The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery.

But while we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. So many of us are trained to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a feeling we ‘should’ feel around the holidays. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time. Life happens…and the important thing to remember is that it’s ok to take a few steps back as long as you recognize where you are at and to determine a point where you can honestly say “enough is enough!” Get back on track as soon as you are able.

That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing. What I do when things are not going well, or a challenge comes up, I say out loud “Well, the POSITIVE that I see in this is…” and I fill in the blanks. It works!

Remember that gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope.

There are many things to be grateful for:  health, children, eyesight, life, family, friends, laughter, love,birds singing, sitting by a crackling fire… What’s on your list?

Some Ways to Practice Gratitude

•   Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.

•   Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures.

•   Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine.

•   Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.

•   When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.

•   Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, and express thanks for gratitude.

As you practice, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be surprised to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work!

Are you having trouble staying focused on a project? I have a ton of interests and things that I love to work on and do, however staying FOCUSED on one  thing until completion is how successful people become SUCCESSFUL! It is soo hard to do, but if you have the frame of mind that once XYandZ  are completed first, you can then move on to your next project! I came accross the top 10 ways to stay focused and wanted to share them with you! If you have a specific way that helps YOU stay focused, I would love to hear from you!

Michael Angier, founder and president of Success Networks International has created this list of “The Top Ten Ways to Stay Focused on Your Goals.”

1. Have Powerful Reasons. With a strong enough reason you can and will find the how and the wherewithal to achieve your reward. Reasons plus belief keep you motivated. When you’re excited about your goal, it doesn’t seem like work. If you’re not excited, your efforts will require more discipline and energy. Make sure it’s YOUR goal. Make sure it excites you. And then act enthusiastically.
2. Write Your Objectives Down. This is a critical step. Don’t think it, ink it. When you write your goals down, they appear not only on paper, but they become indelibly written upon your consciousness.
3. Visualize. “See” your objective already in existence. Nothing can withstand the power of a clear, multi-sensory vision of what you are intending. What does it look like? What will people be saying about it? How will you feel? The more detailed and “real” you can make your vision, the more powerful it will be. It will operate like a magnet and draw forth all kinds of things you never thought possible.
4. Affirm Your Success. Speak your goal into existence. An affirmation is a present-tense, positive statement of your intended outcome. I now have achieved ______________ (fill in the blank). The more sensory rich you can make your affirmations, the more effective they will be. All of these techniques help you to feel the presence of your objective and build belief.  BELIEVE – when you believe you can, you find you can!
5. Make a Plan of Action. To achieve and stay focused upon your objective, create an action plan. What are the steps you will take to get you from where you are to where you want to be? Your strategies will likely change as you go along, so set your goals in concrete and your plans in sand. Keep your eye on the goal, but remain flexible in your path to it.
6. Measure Your Progress. You can’t change what you don’t measure. Create mechanisms that will allow you to see your progress. Use charts. Log your actions. Use anything that will encourage you by allowing you to objectively track your progress. We all need feedback—it’s the breakfast of champions.
7. Maintain a Support System. Have a Master Mind Group. Use the Buddy System. Surround yourself with people who will encourage and challenge you. Be accountable to someone other than yourself. Read positive books. Review past successes.
8. Focus On Only a Few Goals at a Time. You can achieve anything you desire, but not EVERYTHING you desire. Concentrate your efforts and your energy on just a few. I might have dozens of goals and projects, but I keep three key goals in the forefront of my mind.
9. Take Action Every Day. An important objective warrants daily attention. A 400-page novel is not written all at once. To many, writing a 400-page novel would be overwhelming. But a little over a page a day will get it done in a year. Every goal can be broken down into doable tasks done consistently.
10. Celebrate Your Milestones. Mark your successes and acknowledge yourself for your progress. As you achieve one goal, you can see better and believe more easily in the accomplishment of others. You deserve to succeed and you deserve to celebrate your successes.

Have a way that helps you? Please share!!

This is such an inspiring video that will make you truly think about how you are living your life! Enjoy!

 Since my recent blog posts have been about momentum, why not focus on what to do once you have identified the things that will build momentum in your life and/or business? You have some ideas written down. Now what? Do you hope for the best? Do you say to yourself, “well, I did x,y and z..I’ve done what I am supposed to do…let’s hope something happens!”

 If you do that, let me tell you, you will get exactly that…HOPE. . Hope is great in many many cases, but when it comes to keeping momentum alive, it won’t fuel that fire. It’s like keeping your body fueled with the right food and exercise to do it’s very best. Keeping that momentum alive takes action, movement, consistency  and drive. Hoping things will change, hoping customers will call, hoping your weight will change will in most cases, not get you far. It will not keep that momentum ALIVE. 

How do you get started keeping this momentum going? There are several ways, however there is one quick and easy way I would like to share with you. Simply draw three columns on a sheet of paper. Label the first column DESIRED OUTCOME, the next column will be labeled   FIRST STEP TO FUEL MY MOMENTUM, and the last column will be MY STRATEGIC PLAN. Once you have these columns labeled, list 5-10 things that you want to move forward by fueling your momentum.  For example:

Try this simple exercise with the items you must accomplish. Truly think about how to keep that momentum going in order to move down the path of success.

My last post asked you what you plan on creating momentum around. Have you done that? What three things are you ready to move forward at a super successful pace? Now what I want you to do is to take each area, be it grow your business, lose weight, build a new relationship…whatever it is, take each one and right it down.

Next, imagine taking the next step toward what you ultimately want for that area. Do you want to become a thriving entrepreneur? Have the hot   rockin’ body that others would die for? Find the love of your life? Become the best in your company? As you start from where you are, create an image in your mind, slowly getting brighter and bolder as each step you need to take get brighter and brighter. Never lose focus and never stop just because you have told yourself sabotaging thoughts such as “I started this before and might as well give up” or “I’m so embarrassed to try AGAIN, everyone will think I’m a joke” or “What’s the use? I am who I am and cannot change!”

Let me tell you this…THAT IS SUCH CRAP. Believe me when I say this because I have fallen victim to self-sabotage a million times, but what makes things different now is that I have the tools to help me knock them out of the way before they permanently enter my brain and stay there!! That is what I want for YOU.  So the next step is to imaging each step getting brighter and brighter, each step getting easier and easier as you build upon each action . Once you have the first step down, the second one will become easier, the third more clear…and so on. Imagine a tornado. At first it is simply just wind, then it begins to form a funnel, the funnel gets bigger and bigger until it is so grand that it flies across the ground. Imagine YOURSELF flying at top speed with such a powerful force that nothing will be able to stop you THIS TIME. You have the tools, the next steps and the MOMENTUM to keep you going.

Stay tuned for my next post to help you begin those first steps!