of Gratitude in the hopes that it inspires. My goal is to have this blog travel around the globe while encouraging others in sharing their daily gratitude in the comments section. On my other blog http://urbestlifeyet.blogspot.com/ I've added Google Translator so that everyone can share. I truly hope to inspire many but honestly, if I only inspire myself...that too I will be grateful for.

I would love to ask all of you remarkable BraveHeart Woman to share your thoughts on gratitude. We all have something to be grateful for and we can all learn from each other.

If you feel inspired to share your thoughts, please email me your article and I'll make sure to post it!
linda.walker19@gmail.com

I can't wait to hear from everyone! Thank you, I am so grateful to be a part of this inspiring community!

From time to time I'm going to ask friends to write an article on gratitude or a post on their daily gratitude - below is a post from my friend Evie.

My sister moved from the suburbs into Chicago recently and I was there to help her out and keep her company. I'm very grateful for the wonderful movers that did all the heavy lifting. They made the hard work of moving look quick and easy.

One thing that I noticed was the head mover's wonderful ability to set expectations. When he came across something that was very worn or broken he would make sure that my sister knew about it prior to it being packed. I realized that sometimes we forget, or overlook, the shape things are in when in familiar settings, but in a new setting the worn or broken things might stand out. When everything was packed he again set expectations. He made sure he had my sister's cell phone number and that she had his so they could communicate if anything came up. He also made sure he had directions, and estimated how long unpacking would take.

I'm grateful that the movers my sister hired were professional, set expectations and also kept the atmosphere light. It made the sometimes stressful process of moving go much easier.

What are you grateful for today?

Evie Burke is a life coach who specializes in working with people who get a knot in their stomach when they think about going to work each day. They’re ready for the knot to go away, but don’t want to leave their job. She has a special place in her heart for these people, being one of them herself a couple times in her life. To find out more about Evie visit: http://OneInsightCloser.com/about-me

Keeping this blog has helped me tremendously. As days go by and I blog about my blessings, I feel more light-hearted and able to handle strong situations with a hopeful heart. And, knowing that in all things I am blessed, even the major challenges keep my mind looking forward.

There is a huge event happening tomorrow and I'm so excited and thankful for it. No, it's not the Royal Wedding of Prince William & Kate Middleton. My brother-in-law is being released from the hospital tomorrow! With his numbers improving slowly but surely, his team of doctors feel he is ready to go home. He'll have a biopsy in a few weeks but for now, he can go home and be with his family. Thank you God!

One month ago I put together a vision board. A vision board is simply a visual representation or collage of the things that you want to have, be, or do in your life. It consists of a poster or foam board with cut-out pictures, drawings and/or writing on it of the things that you want in your life or the things that you want to become. The purpose of a vision board is to activate the law of attraction to begin to pull things from your external environment that will enable you to realize your dream. By selecting pictures and writing that charges your emotions with feelings of passion, you will begin to manifest those things into your life. I put this board by my bed and look at it every night before going to sleep and see it first thing in the morning when I wake. One of the images represents getting my career back on track. I've been derailed for a number of years due to 'life' situations. Well, Monday I received a call from a friend asking if I would be interested in a position at a former company I worked for for over 8 years. The guy who held that position just resigned a few hours before and my friend, the Sr VP, felt I would be a good fit. Within a matter of 48 hours, I was offered and accepted the position and start May 9th! I'm thrilled and very grateful for the wonderful opportunity. Whether you believe in the law of attraction or not, what would it hurt to give it a try?

One last but not least thing I am so very grateful for. My husband is starting his own business. This makes me so very proud. For the past year or more he has been trying to land a gig because of our need for good medical coverage. Well, now that I've accepted my new position we will have good coverage. This frees him up to start his own business and I couldn't be happier. The name of his company is Suite Spot Marketing. He went to a networking event last night and may have picked up his first client! I'm thrilled for him.

What are you grateful for?

All of these findings on gratitude are taken from Wikipedia.
Empirical findings
Gratitude and well-being
A large body of recent work has suggested that people who are more grateful have higher levels of well-being. Grateful people are happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships. Grateful people also have higher levels of control of their environments, personal growth, purpose in life, and self acceptance. Grateful people have more positive ways of coping with the difficulties they experience in life, being more likely to seek support from other people, reinterpreted and grow from the experience, and spend more time planning how to deal with the problem. Grateful people also have less negative coping strategies, being less likely to try to avoid the problem, deny there is a problem, blame themselves, or cope through substance use. Grateful people sleep better, and this seems to be because they think less negative and more positive thoughts just before going to sleep.
Gratitude has been said to have one of the strongest links with mental health of any character trait. Numerous studies suggest that grateful people are more likely to have higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress and depression. In one study concerning gratitude, participants were randomly assigned to one of six therapeutic intervention conditions designed to improve the participant’s overall quality of life (Seligman et. all., 2005). Out of these conditions, it was found that the biggest short-term effects came from a “gratitude visit” where participants wrote and delivered a letter of gratitude to someone in their life. This condition showed a rise in happiness scores by 10 percent and a significant fall in depression scores, results which lasted up to one month after the visit. Out of the six conditions, the longest lasting effects were caused by the act of writing “gratitude journals” where participants were asked to write down three things they were grateful for every day. These participants’ happiness scores also increased and continued to increase each time they were tested periodically after the experiment. In fact, the greatest benefits were usually found to occur around six months after treatment began. This exercise was so successful that although participants were only asked to continue the journal for a week, many participants continued to keep the journal long after the study was over. Similar results have been found from studies conducted by Emmons and McCullough (2003) and Lyubomirsky et. all. (2005).
Whilst many emotions and personality traits are important to well-being, there is evidence that gratitude may be uniquely important. First, a longitudinal study showed that people who were more grateful coped better with a life transition. Specifically, people who were more grateful before the transition were less stressed, less depressed, and more satisfied with their relationships three months later. Second, two recent studies have suggested that gratitude may have a unique relationship with well-being, and can explain aspects of well-being that other personality traits cannot. Both studies showed that gratitude was able to explain more well-being than the Big Give and 30 of the most commonly studied personality traits.
Gratitude and altruism
Gratitude has also been shown to improve a person’s altruistic tendencies. One study conducted by David DeSteno and Monica Bartlett (2010) found that gratitude is correlated with economic generosity. In this study, using an economic game, increased gratitude was shown to directly mediate increased monetary giving. From these results, this study shows that gracious people are more likely to sacrifice individual gains for communal profit (DeSteno & Bartlett, 2010). A Study conducted by McCullough, Emmons, & Tsang, (2002) found similar correlations between gratitude and empathy, generosity, and helpfulness.
Interventions to increase gratitude
Given that gratitude appears to be a strong determinant of people's well-being, several psychological interventions have been developed to increase gratitude. For example, Watkins and colleagues had participants test a number of different gratitude exercises, such as thinking about a living person for whom they were grateful, writing about someone for whom they were grateful, and writing a letter to deliver to someone for whom they were grateful. Participants in the control condition were asked to describe their living room. Participants who engaged in a gratitude exercise showed increases in their experiences of positive emotion immediately after the exercise, and this effect was strongest for participants who were asked to think about a person for whom they were grateful. Participants who had grateful personalities to begin with showed the greatest benefit from these gratitude exercises.
Conclusions
According to Cicero, a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist and Roman Constitutionalist, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others.” Multiple studies have shown the correlation between gratitude and increased wellbeing not only for the individual but for all people involved. The positive psychology movement has embraced these studies and in an effort to increase overall wellbeing, has begun to make an effort to incorporate exercises to increase gratitude into the movement. Although in the past gratitude has been neglected by psychology, in recent years much progress has been made in studying gratitude and its positive effects.

I don't know about you, my dear readers but I continue to stay on my path of holding a thankful heart. It is not easy but as I've said before, "I'm a work in progress."

What are you grateful for?

I had a wonderful "all about me" evening last night. I could have vacuumed, done a load of laundry, cleaned out some files on my desk or gone grocery shopping but decided differently.

I poured a glass of wine, listened to an on-line one hour talk from Mary Morrissey titled Consciously Designing Your Life. I wrote some entries in my journal on that same topic which was fun and enlightening. I found a fascinating show on National Geographic tv on The Galapagos Islands and learned some interesting facts about the Frigate Bird, the Furry Seal and the Albatross! The Islands are biologically diverse, they are one of the planet’s natural paradises and one of the most visited national parks in the world. Before last night, these are things I had no idea about. Then found a cute love story on On Demand tv titled How Do You Know with Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson. I am grateful to have taken this indulgence to enjoy my time alone. I had a great night with me!

What are you grateful for?

Roz Kovel; President and founder of X-it Strategies, Inc., which offers financial literacy education and objective advice about financial products and services. She calls herself a serial entrepreneur. She wouldn't say how many but has launched numerous business successfully. Check our her site at www.x-itstrategies.com.

Evie Burke; Life Coach and owner at One Insight Closer. Evie is grounded in the belief that everyone deserves to wake up every day happy about the possibilities that the day holds, knowing that you have the tools for any problem that comes your way. She offers the tools. She offers one on one coaching to get you to where you want to be. Check out her site at www.oneinsightcloser.com.

Susan Kendall: Business Owner at AuroraNightOut.com. A few years back she was CEO for Girl Scouts of America Fox Valley Council. Now she owns her own business linking business owners in Aurora to potential customers through on-line advertising. Check out her site at www.auroranightout.com.

Traci Ellis; Chicago Market Director for Ladies Who Launch. Traci blends her experience as a veteran attorney, business owner, author and speaker to inspire and guide women entrepreneurs through the exhilarating world of entrepreneurship. She provides on-point legal counsel, practical, real-life business advice, workshops and tools to help women successfully unleash their inner entrepreneur. She calls herself a corporate refugee. Check out her site at www.ladieswholaunch.com/chicago.

Heidi Cleary; a makeup artist who is launching her own botanical / natural makeup and skin care line. She has quite an interesting story about how she decided to go in this direction after waking one morning with MRSA, a contagious staph bacteria that infected the skin on her face.Her line will be called Heidi Carin Cosmetics and as soon as her site is up and running I'll offer the link.

Diane Sabers; co-owner of a flooring company. She co-owns the company with her husband but this is not her passion. Her passion is starting her own outerwear fashion line of clothing. This has been a long-time dream of Dianes and is taking the necessary steps to get her where she wants to be. When she talks about her clothing line, her entire being lights up the room - she comes alive and bubbles over with passion.

I had the privilege of meeting and talking with all of these ladies today and can honestly say they are all extraordinary. I am blessed to have met them and grateful to have the opportunity to get to know them even more in the months to come.

What are you grateful for?

I still love
Lyrics by Gretchen Parlato
www.gretchenparlato.com

Even if you said goodbye
Even if a dream may die
Even when my life is through
No matter what you say or do
I still love

Even if it makes me cry
Even if I don’t know why
Even when things fall apart
Even if you break my heart
I still love

Even when I feel alone
Even if I had no home
Til my fears have gone away
Let it go and come what may
I still love

Through my job and through my pain
Like the sun that follows rain
No beginning and no end
Love, so love comes back again
I still love

There's something about these lyrics that grab me. (And her voice is mesmerizing.) With the good, with the bad - I still love. The lyrics, this song reminds me of how I strive to live my life. Carrying yourself every day with optimism, gratitude, a thankful heart is not easy, but it's the way I choose to live. Seeing the world with grateful eyes helps you see things more clearly. Some days are so foggy it's a challenge to see through all the muck but if you look very closely - you'll find what you need to see.

What are you grateful my dear readers? Please share your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you.

While in my kitchen making dinner tonight I watched a tv program about a man who is paralyzed from the neck down. He endures many tasks during the day that for most of us take a matter of a few minutes. For him, just getting out of bed, getting to the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth takes him over three hours. Three hours! Think about that. The next time you jump out of bed, walk by yourself to the bathroom, wash up and brush your teeth without anyone's assistance, some people aren't as fortunate. He has to wait for someone to turn on lights and open doors. He literally can't do any task without someone's help. His outlook on life is so inspiring and his motto; "whatever life hands you, you just keep going." Truly inspiring.

Today I am grateful for working hands, arms and legs. Thank you God.

What are you grateful for?

Appreciate everything that you have and don't have and find ways every day to celebrate them.

The benefits of celebrating. I believe the happier you are the more you're a magnet for other happy people. People are naturally drawn to others who are having fun and enjoying life. Complaints drain your energy. At a previous job that was stressful, I used to come home and say that the job sucked the sunshine right out of me. Have you ever walked into your office kitchen and found a co-worker complaining about his or her partner, their job and/or their financial situation? You want to run out of there as quickly as possible! But take that same kitchenette filled with people who are engaged in light conversation and just enjoying themselves - you stay to soak up the positive energy. The more fun you have doing mundane tasks, the more enjoyable you become. Having fun or celebrating the simple things brings great joy to you and those around you. How about calling your best friend to tell her you've just made the best chocolate cake ever!

We've been taught at an early age that it's in bad form to celebrate, it's considered boasting or bragging. Bragging lacks humility and focuses solely on you and doesn't include anyone else in the good news. But when you're feeling good about your accomplishments, no matter how great or small, it allows others around you to start feeling good about some of their accomplishments as well. The more you can look for the good in your life, the more good you can see, the more your mind becomes programmed to celebrate it. You don't have to throw a party because you learned how to change the oil on your car but you can make yourself a nice dinner or light a few candles and soak in the tub. Celebrating is any form of positive acknowledgement.

A few things I celebrate - An Attitude of Gratitude!
I celebrate the fact that my taxes are done and filed.
I celebrate that I know how to read and write.
I celebrate that I had a great smoothie for breakfast this morning.
I celebrate that I received a phone call from an out of state girlfriend and we caught up on each others lives.
I celebrate my bills because they are evidence of shelter provide, fun had, great meals eaten and some kick-ass shoes on my feet. Bills are receipts from a life well-lived ( I love that line!)
I celebrate my job which gives me financial security while I plan my next move.

What can you celebrate?

http://youtu.be/Hzgzim5m7oU

Please take 3 minutes and watch this very simple yet powerful short video on the power of words. I hope it makes you think.

I am grateful to have eyes to see the morning sun, the afternoon clouds in the sky and the gorgeous sunset.

What are you grateful for?

Brian Tracy has taught me many things...many, many things. Of all the lessons that I've learned in business and in my personal life, the one Brian Tracy lesson that has stuck with me for years is this; Wake each and every day and say out loud, "I feel terrific!" "I feel terrific!" over and over and over again until you've convinced yourself that you actually do feel terrific. For those of you who don't know who Brian Tracy is, Brian has dedicated his life and built a company on the training and development of individuals and organizations. So today, I feel the need to say thank you to Brian Tracy.I have learned much.

When a family member is going through a challenging health situation it always seems to help people put things into perspective. Today I made a commitment to myself that I was going to be very cognizant of how many times I complained about something trivial.

First it was the belt on my car engine. For the past week, every time I start and drive my car, this horrible screeching sound penetrates my ears and the ears of the drivers within a mile of my car. How embarrassing! As I drive down the street, everyone peers at me and makes this face as if to say, "shut that car up!"

The second time I complained was while I was at work. Going over a report, I was asked to re-structure and re-submit it. Ugh! After hours of logical thinking, strategically putting that report together and to be asked to re-structure it without the logic...what a waste of time!

The third time I complained was when one of my neighbors stopped by tonight to sell me candy for a fund-raiser. I was on the phone talking to a friend, catching up and I had to end the call to answer the door. After asking him which fund-raiser he was campaigning for, he told me it was for a start up not-for-profit. I came back in and looked it up, it didn't exist.

All of these things, all of these complaints were just annoyances. Distractions that annoyed me and/or took me away from something I thought was more important. How silly. The point of my challenge today was to bring attention to these things and when I realize I'm complaining stop, take a deep, long breath in and realize; I am healthy, my children are healthy, my husband is healthy. I can deal with and fix a squeeky belt on a car, re-do a report and take time to talk to a neighbor who I believe is just lonely. But by no means are these annoyances anything to complain about. My brother-in-law is sitting in a hospital room battling leukemia and if asked, he would much rather be home having to replace a belt on his car, re-analyze a report and take a few moments to talk with a lonely neighbor. I have my health and for that, I am truly grateful.

What are you grateful for? Share your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you!