I find myself in the midst of a tough season right now. It is the end of the school year and I am once again preparing students for the upcoming end of year testing. My students are tired and I am tired, but we MUST keep working. By the end of the day when I finally arrive home I am exhausted. Last night I sat down on the couch with my sweet daughter to unwind with a bit of television. The next thing I knew the phone rang and I found myself jolted from a restful sleep. Later I asked Kari how long I had been asleep and she said, "At least an hour and a half." I would like to think that she was using hyperbole with that statement, but to be honest, she could very well be right.
This week's happiness trigger in Valorie Burton's book was gratitude. I hate to say it, but sometimes I find myself so caught up in the day to day tasks, stresses, and routines that I do not always take the time to stop and reflect on the many things that I have to be grateful for. I see the big things: salvation, a home, a job, a loving family, but it is EASY to see those things. It is the little things, those tiny blessings that flutter into our lives like butterflies- those are things that are easy to overlook because they can come and go so quickly.
Because of this we must take the time to truly focus and reflect on the day- to think about those things that blessed us throughout the course of our day, to consider WHY they are important to us, and how they make our lives better. Valorie suggests keeping a Gratitude journal and doing our reflection at the end of the day. Write down 3 things from that day that you are thankful for. Don't just list them! Explain what those 3 blessings mean to you. Why ARE THEY blessings?
Why is that so important? Of course, the Bible tells us to give thanks to God, but in giving that thanks it also helps us to become happier. It helps us to recognize what we TRULY DO HAVE! I came across a quote from Oprah Winfrey that reads:
It is true. Negativity and continuing to focus on what we THINK we need or what we just don't have right now will make us even more depressed; yet focusing on being grateful can help us see that we are already blessed beyond measure! By focusing on what we already have, those blessings in our day to day life, we realize that we ALREADY HAVE MORE than we recognized: more love, more life, more happiness!
I am going to try the Gratitude Journal and I would like for you to join with me. I purchased 2 pads of paper from the local Dollar Store and I have converted them into journals. I will be giving one of them away. Here is what you have to do in order to be entered:
1. See that box to the right, just below my picture? Enter your email address there to become one of my followers. If you are already a follower, don't worry. I will go ahead and put your name in the drawing too!
2. Share this post with someone. You can email a link to them or even share it on Facebook. Leave a comment below telling me who you shared it with. You don't have to give their name, just tell me that you emailed a link to a friend or something like that.
3. Post a comment telling me about 3 things you are grateful for today. What made your day a little brighter?
For each of those things that you do, your name will be entered into the drawing. That gives you 3 chances to win, if you do all 3 things! You will have until midnight Sunday, May 4 to enter. I will draw the winner on Monday, May 5 and post the name.
Join me on my quest to be more grateful- so that I can realize that I already have MORE THAN ENOUGH. I just need to open my eyes and realize it!
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