Tonight the 5 Daily Gratitudes met the Sunday Shorts. The smash up of the two creates Five Inspirational Gratitude Quotes, allowing me the opportunity to share my favorite quotes about the practice of thankfulness. As we head into Thanksgiving Week, it seems the perfect way to be aware of all we have to be grateful for.
It’s Grateful People Who Are Happy
This quote, by person unknown, is one that intrigued me years ago. Thinking about the words shifted my perspective then, and continues to now.
The moment I look for happiness outside of myself, I am doomed. External situations can change…people leave, things get lost, doors close. When happiness is connected to others, to things, to outcomes, to anything, it fades away when those connections are broken.
If I’m not happy it’s up to me to create it. Gratitude, for what I have right now, shifts responsibility for happiness back to where it belongs…on me. Gratitude is a life changer.
How can you take back responsibility for your own happiness?
It’s a Wonderful Day
The gratitude quote below by Maya Angelou reminds me that each new day is just that…new. It can seem like a typical Monday or an ordinary Wednesday however the reality is, I’ve never experienced this particular day before. What can I do with the day I’ve been gifted?
If days seem too routine, too much the same, it’s time to shake things up. This is the journey I set out on five years ago, and I haven’t looked back. What new thing can I try? How can I do this differently? And my favorite…what game can I play today? Life truly does become an adventure when it’s viewed with fresh perspectives and a sense of playfulness and the willingness to move beyond comfort zones.
What new thing can you try, to shake up your day?
The Tide of Love Rushes In
If there is an area in my life that can disappoint me, it’s this one…People. People are amazing, helpful, loving, kind. And they can be the opposite of all those things. Sometimes the people that I expect the best from don’t offer their best…not even close. And then I feel disappointed by their behavior.
The important words here are “I expect”. Placing expectations on another sets us both up for a negative experience. This has been a hard lesson for me to learn, and yet what freedom comes, for me and for the people in my life, when I can let go of expectations and accept who people are and let situations be what they are. Let go. Move on. Don’t rehash things. These are all important steps. Focusing on gratitude allows me to shift from disappointment to openness and love.
What gratitude could you focus on…and what could you let go off, so love can rush in?
Learn to Be Grateful
This Jim Rohn gratitude quote beautifully expresses where I live my life. I dwell in the space between being extremely grateful for all that I already have, and intentionally pursuing all that I yet desire.
I love that these two states can coexist. Neither excludes the other. I am full of gratitude, which in truth, fuels my dreams and guides me ever onward and upward. My simple prayer, all day long, is “thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Make a list of what you are grateful for…and another list of all that you still desire. Express gratitude for both lists.
Bookending the Day
I saved the Louise Hay quote until last, for good reason. How powerful it is, to begin and end a day with gratitude, no matter what happens in between. Even before getting out of bed, I stretch, smile and say “thank you” and allow myself to feel anticipation for the new day ahead.
At the end of the day, after lights out and before sleep overtakes me, I mentally flip through the events of the day, and feel gratitude, express gratitude, for all things. What I don’t allow myself to do is dwell on a negative experience, or rehash an event. If I catch myself doing either, or find myself creating stories about possible outcomes, which is a form of worrying, I bring myself back into the present moment with my special word “adsum“. And then I immediately go back to expressing gratitude.
It’s behavior that can be learned, after unlearning old habits. I am much more aware of the flow of life and the blessings within it, when I focus on gratitude.
What morning and evening ritual can you create, to express gratitude at the beginning and end of the day?
As we move through the week ahead, and gather with friends and family to offer thanks, may we express gratitude, for all things.
