-
Thank You, Younger Me
That one time … Finding the Good in Ourselves Think about your younger self. All they were and did that brought you to today. Honor these memories with gratitude. Write a little love note of appreciation to your younger self. What a beautiful way to connect with your younger self, your past, your heart, your…
-
A Love List
Never finish the list. Let Me Count the Ways Love, like gratitude, is a practice. Every day, every moment is another opportunity to experience and communicate love. Just because we love someone doesn’t mean the act of love is set in stone. We reaffirm it with our thoughts, beliefs and actions every day. And just…
-
This Is Why I Like the World
Finding other words for gratitude Such a Simple and Beautiful Phrase I stumbled across a beautiful tiny story that Elizabeth Gilbert shared on instagram. It is a brilliant story of gratitude that did not include the word gratitude. Once upon a time I went for a walk and met a beautiful horse, and we made…
-
Meditation and Gratitude
Quieting Your Mind to Make Space for Gratitude Find Quiet to Find Gratitude Sometimes gratitude hits me out of nowhere like a punch to the throat. Leaving me overwhelmed and choked up with emotion. Other times it is a whisper of a thought that taps at my attention. Noticeable but just barely. Often when I…
-
Day to Day Divine
A blessing in words, rainbow mandalas, and healing hands. Gratitude as a Spiritual Practice It took me three years of practicing gratitude every single day before I started to see it as a spiritual practice. I finally saw that it is a way that I pray and a way that I feel connected to god.…
-
What Are You Welcoming into Your Life?
Yes. This is what I want more of. Please, Come In I like to think of my gratitude practice as a list of what I'd like to see more of in my life. By saying "thank you for being here" I am also saying "thank you, come again". And it feels like it works because…
-
A Recipe for Getting Out of Your Own Way
Do you know how all this gratitude started for me? Living Your Best Life Before gratitude became the focus of my work and even before I started practicing gratitude, I used to use it as a tool to help people on their path to creating the life they wanted. I was doing health and wellness coaching…
-
A Life of Giving Thanks
A day like the one before. Or is it? We Don't Have a Day of Thanks. We Have a Life of Thanks. Sometimes my days and weeks go by in a blur. One day seems to be virtually identical to the one before. Work, read, write, eat, repeat. But then each night I sit and…
-
Mining for Possibilities
Replacing your reactions with possibilities. What is Possible? Our reactions, whether emotions, actions or just thoughts, are so mindless and automatic. That isn't always a bad thing. I mean, really, it might just save our asses when we are driving. But outside of those times when split-second reaction time is necessary we can change our…
-
Your Closet Full of Clothes
Boots and sweaters and scarves As Fall Approaches The weather has turned cold. The leaves are changing and the mountains even got snow! I love fall clothes, so warm and cozy. Socks and boots and knitwear. Thinking of this reminded me of how grateful I am to have a closet full of clothing. Always enough…
-
World Gratitude Day is Friday
Ripples of Gratitude A Day to Spread Gratitude Throughout the World Friday is World Gratitude Day, a day to spread gratitude throughout the world. Do you feel alone in your gratitude practice? Do you believe in gratitude? Do you envision a world united by gratitude? Are there others that you know would benefit from practicing…
-
Finding Gratitude is Creativity
To see all around you differently. A Reality That Wasn’t There Before Sometimes gratitude just spontaneously emerges. Other times I decide I am going to be grateful and choose to find gratitude that wasn’t there before. Either way I see the parallels with creativity. Isn’t creativity the same way? Sometimes we just spontaneously add that…
-
Gratitude Makes Charitable Giving Feel Better
Science! It’s been awhile since I shared some gratitude research. Charitable Giving and Gratitude Throughout the years I've shared many benefits of practicing gratitude from personal experiences as well as those proven through research studies. I discovered a new study with an unexpected benefit of practicing gratitude that can be seen in brain scans. First…
-
Saying Yes to This Moment
What is possible here? I’d Heard It Before but Still Needed to Hear It I’m reading this great book that I highly recommend for anyone who is interested in systems and transformation especially on a large scale. It is called Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown. It is one of those books that is exciting…
-
Ever Feel Like You Aren’t Doing Enough?
Small Matters That Post-Inspiration Paralysis A few of you replied to the email last week to tell me how much you loved what I wrote. You were brought to tears. You were inspired. You want to do it. Really. Sing your big and beautiful swan sang. Make your mark. Feel proud of yourself. Go big.…
-
With Everything You’ve Got
Don’t wait to sing your swan song. The Most Beautiful Song One day when I was a teenager in my parents' house I heard the most beautiful music. It was so intense and complex and captivating that it drew me out of my self-absorbed and friend-obsessed ways. I immediately tried to locate where this music…
-
Aah Relaxation
Kick your heels up. Sink into the gratitude that only relaxation brings. We All Deserve a Rest Give yourself the gift of relaxation. Because you need it. Because the world needs it. Take the time that you can whether that is a long weekend or a lingering cup of tea. Do what you can to…
-
Blooming
What can we do to make the environment right for gratitude? Petals Opening up Towards the Sun The lilies in my pond open up each day, petals open towards the sun, when the sun is high in the sky. Then they close up tight in their buds protected as the cool weather of late afternoon…
-
Feeling Supported and Provided For
Counting the ways I am supported and provided for by the earth. Our Unconditional Loving Mother The curandera that I learn from, Tonita Gonzales, has taught me so much about life and healing and love and the earth. One of the things that she says is that Mother Earth teaches us unconditional love. We take…
-
Steps Before Practicing Gratitude
For those days when it doesn’t emerge spontaneously. Cultivating Gratitude Some days gratitude emerges beautifully and unexpectedly like a wildflower sprout whose seed carried by the wind took refuge in a tiny patch of dirt that lay at rest. It wasn't planned. It wasn't expected. It wasn't even desired. But there it is. Thriving. Other…