BENEFITS OF GRATITUDE

WISDOM NUGGET: "Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all." - William Faulkner

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Experience must have shown you somehow that it is not in the habit of the natural man to remember to show gratitude. Please understand that "showing gratitude is more than good manners or courtesy. It is good spirituality."- Alfred Painter.

One time tested strategy for not forgetting to be thankful is to keep records of God's blessings in your life, especially through the people around you. When was the last time you took stuck of God's goodness in your life?

There was a teenager who didn't want to be seen in public with her mother, because her mother's arms were terribly disfigured. One day when her mother took her shopping and reached out her hand, a clerk looked horrified. Later, crying, the girl told her how embarrassed she was.
Understandably hurt, the mother waited an hour before going to her daughter's room to tell her, for the first time, what happened. "When you were a baby, I woke up to a burning house. Your room was in flames. I could have gotten out the front door, but I couldn't abandon you to die in there, what life would there have been without my little baby? You. I chose to die with you than leave you alone. I ran through the fire and wrapped my arms around you. Then I went back through the flames; my arms on fire. When I got outside on the lawn, the pain was agonizing but when I looked at you; your little cute sparkling eyes and charming smile on your face, your little mind not aware what was happening. That joy of your safety was worth my difigured arms." Stunned, the girl looked at her mother through new eyes. Weeping in shame and gratitude, she kissed her mother's marred hands and arms. The little girl knew nothing of the awesome benefits she had in her mum, let alone remember them.

Researchers affirm that gratitude can also boost our mental health and well-being. They found that people who kept notes on what they're thankful for have reported higher levels of positive emotions, more joy and pleasure, more happiness and optimism. They felt more alert, alive, and awake than others who did not practice gratitude. Notably, people who are focused on things they are thankful for are less depressed and less angry. From our previous write up, remember how researchers found that gratitude can increase your set point of happiness by 25%?

Alfred North Whitehead puts it this way, "No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."

For A Longer Happier Life

Wisdom Nugget: "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."
                                                                                                   - Gilbert K. Chesterton

Ageless Bloom
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Gratitude can be beneficial and enriching to life.  In order to bloom like the ageless rose (above), ensure that your heart is constantly filled with gratitude.
Like Meister Eckhart once said, "If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice."

A large body of recent work has suggested that people who are more grateful have higher levels of subjective well-being. Grateful people are happier, less depressed, less stressed, and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships.

Grateful people also have higher levels of control of their environments, personal growth, purpose in life, and self acceptance.

Grateful people have more positive ways of coping with the difficulties they experience in life, being more likely to seek support from other people, reinterpret and grow from the experience, and spend more time planning how to deal with the problem.

Grateful people also have less negative coping strategies, being less likely to try to avoid the problem, deny there is a problem, blame themselves, or cope through substance use.

Grateful people sleep better, and this seems to be because they think less negative and more positive thoughts just before going to sleep.

Gratitude has been said to have one of the strongest links with mental health of any character trait.

Numerous studies suggest that grateful people are more likely to have higher levels of happiness and lower levels of stress and depression. Hear this, "Saying thank you is more than good manners.  It is good spirituality." - Alfred Painter

In one study concerning gratitude, participants were randomly assigned to one of six therapeutic intervention conditions designed to improve the participant's overall quality of life (Seligman et. all., 2005).[25] Out of these conditions, it was found that the biggest short-term effects came from a "gratitude visit" where participants wrote and delivered a letter of gratitude to someone in their life. This condition showed a rise in happiness scores by 10 percent and a significant fall in depression scores, results which lasted up to one month after the visit. Out of the six conditions, the longest lasting effects were caused by the act of writing "gratitude journals" where participants were asked to write down three things they were grateful for every day. These participants' happiness scores also increased and continued to increase each time they were tested periodically after the experiment.

In fact, the greatest benefits were usually found to occur around six months after treatment began. This exercise was so successful that although participants were only asked to continue the journal for a week, many participants continued to keep the journal long after the study was over.

Listen to this quote by Alfred Painter "Saying thank you is more than good manners.  It is good spirituality." As clearly pointed out by the quote above, we should also realize that (Acoordin to G. Stern), "Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone." We shouldn't allow showing gratitude to only be because we expect to receive more acts of kindness from that person who showed us kindness, or because we want that person to realize we appreciate their benevolence towards us, it also should also be because we want to live more fulfilling and healthier lives.

Beloved, Robert Brault puts it thus, "There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed. If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude." Learn to be grateful today and always.
Have a fantastic day ahead!

The Essence Of Gratitude

 WISDOM NUGGET:
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

                                                                              - Melody Beattie

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When asked to list what he was thankful for, one little boy wrote, "My glasses!" "That's good," said the teacher, "they help you see better". "No," responded the child, "I'm thankful for my glasses because they keep the other boys from hitting and fighting with me and the girls from kissing me."
From the foregoing, this young chap clearly understood the meaning of gratitude. Perspective is key to living a life of gratefulness, whether to God or men. A glass for instance, containing half the volume of water it can contain, can either be said to "be half full" or "half empty", depending on the way you look at it.
Our perspective to the issues of life is a key factor that determines whether we will end up as "ingrates", or grateful people. But much more than that, it's amazing, how beautiful life can be, in a world where gratitude is a core value and an integral part of our lifestyle. It is quite mind blowing, how a simple act of gratitude can turn someone's life around. A lady worked as a janitor in a company for many years. Now being a janitor is a pretty thankless job, which many of us might consider a "dirty" job or at least pretty far down the totem pole. In other words, probably not a whole lot of fun.
It happened the company changed owners. Within a few days, the new owner wrote a personal thank you card to every employee in the company. He had his assistant go around and hand them out. When this lady received and opened her card, she burst into tears. She asked if she could be excused from work. Thinking she was sick, she was allowed leave for the rest of the day. What the story was - they found out a few days later - she had never received even a verbal thank you from the previous owners and management - much less a personal card. She had worked there 20 or 30 years! So she was really touched when the new owner sent her a card of appreciation. More so, she had been thinking the change of ownership, it was probably a good time to quit, and she was planning to let them know that very day. Which she didn't. Because the little time, the little extra effort of the owner to send a little business thank you card, helped the lady change her mind.

Melody Beattie couldn't have put in a better light whe he said, "gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend."

Gratitude And Perspectives

WISDOM NUGGET:  "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
                                                                                       - John F. Kennedy

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When asked to list what he was thankful for, one little boy wrote, "My glasses!" "That's good," said the teacher, "they help you see better". "No," responded the child, "I’m thankful for my glasses because they keep the other boys from hitting and fighting with me and the girls from kissing me."
From the foregoing, this young chap clearly understood the meaning of gratitude. Your perspective is key to living a life of gratitude. A glass for instance, containing half the volume of water, can either be said to be half full or half empty, depending the way you look at it. Our perspective to the issues of life determines whether we will end up as grouchy, grumpy people. But much more than that, it’s amazing, how beautiful life can be, in a world where gratitude is a core value and an integral part of our lifestyle. It is quite mind blowing, how a simple act of gratitude can turn someone’s life around.

A lady worked as a janitor in a company for many years. Now being a janitor is a pretty thankless job, which many of us might consider as a "dirty" job or at least pretty far down the totem pole. In other words, probably not a whole lot of fun. It happened the company changed owners. Within a few days, the new owner wrote a personal thank you card to every employee in the company. He had his assistant go around and hand them out. When this lady received and opened her card, she burst into tears. She asked if she could be excused from work. Thinking she was sick, she was allowed leave for the rest of the day. What the story was - they found out a few days later - she had never received even a verbal thank you from the previous owners and management - much less a personal card. She had worked there 20 or 30 years! So she was really touched when the new owner sent her a card of appreciation. More so, she had been thinking the change of ownership was probably a good time to quit. Beyond that, she was planning to let them know that very day. Which she didn't. Because the little time, the little extra effort of the owner to send a little business thank you card, helped the lady change her mind.

Melody Beattie couldn’t have put in a better light whe he said, "gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend."

Do You Have A Gratitude List?

Wisdom Nugget: "Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously; and because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude."
                                                                                     - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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The dictionary defines "gratitude" as "the state of being grateful: thankfulness". Looking at the word, you'll notice its made up of two words "grateful attitude". Being grateful has to be evident in: the way you say it, to whom you speak it, in the words you speak and just in those, kind gestures, you exhibit which includes your mannerisms.

For some it could still mean appreciation, acknowledgement, gratefulness and honour. Severally we have underestimated the value, gratitude adds to one's life while some people have a hard time expressing gratitude outwardly. For people in this category, sometimes, all you will receive in return is a simple thank you when inside the recipient of your good deed, is welling up and ready to burst into tears of gratitude. Without mincing words, benefits accrue to those who show little acts of appreciation.

Gratitude has been said to mold and shape the entire purpose-driven life. It was Martin Luther king who referred to gratitude as " the basic christian attitude" Today its still referred to as the "heart of the Gospel" It's a personality trait, a mood and an emotion. Think back to a time when you were just so overwhelmed with something someone had done for you and you just had to blurt out a "thank you" That feeling of thanks, of gratitude could not be contained. Would you say the same? I am thankful for;

...the taxes I pay, because it means I'm employed.

...the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means I have enough to eat.

...a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.

...the lady behind me in church who sings off key, because it means that I can hear.

...the alarm that goes off early in the early morning hours, because it means that I'm alive.

...weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day, because it means I have been productive.

Beloved, no wonder our nugget says "Giving thanks always for all things. No exceptions. The act of  thanks living. It is gratitude in action. It's a lifestyle. Every little thing in your life that gives you even the slightest bit of joy, every little thing that makes your day a little easier is worthy of true gratitude.

According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously; and because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude."

Gratitude Is An Attitude

WISDOM NUGGET: "Happiness doesn't bring gratitude as much as gratitude brings happiness." So, "In every thing give thanks..."

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3 reasons why you should develop a lifestyle of gratitude.

1. Because there is nothing good you have today that you did not receive. You aren't successful just because of your intelligence or hard work (though they were important), but time and chance were favourable to you. There are millions all over the world, who are more intelligent and more hardworking than you who are, and yet... Remember that your choices are half-chance and so are everybody else's.

2. Because no matter what problems you are dealing with today, things could have been worse.

3. Because in the final analysis, all things ( Good, Bad & Ugly ) will work together for your good, if you're faithful to your Maker and are called according to His purpose.

When Robinson Crusoe was wrecked on his lonely island, he drew up in two columns what he called the evil and the good. He was cast on a desolate island, but he was still alive—not drowned, as his ship's company was. He was apart from human society, but he was not starving. He had no clothes, but he was in a hot climate where he did not need them. He was without means of defense, but he saw no wild beasts such as he had seen on the coast of Africa. He had no one to whom he could speak, but God had sent the ship so near to the shore that he could get out of it all the things necessary for his basic wants. So he concluded that there was not any condition in the world so miserable but that one could find something for which to be grateful.

Life may not have gone as planned; your mates may seem  to have gone ahead of you. Your dreams may seem to have evaporated before your eyes and your entire life may be a litany of unanswered prayers. But, please, never forget that whatever your situation is, millions of people somewhere are praying, and would die to be, where you are. So, in everything, give thanks!

Showing Gratitude, Or Just Lip-Service?

Wisdom Nugget: "In every thing give thanks...In every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude."

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We may offer fervent expressions of gratitude in the prayer meeting and sing aloud in the praise service, but our real sense of indebtedness must manifest itself in more practical ways.

A king had saved the life of one of his subjects, and every day afterwards she came to his gate with protestations of gratitude. "I can never begin to pay the debt I owe him," she bewailed. One day the king, in his chariot, passed her cottage. He saw in her garden a tree bearing some luscious fruit, and was seized with a desire to taste it. When he sent his servant with the request that he be given some of the fruit to take to the king, she replied that she only had enough fruit to meet her own needs. She thus laid bare the fact that her expressions of gratitude had been mere words which lacked the element of truthfulness.

Beloved, we must understand that "being grateful" isn't just a feeling, it also includes "giving" in response to that gratefulness you feel, either to that person or reason to whom you're grateful, for which you're grateful. This "giving" could be translated into material gifts (sometimes), or just verbal acknowledgement in some other instances.

Tony Robbins says of gratefulness, "When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears."

And Albert Einstein adds, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."