An Attitude of Gratitude

Alan Schwartz

After a few years of heath issues that I still don't have under control, and losing my father right before the Thanksgiving holiday, I am trying so hard to pick up all the pieces.  My body is tired and soul is sad.

What do we do at Thanksgiving?  Give thanks.  That was what I did.  That was almost all I could do, all I had the strength for.  I gave thanks that I had 57 years with my father.  I gave thanks that my body was still strong.  I gave thanks that my boys were with me and I gave thanks to the beauty I saw around me.  I gave thanks for all the people that showed support and extended their condolences.  I gave thanks that I was with my dad at the end of his life and I knew he knew I was there!

Countless people told me how much my dad meant to them, what a great attorney he was; admired and feared in the courtroom.  Everyone said he was kind and funny, inappropriate and charming.  I don't know of too many people that didn't like my dad.  I had never really stopped and thought about it before.  He was very well thought of!

I have obviously been thinking a lot about one's legacy lately.  Ask yourself, "What would others say about me when I am gone?"  I think it is a really valuable exercise in what your legacy might be.

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel."
                                                      
                                                                                                        ~ Maya Angelou

My dad had spent winters in Florida for the past couple of years.  He dreamed of spending his days golfing and enjoying life in the gated community in which he lived.  The residents apparently had an acronym for many of the men living there.  They were called PIP's, a previously important person.  I thought this was awful!  Can you imagine being considered a previously important person, as if your value had changed because you got older or retired?  Your identity was so tied to what you did, you practically ceased to exist when you stopped doing that very thing that "made you (so called) important."  Well, I can tell you the fact that my dad was a great attorney was a footnote.  He was a great man. He was generous, funny, he mentored, was philanthropic  Dad touched people.  He tried to be his best, be honest, live with integrity, love his family.  That''s how he'll be remembered.  That's how we'll all be remembered ~ if we live by the same values.

Living life with passion and purpose, expressing gratitude for what we have and those that surround us is a life well lived.  Feeling abundant because you express gratitude keeps us in the "sweet spot" of feeling joy.  Gratitude means really acknowledging all the abundance we have in our lives.  Don't limit giving thanks to Thanksgiving; write it down, say it out loud.  Tell people who mean something to you that you are grateful for them.


"Gratitude is the single most important ingredient to living a   successful and fulfilled life."
                                                                                        ~ Jack Canfield   

                    

                                                         
                                        I am grateful I had you in my life, Dad   💔

Thanksgiving Gratitude

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving.  With gratitude, I am counting my blessings and taking time to enjoy my family.  My children will be with me and I am over the moon.  I am thankful for all of you too. Thank you for taking a little time to join me each week.

One of the things I am committed to doing is writing in a gratitude journal.  Every holiday season, I do a 'write it down, make it happen" post.  This is the same idea ~ if you write things down, they have more impact.

I am taking a few minutes each morning to jot down 3 things I am grateful for.  Join me, if you don't do this already.  It keeps gratitude alive all year long.

Don't overthink it, but be specific.  It can be as simple as. "I am grateful for waking up this morning" to "I am grateful I got to attend the art exhibit in NY that I wanted to see and as an added bonus was given a last minute theatre ticket to a great show."  What a beautiful day it ended up being!

Writing thoughts down deepens its meaning.  There is more of an emotional impact.  It helps reduce stress, calms the mind and can create greater feelings of happiness.

 It takes about 21 days to form a new habit, so commit and dive in.  Plus, it's an excuse to get yourself some nice journals.

Fortuny

Live Beauti~FULLY
#alifecoachlesson


ph 1: Rose and Ivy

Thanks and Giving

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



When the kids were little, we used to go around the Thanksgiving table and everyone had to say what they were grateful for.  It was assumed that we all were grateful for family, friends, health, etc. so we had to dig a little deeper.  Often, it made room for more lively conversation.  At the time it did not occur to me that we should really be doing this everyday, not just on a holiday.

Expressing gratitude everyday, whether it be thru journaling, voicing it or meditating over it, is crucial to our state of well being.  The science is there.  It can literally be measured; heart rates lower as does blood pressure, depression can be reduced, the practice improves relationships and enriches deeper connections, encourages us to meet personal goals, and last but not least leads to a better night's sleep!

The more you practice gratitude, the longer the good vibes last, like "muscle memory" when we work out, we can train our brain to help us feel better longer.  I read somewhere that when we practice gratitude for as long as it takes us to brush our teeth we add 3 minutes to our lives.  I don't know if that's true but what do we have to lose?  What else are we doing while we brush our teeth?  I am going to make this a new practice!

Another of the many benefits of "the attitude of gratitude" is that feeling better leads to better interactions, thereby spreading the joy.  You are actually paying it forward in lots of small ways.  When someone is kind to you, you are more likely than not to be kind in return moving forward.  Hence ~ thanks and giving :  )