“Gratitude: The quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for and return kindness.” – Oxford Dictionary
We have just completed a 30-Day Challenge in the Circle of Trust Community. I have been SO humbled by your generosity, thoughtfulness and kindness. To sharpen our focus, we will be starting another 30-Day Challenge in October. We will be basing it on Gratitude.
As many of you know, I took a bad spill last week. It happened SO fast. I did a face plant on the street. Fortunately, I am now on the mend. That 5 seconds completely reconfigured my personal and business plans for the next several weeks. As my family sat with me in the ER, I kept saying, “I am SO grateful I wasn’t carrying one of the grandbabies when I took that header. It could have been so much worse.”
Adversity, betrayal, miscommunications, unmet expectations can really activate our crabby side. All of which can tip the scale toward focusing on all that is NOT working for us in the moment.
Brené Brown gives us a working definition of gratitude:
“It is an emotion that reflects our deep appreciation for what we value, what brings meaning to our lives, and what makes us feel connected to ourselves and others.” (Atlas of the Heart/ Brené Brown page 212).
She goes on to teach, “that when we appreciate the value of something, we extract more benefits from it: we’re less likely to take it for granted.
Also gratitude allows us to patriciate more in life. We notice positives more, and that magnifies the pleasures you get from life.” (Atlas of the Heart/ Brené Brown page 213).
Archie and I have instituted a new habit. After we pray and begin eating, we tell each other 3 things we are grateful for. It allows us to have more meaningful conversations. And connection. After 48 years together, it is easy to take things or one another for granted. This livens up our dinner conversations and reminds us to celebrate goodness!! It closes the loop of the day on a positive note.
A memorable quote from a post Brené saw online is:
“Remember the day you prayed for the things you have now!”
Last November I wrote my newsletter on gratitude. I focused on the wonder and birth of our new grandson. I also got to share about the upcoming arrival of our first granddaughter. BOY, were those two kids ever prayed for!! They are my heart and my joy! They give my life new meaning, solidify my value of family and connection… all aspects of Brené’s clarification of what gratitude is.
Join Circle of Trust:
xoxox
Betsy