Masterful Mindsets

“It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” ~David Steindl-Rast

Last week I gave you an interesting statistic on the power of gratitude… I shared that people who have a gratitude practice of writing down at least 5 things they are grateful for once a week can boost their happiness by as much as 25% in as little as 10 weeks. Which is a compelling statistic in and of itself. But today I want to share a few more facts with you about the power of gratitude. (Just in case a 25% increase in happiness isn’t enough to convince you that it’s worth it to have a gratitude practice.) 😉  

So Robert Emmons, who is one of the world’s leading researchers on the science of gratitude along with his colleague Mike McCollough were the first researchers to discover the profound benefits of gratitude through their studies.

What they found was that people who regularly cultivate gratitude “experience a multitude of psychological, physical, interpersonal, and spiritual...

“If you need something to be grateful for then check your pulse. Always be thankful for the gift of life.” ~unknown 

My birthday is this week, and I will admit, I have moments periodically when I feel a little ho-hum about getting older. It’s usually when my body or brain doesn’t allow me to do some of the things I used to do with ease…

I tried to “limbo” under our split rail fence recently and wasn’t sure I was going to get back up. I’m sure if my husband watched the security camera, he got a good laugh. 😉

Anyway, my point is, that it’s easy to take life and all its moments for granted. We can be quick to complain about the passing moments without appreciating them. But life is made up of all those moments, the good and the not so good. And aging… well, that’s a gift that not everyone gets to experience. Yet most people are quick to complain about it instead of being thankful that they get to breathe life into each new day.  

Here's the thing though, if you’re only living life...