Gratitude

I definitely struggle with gratitude - that is, not having it. Don't most of us? It's so easy to be caught up in the day to day stress. This has to be done, that has to be done, I feel tired, some else needs something else... And before you know it you're in a deficiency mindset. You don't have enough. Not enough time, not enough money, not enough love... and you're miserable.

Actively practicing gratitude is supposed to be the cure for this kind of misery. But it's hard to do with all of the distractions. So here are some things I'm planning to try:

1) Write down my blessings. I'm going to put them on a little card and post it where I will see it often. And when I see it, I will read it over and remind myself of all the ways I am blessed and I do have enough.

2) Give something away. Being generous to someone else helps me feel full and bounteous. Whether it's a charitable donation, a gift to a friend or just an extra large tip to your waiter at lunch, generosity reminds me that I have so much I can afford to share.

3) Say thanks. Myself, I say thanks to G-D, but not often enough. But I can also say thanks to my parents, my co-workers, my teachers from high school, my friends, the mailman, the clerk at the grocery store... all the different people whose inputs have brought me to this point in my life.

4) Be mindful of good things. When I eat a piece of chocolate, I want to really focus on it and enjoy it. When my daughter hugs me or asks me to read to her, I want to concentrate on how precious she is and how brief her childhood will be.

5) Remind myself - enough! Even when I feel like I don't have enough, I always do. My needs have always been met. I do have enough!

  Anyway, I'm going to try these things out, in an active practice of gratitude. I'll let you know how it goes!