How Can Gratitude Effect Your Attitude?
Your Gratitude Doesn’t Cost A Penny
It’s November, it’s busy and the holiday thoughts have started to swirl around in our minds. And on top of the millions of things that will have to get accomplished in the next month and a half, we have our daily chores. Parenting, working, cooking, cleaning, and so much more. And if you have little ones, they have already starting asking you about Santa.
Who has time for Gratitude? Yes, we are all grateful and Yes, we have many things to be thankful for, but to actually sit down and think about them or write in a journal, seriously? But I want to tell you, that taking the time to be grateful for all the wonderful things in our lives is so worth it. As many experts say, it takes most people 21 days to form a new habit. And I know we’ve all heard it before, Gratitude Journals are the way to go. But I have a suggestion that won’t take more than five minutes and will truly make your heart and will smile.
Here’s the challenge: Brenda Knight, my wonderful publisher, wrote a terrific book that should be on your nightstand. It’s called “The Grateful Table – Blessings, Prayers and Graces for the Daily Meal.” It’s not religious, it’s not preachy, and it’s not a “how-to” book. It’s a book of daily quotes by famous and not so famous people and they are great!
So once a day, (I like to do this first thing in the morning), you open “The Grateful Table“, look for the month and day and read the quote. And while you are reading it, think about one thing in your life you are grateful for just for the day. There are no rules, it doesn’t cost a penny and it can be as simple as, “I am grateful I have teeth to brush”, to “I am grateful for my family.” Your gratitude, your words. Then, close your eyes, take a deep breath and let the chaos begin! You won’t believe how calm you feel.
The quote for today is: All the things of the universe are perfect miracles, each as profound as any. ~ Walt Whitman And my own gratitude thought: “I am grateful that I can walk each morning after recovering from a foot injury.” What’s yours?
Blythe Lipman, President and Founder of Baby Instructions based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a nationally recognized baby and toddler expert, a parenting consultant, an author of three award-winning books, Help! My Baby Came Without Instructions, More…Help! My Baby Came Without Instructions, and Help! My Toddler Came Without Instructions, a teacher, a caregiver, a keynote speaker, a blogger AND host of Baby and Toddler Instructions, a weekly Parenting Internet talk radio show which airs live every Wednesday at 11:00 am EST on itunes and toginet. She is owner of the online parenting magazine My Best Parenting Advice and the site Baby Instructions.
My Best Parenting Advice: Your Gratitude Doesn’t Cost A Penny by Blythe Lipman
