Gratitude is sense of thankfulness and joy
in response to receiving a gift,
whether the gift be a tangible benefit from a specific other
or a moment of peaceful bliss evoked by natural beauty.
Gratitude stems from the perception that one has benefited due to the actions of another person or from the life experience we are in the midst of.
As I was researching what gratitude is and how it’s been used I found this reference in Peterson and Seligman’s book Character Strengths and Virtues (2002). They write, “One is never lacking in opportunities to b e happy, because around every corner is another gift waiting to surprise us, and it will surprise us, if we can achieve control over our natural tendencies to make comparisons, to take things for granted, and to feel entitled. Chesterton was raised without religious faith, yet he was filled with gratitude for his own life, for love, for beauty, for all that is. How can one be thankful, he wondered, unless there is someone to thank? This mystery became the fundamental philosophical riddle of his life.”
We all have moments when our hearts open, our lives feel uplifted, we quicken to something good. Many times, though, we are hustling and bustling through life, or feeling the weight of our trauma symptoms and we miss the chance to open to the gratitude.
I thought it would be a marvelous experiment to join together and explore how gratitude can change our perceptions and invite us into a different relationship with life. Would you like to join me?
Here's how we'll do it
Join the Gratitude list!
I'll send you information on the call we'll have as well as inspiration during the month to keep you on track. Sign up here for this completely free gift to you.
You’ll get an email asking you to confirm subscribing to our Gratitude List. When you confirm that you want to be a part of it (which is only so you don’t get spammed if you don’t really want this) I’ll send you another email with some places to go to get started.
- Even if you don't sign up for the whole shebang, try doing this: For the next two or three weeks keep a diary/journal of things, events, people, situations that you are grateful for even with the daily hassles and life events that occur.
- Post (anonymously if you like) to the Gratitude Blog.
Free Conference Call
Martin Seligman (2002) has the participants in his program meet for a Gratitude Night. We'll replicate it in our own way with a free conference call.
You'll have the option to be on the call and tell us your story live or you can write up a story and submit it by email or by survey and I'll read it during the call. I'll record the call and it will be available to all of you who are interested. Here's the form again to join the Gratitude Practice.
I'm looking forward to doing this with you all and hearing what you share.
With lots of love,
Deirdre