“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”
Willie Nelson
Scientists have been studying the link between gratitude and happiness for several years.
They’re finding that people who consistently practice gratitude experience these benefits:
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- Stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure
- Higher levels of positive emotions
- More joy, optimism, and happiness
- Act with more generosity and compassion
- Feel less lonely and isolated
By practicing gratitude, you are focusing on what you have rather than what you believe you’re missing. This is a powerful shift in perspective that can transform you and all your relationships.
Acknowledging the positives in your life and relationships provides a more balanced view of things. It minimizes resentment and maximizes love and connection.
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In this season of Thanksgiving, here is what I am grateful for:
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- Waking up each morning able to breathe and move
- Seeing the leaves change colors
- Hearing the sound of a child’s laughter
- Feeling the sun on my face
- Smelling the flowers and newly mown grass
- The taste of hot coffee, dark chocolate, and red wine
- My husband’s continued love after 38 years together
- The good health of my friends and family
- My daughter successfully completing chemo for cancer and then giving birth to my grandson
- Friends who love and support me—Shout out to my BABs
- Having enough food to eat
- Being able to choose the kind of food I want
- Having a comfortable roof over my head
- My cat purring on my lap
- Jeopardy
- Dancing
- Playing disc golf with my husband (and sometimes my children and their partners)
- CrossFit—especially my 7 am crew
- The loyalty of my followers
- The trust of my clients
Acknowledging what’s going well in your life and sharing that with those around you shouldn’t be a once-a-year activity. Making it a daily practice is the path to real and lasting happiness.
You’ve got this. And if you don’t, I’ve got you. Share the things you’re most grateful for with me and those you care about.
Around the Web This Week
Love DOES Mean Saying “I’m Sorry”
I was in elementary school when both the book and the movie Love Story were released. It’s classic line, “Love means never having to say you’re sorry”, struck me as stupid even then. I do suspect that for many people it’s easier to say, “I love you”, than to say, “I am sorry”. And a healthy marriage needs both those sentiments to be expressed. Clinical psychologist Dr. Forrest Talley explains why the ability to offer a good apology is important for a happy marriage.
