Category Archives: Gratitude

Warren Buffett’s top 10 rules for success

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Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, “Oracle of Omaha, has a set of rules, principles and philosophies when it comes to making a decision, investing, managing the business and also building success in life. And his success principles can be summarized with the top 10 rules below.

“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller.

  1. Find Your Passion. Almost every successful person agrees that finding and following your passion is something important if you want to produce an amazing result in life. There is no guarantee that you will be able to find your passion in your first job, but you have to keep digging until you find it. Steve Jobs once gave a commencement speech at Stanford University and said: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” The only way you can produce outstanding work is through passion. Without passion, you will do things with the half-hearted approach and there is no way you can become the best this way. Thus, find your passion, do what you love and you will be able to produce amazing success in life when you do.
  2. Hire Well. If you want to be a billionaire, there is no way you can go about it all by yourself, you need to have a great team. And to have a great team, you must learn to hire well. Always remember that you cannot succeed alone in this world. You need other people’s help to bring you the success you want. And your people will be your greatest assets. According to Buffett, he emphasizes on 3 qualities when he hires, and they are, integrity, intelligence, and energy. Buffett also said that out of those 3 qualities, integrity comes first. He also jokingly said that you do not want to hire someone who has no integrity but has a lot of intelligence and energy. Integrity comes first. Without integrity, other qualities do not matter much
  3. Don’t Care What Others Think. It is important not to care what others think. And this is extremely important because you do not want to take into consideration what other people have to say, because you will be influenced and will never be able to hold onto your investing principles. If you was to listen to what others said, he will become like most people, living an average life. When it comes to achieving the success you want and living your dreams, there will be people telling you that achieving what you want is impossible and simply suggest you get a real job. Never listen to the naysayer. You have to follow your heart and do what you think is right. Circle of Competence” is what he has used as a way to focus his investment on only operating in areas he knew best. The concept basically explains that every one of us has developed useful knowledge on certain areas, and what we need to do is to operate in these areas that we are good at. When you care too much about what others think and say about you, you will restrict your own freedom and it will prevent you from living your best life according to your own terms.
  4. Read, Read, Read – The more you read, the smarter you will get and the more knowledge you will gain. When you become more knowledgeable, you will be able to make a better decision that will lead you to the success you want. Highly successful people are great readers and you have to adopt the same habit. Commit to reading every single day. If you find that you are busy and do not have much time to read, start small and read for 15 minutes a day. If possible, go for more. Read at least an hour a day. You can wake up earlier and make time for reading or you can make good use of your commuting time for reading. You need to be a lifelong learner and when reality changes, you need to change and adjust you strategy.
  5. Have A Margin of Safety – The concept of “margin of safety” is easy to understand, and requires great discipline and patience.  Buffett uses the metaphor of driving across a bridge to explain this concept. When you build a bridge, you insist it can carry 30,000 pounds, but you only drive 10,000-pound trucks across it. You have a margin of safety of 20,000 pounds. And when it comes to investing, you will never buy a business worth $50 million for $60 million. You will buy the business worth $50 million at a price below that to ensure there is a margin of safety. This concept is essential in the principle of value investing. It helps investors make better and wiser decisions before jumping into buying a stock. When an opportunity is presented, evaluate using the margin of safety concept before you decide.
  6. Have A Competitive Advantage – Buffett said that capitalism is all about somebody coming in and trying to take the castle. And what you need for your castle is a moat to protect your castle from your enemies. In the business world, your business needs to have a durable competitive advantage to survive for the long term. Today, the competition is tough and people can copy exactly what you do and produce the same product and put you out of business. This is why having a competitive advantage to protect your business like a moat protecting a castle is important. Buffett said that he will invest in businesses that have a competitive advantage because he wants to make sure that the business will still be around after years down the road.
  7. Schedule Your Personality – Build your business around your personality. In order to succeed in what you do; you must find your pace and your sweet spot so that you will enjoy your work and perform at your best. Buffett loves reading and he chooses to read to improve his knowledge, and then he acts as the strategist and manages his business from backstage. He organizes his business according to his personality. If you love drinking a cup of coffee before you start your work, do it. Organize your workspace according to your own taste, that will make you more productive. The key is to play to your strength and personality so that you can become the best at what you do.
  8. Always Be Competing – Buffett believes that one of the most common business killers is complacency. When people fall into their comfort zone and fail to improve their competitiveness, their businesses will eventually fail or be taken over by the competitor. And to stay ahead of the game, you must always be competing. Every business has problems in every industry. The key to making a business thrive is its ability to compete and stand out from the rest. And this is why you invest in a business that continues to thrive because you are always competing. Therefore, never rest on your laurels, keep competing, keep improving and innovating in your business.
  9. Model Success – There is no way you can succeed alone in this world. If you want to achieve great success in life, you need others. and, you must model other successful people, or better yet, get yourself a mentor. Take a look in the sports industry, every outstanding and professional athlete has a coach. Tiger Woods has a coach. Michael Jordan has a coach. You need a coach to guide you on the journey to success. Your coach can also remind you of your goals and inspire you to do your best. In business, having a mentor is said to be one of the most important keys to success. Success leaves clues and what you need to do to produce a great result is to model the success of others. Learn and study from others, and then learn, grow and improve yourself to become better.
  10. Give Unconditional Love – Finally, the most powerful force in this world is unconditional love. And everyone who wants to achieve success in life gives unconditional love.
  11. Bonus: Power of Compounding – “The power of compounding your money inside a successful business for a long time is nearly unmatched in capitalism.”

The final rule for success by Warren Buffett has a lot to do with your personality and beliefs. Being a philanthropist, Buffett believes in helping society and giving back to the world. This could be the reason why he has been so successful. He is always looking to help and to give, rather than to take. When you operate in a giving and grateful mindset, you will put your customers first, and this is what makes a business enterprise thrive

Source:  https://www.thewisdompost.com/billionaires/warren-buffett/warren-buffetts-top-10-rules-success/1575

10 Rules of Success According to Oprah

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Oprah Winfrey is known as one of the most successful individuals globally and her estimated net worth is almost $3 billion! To her degree of success and power, it took a lot of perseverance and wisdom.

Here are the ten rules of success according to Oprah Winfrey.

  1. Rather than overwhelming yourself with the big picture, ask yourself what the next right move is. It’s easy to feel intimidated by everything on your plate, so instead of facing such an enormous proposition, take things one step at a time. Make the best next move you can, then make the next move, and then the next one, each time going as carefully and as thoughtfully as you can. Success isn’t one giant leap — it’s a series of baby steps. And, if you make one misstep, understand that your life and your career won’t be defined by that one mistake. You have more steps to take, and you’ll arrive at success eventually.
  2. When you see an opportunity, take it. Success has been a result of grace and blessings, but there’s also been opportunity. The key to being successful is to recognize when opportunity is in front of you and seize it.  “Luck is preparation meeting the moment of opportunity,”
  3. Forgive yourself for your past mistakes. You’re not the person you were five, ten, twenty, or more years ago. A lot of wisdom just comes with age, so don’t beat yourself up for youthful transgressions. You didn’t know any better — but you know better now! Look at those past mistakes as teachable opportunities, learn as much as you can from them, and then move forward.
  4. Never stop improving yourself. This means continually working on your personality, your skill set, and your network so that you are in the best possible position to make a difference. You always need to be improving if you want to get ahead. If people are saying that about you, take it as a compliment. You’re doing a lot, and others are noticing.
  5. Go as hard as you can. Recognize and take responsibility that you have control only over your own performance. You can’t control what others are doing. All you can do is the best you know how, all the time. It’s like a race: you just run hard until you read the finish line, and all you can do is make yourself run more quickly, not make your competition run more slowly. That’s what brings you success: building yourself up, not looking behind you to see where your competition is.
  6. Don’t just dream — believe. It’s OK to have big dreams for yourself; we all do. But if you’re going to be successful, you’ve got to do more than dream. You have to believe that the life you aspire to lead will one day be yours. Winfrey always knew that she would live a big, fulfilling life; she had that strong belief in what her future held. Do the same, and hold firmly to that belief, even in the most difficult of times, and you’re likely to get exactly where you want to be.
  7. Remember that people are more alike than they are different. We’re all seeking the same thing, We all want to reach our fullest potential. Sure, we all go about that in different ways, because we all have different skills and different passions, but at the end of the day, we all just want to be true to ourselves and be, the “truest expression” of ourselves.
  8. Find your purpose in life. If you’re going to be successful, you need to figure out why you’re here on Earth. Most entrepreneurs already feel like they know their purpose, but if you don’t, stop! Put everything on pause, take some time for genuine soul searching and self-reflection, and find your purpose. Find your why!
  9. Keep yourself grounded and centered. It’s easy to get lost in your work, and it’s easy to let your ego inflate, but if you keep your focus, stay compassionate, and always seek to understand and connect with others, you’ll improve your chances of success substantially.
  10. Try to remember that everything will be OK. If you’re aiming for big time success, you’ve got to be patient and take the long view. Yes, it’s natural to be a little scared, but never lose faith that everything will work out just fine.

Source:  https://moneyinc.com/10-rules-success-according-oprah-winfrey/

Gratitude: A Super Power

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“Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity … it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie

There are many definitions of gratitude, but experiencing gratitude at its fundamental level requires a conscious effort. It’s about expressing and saying ‘thank you’ while actually feeling thankful.

Gratitude is a conscious, positive emotion one can express when feeling thankful for something or someone, whether tangible or intangible. It’s about acknowledging and being consciously thankful for the many large and small blessings life brings everyday

Gratitude requires acknowledging someone else’s gesture towards us or the things that are going well in our lives. It involves both a process of recognition of the positive and its outcome.

Research suggest that people who consciously count their blessings tend to be happier and less depressed. Notably, it’s impossible to feel grateful and stressed at the same time, writes Dr. Jason N. Linder, Psy.D., LMFT, a licensed bilingual (Spanish-speaking) therapist specializing in relationship, trauma, addiction-related, and mindfulness therapies. “This is a basic principle in psychology called “Reciprocal Inhibition”; we can’t feel two contradicting states at once. And the best part about gratitude is that it’s easy to access in little time,” he explains.

Moreover, research has found that gratitude changes our brains and those who practice gratitude tend to have more brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the area associated with learning and decision making.

Gratitude can overpower negative emotions. It boosts positive emotions like joy and compassion while encouraging us to look for and connect with what’s pleasing and good in life.

In general, gratitude is a simple tool we all have at our disposal to improve our own psychological well-being and that of others.

Five ways to practice gratitude

Like any skill, gratitude can be learned and strengthened. Here are some tips on how to practice gratitude.

  1. Each day, think of three things you’re thankful for. Make it a daily habit to visualize what’s good in your life.
  2. Start a gratitude journal. Journaling can be an excellent self-therapy technique. When you write, you use different parts of your brain and access memories and emotions from a new perspective. A gratitude journal has been proven to activate brain areas that are related to morality and positive emotions.
  3. Thank someone new every week.There are many people around us, and we are all connected somehow. You must take the time to express gratitude more consciously or thoughtfully. Give yourself the purpose of choosing someone new each week and learn how to express gratitude differently.
  4. Be mindful. When it comes to gratitude, mindfulnesses allow us to focus on the good and to be present in the moment. We can also take the moment to imagine a specific situation we are grateful for and let the feeling grow and be stronger. Mindfulness practices emphasizing gratitude can help us stay in touch with all we have to be grateful for. 
  5. Focus more on others’ intentions.When you receive a gift or a gracious gesture from someone, consider how they intended to bring good into your life. Take a moment to visualize their wiliness to help you, make you feel happy, or be there for you in a challenging moment.

To have people who care about you and that you care for; to have your health, even partially; and, to have interests and the ability to pursue them, even sporadically; are reasons to be fortunate, blessed and grateful. ~ Dr. Jason N. Linder, Psy.D., LMFT

References:

  1. https://www.betterup.com/blog/gratitude-definition-how-to-practice
  2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindfulness-insights/201906/mindfulness-and-gratitude

Gratitude 101

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“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance” — Eckhart Tolle

Gratitude is being thankful for what you receive in life. Not just tangible ‘things’ but also feelings, experiences, interactions, anything at all, from big, life-changing things, through to the smallest and most subtle, like awakening each morning.

Thus, the first step to expressing gratitude is to fully understand what it means and it’s definition. Robert Emmons, a professor at UC Davis and leading expert in gratitude has a comprehensive, two-part definition of gratitude:

  1. Gratitude is an affirmation of goodness. By expressing gratitude, we acknowledge that there are good things in the world and that we’ve received its gifts and benefits. It’s important to note that gratitude doesn’t ignore the bad things and hassles of life, but rather encourages us to identify some amount of goodness in our life.
  2. Gratitude involves figuring out where that goodness comes from. Expressing gratitude often reveals that many sources of goodness are outside of ourselves. We can still be proud of our traits and what we accomplish, but Dr. Emmons believes that true gratitude involves a humble dependence on others. By this he means that we acknowledge that other people’or even higher powers, if you’re of a spiritual mindset’help us achieve the goodness in our lives.

Expressing gratitude may seem like a light and fluffy practice, but it has significant and measurable benefits. In one study executed by Dr. Emmons, two groups of people were asked to keep a weekly journal. One group filled it with expressions of gratitude. The other wrote about the stressors or neutral events of their lives. The results: those who kept a gratitude journal exercised more regularly, had fewer physical ailments, and felt better and more optimistic about their lives.

The benefits of gratitude are:

Wellbeing – Gratitude has been shown to improve optimism, happiness, alertness and attentiveness, enthusiasm, progress towards goals, and energy levels. It has also been associated with fewer depressive symptoms, reduced stress, being more patient and thus, making better long-term decisions.

Relationships – Gratitude has also been linked with better prosocial interactions. Basically, it’s great for all your relationships.

Health – Gratitude has also been linked to better overall physical health, and specifically improved sleep, increased exercise, and reduced blood pressure.

“When you go deeply into the present, gratitude arises spontaneously, even if it’s just gratitude for breathing, gratitude for the aliveness that you feel in your body. Gratitude is there when you acknowledge the aliveness of the present moment.” — Eckhart Tolle

Gratitude research has found:

  • Daily discussions of gratitude results in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness, energy and sleep duration and quality.
  • Gratitude is a relationship-strengthening emotion because it requires us to see how we support and affirmation from others.
  • People who rank higher on gratitude scales are less likely to retaliate against others and experience more sensitivity and empathy towards other people.
  • Writing in a gratitude journal improves sleep.
  • Gratitude reduces social comparisons and increases self-esteem.

There is significant evidence on positive benefits of gratitude  – health, wellbeing, and relationships — and the benefits are shown over time,

References:

  1. https://www.wespire.com/gratitude-101-what-is-it-and-why-do-i-need-it/
  2. https://www.flowwithelise.com/gratitude-101-everything-you-need-to-know-about-a-gratitude-practice-including-a-gratitude-quiz/

Be Grateful Always

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“The best way to show your gratitude to God and people is to accept everything with joy….We may not be able to give much but we can always give the joy that springs from a heart that is in love with God. All over the world people are hungry and thirsty for God’s love. We meet that hunger by spreading joy. Joy is one of the best safeguards against temptation.” ~ Mother Teresa

Simply put, gratitude is both a mindset and a habit. It’s a way of looking at the world and all the good things in it with a feeling of appreciation, regardless of whether or not your current situation is to your liking.

Gratitude is a heart-centered approach to being at peace with yourself and with all you have. When you practice this feeling of gratitude, it attracts even MORE things into your life for which to be grateful.

Mother Teresa is credited with saying, “Gratitude to God is to accept everything, even my problems, with joy.” In short, be grateful and joyful always, in both the good times and bad times

Gratitude makes us humble and elevates us to a higher way of living at the same time, writes Jack Canfield. In all of the stages, ebbs, and flows of our lives, we can be grateful for the life we are living.

We’re either living our best life or preparing to.

To increase your gratitude and attract more abundance to your life, focus on being grateful always.

The best way to activate your gratitude is by acknowledging the gifts most people take for granted, explains Canfield. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes in your closet and a roof over your head, you are better off than 75 percent of the world’s population.

If you eat three meals a day, you are far better off than the 1 billion people on the planet who eat once a day at most.

Do you have a phone?  How about a car that allows you to travel to work or to explore the country? Is your family healthy? Do you have a computer and Internet access to stay in touch with the world, get access to education, and perform work for which you are paid? Do you have clean water to drink?

Celebrate these simple blessings. These daily conveniences are gifts that most people across the world do not enjoy.

a short story about gratitude.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which read, “I am blind, please help.”

There were only a few coins in the hat – spare change from folks as they hurried past.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. Then he put the sign back in the boy’s hand so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy.

That afternoon, the man who had changed the sign returned to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.”

I wrote, “Today is a beautiful day, but I cannot see it.”

Both signs spoke the truth. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind, while the second sign conveyed to everyone walking by how grateful they should be to see…

References:

  1. https://jackcanfield.com/blog/6-daily-gratitude-habits-that-will-attract-more-abundance-and-joy-into-your-life/
  2. https://www.thetappingsolution.com/blog/short-lesson-gratitude/

Gratitude Is An “Affirmation of Goodness”

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“Gratitude is “an affirmation of goodness”. When you practice gratitude, you acknowledge the good things in the world and the gifts you’ve received in your life.” ~ Robert Emmons

Gratitude is more than just a overused feel-good buzzword. In fact, gratitude is a surprisingly powerful force. It’s an attitude and practice shown to improve your mental, physical, and emotional health.

Gratitude is often defined as the expression of a deep appreciation for something or someone that is given freely without expecting anything in return.

Showing appreciation and gratitude for the things and people in your lives can help you adapt to change, cope with difficulties, increase your business success, regulate your emotions and improve your mental and physical well-being.

According to Robert Emmons, psychology professor and one of the leading scientific experts on gratitude at the University of California, Davis, gratitude is “an affirmation of goodness”. When you practice gratitude, you acknowledge the good things in the world and the gifts you’ve received in your life.

“This doesn’t mean that life is perfect,” Emmons says, “it doesn’t ignore complaints, burdens, and hassles. But when we look at life as a whole, gratitude encourages us to identify some amount of goodness in our life.”

And identifying this goodness has a big impact on our brains, bodies and well-being. Studies show that people who practice gratitude experience more positive emotions, improve their physical health, build stronger relationships, and better deal with adversity.

The Effects of Practicing Gratitude

1 | Gratitude Boosts Positive Emotions

Gratitude can help you experience more positive emotions. When we practice appreciation for the people, things, or experiences around us, we become more present and engaged with life and the joys and pleasures it has to offer. Gratitude interrupts the mental cycle of negativity bias helping to decrease anxiety and depression and shift your mindset towards more ease. With consistent practice, this positive mindset becomes a new habit, helping you experience more of the “good stuff”.

2 | Gratitude is Good For Your Body

Gratitude can improve not only your mental health but your physical health as well. Studies have shown the practicing gratitude can lead to lower blood pressure, stronger immune systems, and better sleep. People that practice gratitude are also reported to experience less aches and pains and seem to take better care of themselves with more regular exercise and check-ups at the doctor.

3 | Gratitude Improves Relationships (not just romantic ones)

Research shows that practicing gratitude can make our romantic relationships more satisfying, help us feel more invested in our friendships, and lead us to be more helpful coworkers. Beyond just feeling more positive about one another, gratitude helps us feel more comfortable expressing concerns about the relationship and motivates us to work harder and show up more fully in our relationships and jobs.

4 | Gratitude Makes Us More Resilient

Grateful people are more resilient when stressed. Studies show that a grateful disposition can help a person recover more quickly in the face of serious adversity and suffering. Given the physical, emotional and relational benefits described above, it doesn’t come as a surprise that people who practice gratitude feel more able to deal with the challenges they face. Staying connected to the resources in and around us helps guard against the anxiety of life’s stressors.

How to Actually Feel Grateful (and shift towards a gratitude mindset)

Whether you are a naturally grateful person or you find yourself more on the pessimistic side, a gratitude mindset is a skill we can all develop. The benefits of gratitude build up over time, so finding small and easy practices that you can commit to each day is the best way to feel the effects in your life. 

Start actively tuning into the positive events in your life and anything that make you feel good. Try one (or more!) of these tips today:

  1. Get into a habit of writing down three things you’re grateful for daily.
  2. Text/tell a loved one why you appreciate them. Bonus: It’ll probably make their day too.
  3. As you fall asleep or in quiet moments, make a mental gratitude list starting with each letter of the alphabet.
  4. Start a daily gratitude journal.
  5. Visualize something you love (a person, place, pet or object) and let your imagination bring it to life. Let yourself fill up with warmth. 

Bottomline, Gratitude Is An “Affirmation of Goodness”

References:

  1. https://www.calm.com/blog/why-gratitude-is-good-for-your-mental-healthhttps://www.calm.com/blog/why-gratitude-is-good-for-your-mental-health
  2. https://www.mindful.org/an-introduction-to-mindful-gratitude/

💙

Practicing Gratitude

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Practicing gratitude has incredible effects, from improving our mental health to boosting our relationships with others.

Practicing gratitude can have far reaching life-enhancing effects, from improving your mental health to boosting your relationships with family members and friends.

Living your life with gratitude helps you notice the little wins—like the bus showing up right on time, a stranger holding the door for you, or the sun shining through your window when you wake up in the morning.

Each of these small moments strings together to create a web of well-being that, over time, strengthens your ability to better notice the peace, joy and good in life.

Building your capacity for gratitude isn’t difficult. It just takes practice. The more you can bring your attention to that which you feel grateful for, the more you’ll notice to feel grateful for!

1. Start by observing. Notice the thank yous you say. Just how much of a habitual response is it? Is it a hasty aside, an afterthought? How are you feeling when you express thanks in small transactions? Stressed, uptight, a little absent-minded? Do a quick scan of your body—are you already physically moving on to your next interaction?

2. Pick one interaction a day. When your instinct to say “thanks” arises, stop for a moment and take note. Can you name what you feel grateful for, even beyond the gesture that’s been extended? Then say thank you.

Robert Emmons, psychology professor and gratitude researcher at the University of California, Davis, explains that there are two key components of practicing gratitude:

  1. We affirm the good things we’ve received
  2. We acknowledge the role other people play in providing our lives with goodness

Research has linked gratitude with a wide range of health, mental and emotional benefits, including strengthening your immune system and improving sleep patterns, feeling optimistic and experiencing more joy and pleasure, being more helpful and generous, and feeling less lonely and isolated.

“Gratitude is “an affirmation of goodness”. When you practice gratitude, you acknowledge the good things in the world and the gifts you’ve received in your life.” ~ Robert Emmons

References:

  1. https://www.mindful.org/an-introduction-to-mindful-gratitude/

Gratitude

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“I have every possession I want. I have a lot of friends who have a lot more possessions. But in some cases, I feel the possession possesses them, rather than the other way around.” ~ Warren Buffett

Never allow all the things you selfishly covet or you want make you forget about all the things you have or currently possess. Put a little gratitude in your life today and be thankful for all you already possess.

Moreover, happiness doesn’t mean everything is pleasing or perfect. Instead, happiness means that you can choose to see beyond the problems and imperfections, and embrace an attitude of gratitude.

The endless pursuit of hollow amenities and fruitless assets that barely add any value to your life are often so intoxicating that people loose sight of things that truly make them happy and bring them joy such as personal relationships, joy and peace in abundance.

“Sometimes you have to stop staring at your problems and start seeing how beautiful life really is.” ~ Anonymous

Don’t wait for great. Be Great everyday! Don’t allow a little negativity keep you from feeling grateful for everything that is going right and for everything that is good and pleasing in your life.

Gratitude must become a 24 hour / 365 day mindset, so that you don’t take what you have for granted.

Research shows that gratitude can:

  • Help you make friends. One study found that thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek a more lasting relationship with you.
  • Improve your physical health. People who exhibit gratitude report fewer aches and pains, a general feeling of health, more regular exercise, and more frequent checkups with their doctor than those who don’t.
  • Improve your psychological health and emotional well-being. Grateful people enjoy higher wellbeing and happiness and suffer from reduced symptoms of depression.
  • Enhance empathy and reduces aggression. Those who show their gratitude are less likely to seek revenge against others and more likely to behave in a prosocial manner, with sensitivity and empathy.
  • Improve your sleep. Practicing gratitude regularly can help you sleep longer and better.
  • Enhance your self-esteem. People who are grateful have increased self-esteem, partly due to their ability to appreciate other peoples’ accomplishments.
  • Increase in mental strength. Grateful people have an advantage in overcoming trauma and enhanced resilience, helping them to bounce back from highly stressful situations.

References:

  1. https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-exercises/

May you have Peace, Joy and Patience in Abundance!

Have an Attitude of Gratitude

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“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough” – Oprah Winfrey

Life isn’t always butterflies and rainbows. Sometimes life can be difficult, complicated and messy.

And, you don’t have the power to always control all the external factors to be exactly how you may want them to be in your life. However, you can choose your thoughts, feelings and words. You can choose your response or reaction to those external factors.

You have a choice when it comes to your perspective and you can decide which mindset you choose to navigate your experiences through, one of lack (fixed) or one of abundance (abundance).

Choose an Attitude of Gratitude.

It’s imperative to find and focus on the good. And allow yourself to soak up all the abundance and wonder life has to offer. It’s so much more fun than complaining and being negative all the time.

Practicing gratitude: Remember to be thankful when you wake up in the morning!

Research shows that practicing and expressing gratitude is associated with improvements to one’s mental well-being, as well as decreased stress and anxiety. Additionally, success in life starts with acknowledging what you already have.

Many successful people share a similar daily ritual that helps them achieve short-term and long-term success: making a list of what they are grateful for.

“What we focus on, what we put our attention on really determines how we feel about that particular day or our life in general,” states Arianna Huffington.

A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people who wrote about their gratitude over a period of time showed greater signs of emotional well-being compared to people who wrote about negative or neutral life events.

Practicing gratitude trains your brain to feel more positive emotions, appreciate good experiences, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships; all of which contribute to improved mental health.

“Gratitude is like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the more powerful it becomes. And being grateful doesn’t just make other people happy—it makes you happy, too! That’s because it focuses your attention on the positive things in your life, not the negative ones,” explains Oprah Winfrey.

When you begin to focus more on what really matters and choosing to see your reality from the lens of contentment. This allows you to eliminate unnecessary wants that could sabotage your vision and purpose. It might derail your pursuit of true happiness.

It may not feel natural at first to focus on appreciating what you already have, but by faithfully practicing the daily habits of gratitude, you’ll begin to change your conditioning and strengthen the gratitude muscle.

Bottomline: Always live in gratitude for what you have.

“Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life.” — Oprah Winfrey

References:

  1. https://www.oprah.com/spirit/oprahs gratitude-journal-oprah-on-gratitude
  2. https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/02/16/how-arianna-huffington-tony-robbins-and-oprah-use-gratitude-to-succeed.html

Improve Your Life

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“The key to happiness is really progress and growth and constantly working on yourself and developing something.” —Lewis Howes

Self-improvement, improvement of one’s mind, character, habits, and life through one’s own efforts. Life only changes as a result of the improvements you make by the actions you take.

Here are 10 Things You Should Do Every Day to improve your life.

1) Get out in nature

You probably seriously underestimate how important this is. (Actually, there’s research that says you do.) Being in nature reduces stress, makes you more creative, improves your memory and may even make you a better person.

2) Exercise

We all know how important this is, but few people do it consistently. Other than health benefits too numerous to mention, exercise makes you smarter, happier, improves sleep, increases libido and makes you feel better about your body. A Harvard study that has tracked a group of men for more than 70 years identified it as one of the secrets to a good life.

3) Spend time with friends and family

Harvard happiness expert Daniel Gilbert identified this as one of the biggest sources of happiness in our lives. Relationships are worth more than you think (approximately an extra $131,232 a year.) Not feeling socially connected can make you stupider and kill you. Loneliness can lead to heart attack, stroke and diabetes. The longest lived people on the planet all place a strong emphasis on social engagement and good relationships are more important to a long life than even exercise. Friends are key to improving your life. Share good news and enthusiatically respond when others share good news with you to improve your relationships. Want to instantly be happier? Do something kind for them.

Every morning send a friend, family member or co-worker an email (or text) to say thanks for something. There’s tons of research showing that over time, this alone – one simple email a day – can make you happier.

Harvard professor Shawn Achor’s The Happiness Advantage explains:

“This is why I often ask managers to write an e-mail of praise or thanks to a friend, family member, or colleague each morning before they start their day’s work—not just because it contributes to their own happiness, but because it very literally cements a relationship.”

4) Express gratitude

Gratitude is more powerful than you realize. In an experiment, people were asked to spend some time helping a student improve a job application cover letter. After they sent their feedback, the student replied with a message, “I just wanted to let you know that I received your feedback on my cover letter,” and asked for help with another one in the next three days. Only 32% of the people helped. When the student added just eight words—“Thank you so much! I am really grateful”—the rate of helping doubled to 66%.

In another experiment, after people helped one student, a different student asked them for help. Being thanked by the first student boosted helping rates from 25% to 55%. The punch line: a little thanks goes a long way, not only for encouraging busy people to help you, but also for motivating them to help others like you.

Plus, by expressing gratitude:

  • It will make you happier.
  • It will improve your relationships.
  • It can make you a better person.
  • It can make life better for everyone around you.

5) Meditate

Meditation can increase happiness, meaning in life, social support and attention span while reducing anger, anxiety, depression and fatigue. Along similar lines, prayer can make you feel better — even if you’re not religious.

6) Get enough sleep

You can’t cheat yourself on sleep and not have it affect you. Being tired actually makes it harder to be happy. Lack of sleep = more likely to get sick. “Sleeping on it” does improve decision making. Lack of sleep can make you more likely to behave unethically. There is such a thing as beauty sleep.

Naps are great too. Naps increase alertness and performance on the job, enhance learning ability and purge negative emotions while enhancing positive ones. Here’s how to improve your naps.

7) Challenge yourself

Learning another language can keep your mind sharp. Music lessons increase intelligence. Challenging your beliefs strengthens your mind. Increasing willpower just takes a little effort each day and it’s more responsible for your success than IQ. Not getting an education or taking advantage of opportunities are two of the things people look back on their lives and regret the most.

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” Ernest Hemingway

8) Laugh

People who use humor to cope with stress have better immune systems, reduced risk of heart attack and stroke, experience less pain during dental work and live longer. Laughter should be like a daily vitamin. Just reminiscing about funny moments can improve your relationship. Humor has many benefits.

9) Touch someone

Touching can reduce stress, improve team performance, and help you be persuasive. Hugs make you happier. Intimate contact may help prevent heart attacks and cancer, improve your immune system and extend your life.

10) Be optimistic

Optimism can make you healthier, happier and extend your life. The Army teaches it in order to increase mental toughness in soldiers. Being confident improves performance.

Bonus:

Email a good friend and make plans.

Research says that to keep friendships alive, you should stay in touch every 2 weeks.

Got 14 friends, then you need to be emailing somebody every day and making plans to get together. Research shows the best use of electronic communication, like email or social media, is to facilitate face-to-face interaction:

The results were unequivocal. “The greater the proportion of face-to-face interactions, the less lonely you are,” John T. Cacioppo, author of “Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection” says. “The greater the proportion of online interactions, the lonelier you are.” 

Facebook is merely a tool, and like any tool, its effectiveness will depend on its user. “If you use Facebook to increase face-to-face contact,” Cacioppo says, “it increases social capital.” So if social media let you organize a game of football among your friends, that’s healthy. If you turn to social media instead of playing football, however, that’s unhealthy.

“Beginning today, set an intention and a relentless focus on living your life as the greatest person you can be, in all situations.” —Brendon Burchard

References:

  1. https://bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/what-10-things-should-you-do-every-day-to-imp/
  2. https://bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/make-your-life-better/