“Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself.” – Richard Bach
Gratitude:
Pronunciation: \’gra-te-tud, -tyud\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French or Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin gratitudo, from Latin gratus grateful
Date: 1523
Definition: the state of being grateful; thankfulness
Why am I including the dictionary entry on gratitude?
Simple, it’s one of my favorite words.
I find there is so much power in some words, not to mention how we use them and with what emotion we express them.
Do you have a favorite word?
I used to think that my favorite word was “Chocolate.”
I decided a few years back, however, that I was more “grateful” to have “chocolate” in my life than the word “chocolate” could adequately express.
So, why gratitude?
When I began my journey towards becoming a happier, healthier and generally more amicable person in general, I had the opportunity to work and learn under a mentor named Gail. I don’t know why I chose her or why we found our way towards each other, but she taught me the very valuable lesson of “gratitude” in the 10 months that I worked with her.
Gratitude saved me from the changes that I saw in my life. Gratitude helped me to understand that just because people take on different roles in your life as you grow and change that it doesn’t mean that they need to completely disappear from your life.
Gratitude helped me to understand that there is a world out there that really needs my, and your, help desperately.
Gratitude helped me to see all around me the miracles that surround us each and every day that we take a breath and get out of bed in the morning.
My symbol for gratitude is a spiral, similar to the shape of a Nautilus shell. Every time I see the symbol for gratitude, I consider myself blessed by someone or something greater than me and convinced of my journey to help others heal and find their own way in this world of ours.
What I propose.
I offer to you the Gratitude Experiment.
Let’s use the next 30 days to find things to be grateful for.
Take each day of the next 30 and find something or 5 somethings to be grateful for. Every day.
Find a book or journal or open a new document on your computer and challenge yourself to write down 5 things that you are grateful for that day.
It can be something big or small but whatever it is, acknowledge it and be grateful.
Let your whole body experience the feeling of being grateful and see where it takes you.
I hope to inspire you to look at your own life through different eyes and find the power of gratitude in your life.
