Grateful for a Sweetie who likes to say I Love You with flowers regularly! |
Shaking things up over here at Everyday Bliss! If you have been following along you might know that this was supposed to be Romance week but since we will be visiting with my Mom this week I thought there was higher likelihood of more romance happening after that visit and since I am super grateful for my mom and the opportunity to spend some time with her Gratitude is a perfect choice.
During the visit with my mom I will not be posting regularly which I hope you'll forgive, particularly since I made my grand pronouncement about posting every day just last week. Once the last summer hurrah is over and we get into our regular routine I will be posting daily. I'm grateful this is my blog and I can do what ever I want!
I also meant to put my Community week wrap up post together yesterday but somehow I spent a lot of time staring at my computer screen but not getting very much accomplished! All in all I'm giving myself a 5 out of 10 for my final score and one bliss boost. Now that I am finally able to use all of twitter's features I can see an improvement in finding and maintaining communities around things that interest me. I really am grateful to have the twitter thing worked out.
Here are this week's Grateful "Bliss Initiatives," Color coded in purple for quick identification, they are specific things that you too can try, if you want to play along with me. However, because as Earl Nightingale says, "you become what you think about," even if you only follow along, and never take on any of the bliss initiatives, I expect some positive results. I will be exploring and encouraging GRATITUDE this way:
- Practice Gratitude - There is a ton of information about the "practice" of Gratitude out there. It has become positively mainstream in the spirituality and self development world. What I mean this week when I say I will practice Gratitude is that I will be keeping a Gratitude Journal. When I am near my computer I will also post the things I am Grateful for over on GratitudeLog.com, a pretty fun community that calls itself "The Happiest Place on the Internet." It is a little bit like Twitter except people only share things for which they are Grateful. . As I mentioned in an earlier post, so far I've resisted the urge to compound my internet affliction with a hand held device, so I will not be able to update on the go which could be fun... perhaps by the next time Gratitude week rolls around! [Note: I still have not upgraded my phone so I will not be updating when I am out and about.] Ultimately I think it will be fun to see how much gratitude I can generate by keeping my journal.
- Gratitude Rock- In this Bliss Initative I will revisit something I did during my Joy Week, which is to carry a pocket charm. Over at Think Simple Now they called the same practice carrying a Gratitude Rock, with these instructions:Find a rock that feels good in your hand. Name it your ‘gratitude rock’, carry it with you along with your keys and wallet. The idea is to remember and say “Thank You” for something in your life, each time you touch or see the rock. For example, when you empty your pocket at night; when you pack up your things in the morning; when you reach for your keys. An actual rock is not necessary; you can use anything small as a figurative representation.
- Spread Gratitude - This week I am going to make a point of thanking people who have helped me, provide a service or otherwise make living a little bit better for me. It is something I think about but rarely do... send a note to the boss of that particularly helpful employee, tell my gardener I think he is doing a great job, tell that new neighbor she has been welcoming and nice. I'm getting out the thank you cards and I'm writing some!!! Susie Michelle Cortright writes in her article Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude Say "Thank You." Whom in your life do you appreciate? Let them know, whether it's your mom your kids, your friends, your husband, your child's daycare provider or the helpful woman behind the cosmetics counter. A heartfelt "thank you" often does the trick. Make it a habit and your attention will suddenly turn to all the things people do for you.
How will you practice Gratitude this week?
Next Post: Some Grateful musings