Russell Crowe Shows Gratitude to Supportive Fans on Twitter [PHOTOS] - Entertainment & Stars

Russell Crowe Shows Gratitude to Supportive Fans on Twitter [PHOTOS] - Entertainment & Stars:

Lake Powell Chronicle The gift of gratitude can overcome the negativity surrounding us

Lake Powell Chronicle The gift of gratitude can overcome the negativity surrounding us:

Want To Succeed In Business AND Have a Great Life? Start By Being Grateful - Forbes

Want To Succeed In Business AND Have a Great Life? Start By Being Grateful - Forbes:


Want To Succeed In Business AND Have a Great Life? Start By Being Grateful

Wait a minute, you’re thinking -  shouldn’t that be the other way around? We think we’ll feel grateful at some future date when we’re successful and have a great life. (If that date ever comes, we add cynically, sotto voce.)
Let’s define our terms.  Gratitude is simply “the quality of being thankful.” To get in touch with what this feels like, remember the last time you narrowly avoided a bad consequence: stopped just in time to avoid a car accident; got an “all clear” on an important medical test; caught yourself before taking a very bad fall. You feel a wash of adrenaline, and then a heartfelt, Thank god. You have a sudden and crystal clear sense of how fortunate you are – not to have crashed your car, not to have a disease, not to have broken your neck.  All at once, you appreciate being alive and whole as the gift that it is, as a fragile and wonderful state of affairs.
When you’re in a situation like that, you realize that ordinary life is more than worthy of your full appreciation and thankfulness. You know immediately that all the things you usually think are necessary in order for you to feel fulfilled and satisfied (wealth, power, true love, more stuff) are truly icing on the cake.  That would all be great, but – oh my god: I’m alive.
Circumstances like these make you realize that feeling grateful is not actually dependent upon having achieved certain things.  Some people feel grateful for the simplest things — and some people never feel grateful at all, no matter how wealthy, powerful, beautiful, or healthy they may be.
There was a great little article on Inc.com last summer by Goeffrey James about the power of gratitude. He talks about gratitude as “an emotional muscle,” one that can (and should) be used and strengthened. He notes, and I completely agree:
People who approach life with a sense of gratitude are constantly aware of what’s wonderful in their life. Because they enjoy the fruits of their successes, they seek out more success. And when things don’t go as planned, people who are grateful can put failure into perspective.
I would add that people who are grateful not only seek out more successes, they draw successes into their lives.  When you are grateful, others like to be around you. Your appreciation includes and supports them.  You help them see the positive elements  inherent in daily life, and to feel more hopeful about the possibility of future success.  Customers (and potential customers) love to feel that you are grateful for their business; it creates strong bonds of loyalty and mutual support. Employees are more committed and productive when they know that you are thankful to have them on your team.  Great resource and partners of all sorts are attracted to you when they feel appreciated for who they are and what they bring to the party.
And gratitude feels wonderful, too. Gratitude is like a warm emotional light, shining within you to banish greed, bitterness, selfishness, jealousy, envy, stinginess – all the most limiting and corrosive emotions.
So, how do you get more grateful?
As Geoffrey James suggests, it’s helpful to think of gratitude as an emotional muscle that will grow and strengthen with intentional use.  We’ve all see those little magazine articles that tell you how to “Build Great Abs at Your Desk in Just 5 Minutes a Day.”  I don’t know about whether it works for abs, but it definitely works for gratitude.
I suggest you make two little cards (you can just cut an index card in half, or use the back of your business card) both of which say, “I’m glad…” or  “I’m thankful…” Put one on your desk, so you see it when you’re at work, and the other somewhere at home where you’re most likely to see it often (on the corner of the TV, propped against the lamp on your nightstand, on the frig).
Whenever you notice one of the cards, complete the sentence starter in a way that’s true for you at that moment.   So: “I’m glad…the presentation went well this morning,”  or “I’m thankful…for my husband’s support,” or “I’m glad…they decided to do something about the food in the cafeteria.”  It can be a big thing or a small thing, personal, professional, or global.  As you do this, and begin to cultivate the experience of gratitude, I suspect you will notice all kinds of subtle and not-so-subtle positive changes: in how others relate to you, in how you feel about your life, in how you weather difficulties.  You may even see changes in your health, or in your closest relationships.
You may, in fact, notice over time that your efforts to be successful in business and to have a great life are bearing more and more fruit.  And then you can be even more grateful. One of the marvelous things about gratitude – it has no upper limit, as far as I can tell.  You can be as grateful as you want to be.  Go for it.
_______________________
Erika’s new book, Leading So People Will Follow, is now available online and in bookstores everywhere. It was selected by Amazon as one of the 10 Best Business Books for October, and as one of this month’s Jack Covert Selects.

Sikeston Standard Democrat: Local News: Volunteers, donations key to community's Thanksgiving day meal (10/24/12)

Sikeston Standard Democrat: Local News: Volunteers, donations key to community's Thanksgiving day meal (10/24/12):

Food bank donations needed | Sonora / Tuolumne News, Sports, & Weather, Angels Camp, Twain Harte, Jamestown | Union Democrat

Food bank donations needed | Sonora / Tuolumne News, Sports, & Weather, Angels Camp, Twain Harte, Jamestown | Union Democrat:

Put away the calculators. We’ve taken the sting out of Thanksgiving math and did it for you - The Washington Post

Put away the calculators. We’ve taken the sting out of Thanksgiving math and did it for you - The Washington Post:

The Herald-Sun - Generosity makes Thanksgiving dinner possible for needy

The Herald-Sun - Generosity makes Thanksgiving dinner possible for needy:

Feed the Community event planning 11,000 meals for families on Thanksgiving in Spartanburg | GoUpstate.com

Feed the Community event planning 11,000 meals for families on Thanksgiving in Spartanburg | GoUpstate.com:

In Gratitude: NMX to Offer Weekly Facebook Deals — New Media Expo Blog



Clipped from: www.blogworld.com (share this clip)





Today only, we’re offering a 30% discount on any conference pass (except “exhibits only”)  to our loyal Facebook fans as a way to say “thank you” for your loyalty. You stop by our page, you make us laugh, you make us think, and you tell us you’re our fans, we want you to know that it’s appreciated.Beginning Monday, we’re going to start offering different weekly deals to our Facebook community, but you have to Like our page to see the offers. Each week will yield a different offer which might be a discounted ticket, or a fun perk or service awarded to anyone who purchases a ticket at that time. Deals will change every Monday.At New Media Expo, we’ll never stop looking for ways to say “thank you.”




Guilford veteran gets medal 66 years after saving ship - Brattleboro Reformer

Guilford veteran gets medal 66 years after saving ship - Brattleboro Reformer:

VIDEO: Candy Buybacks Send Something Sweet to Troops Overseas - Northeast Columbia, SC Patch

VIDEO: Candy Buybacks Send Something Sweet to Troops Overseas - Northeast Columbia, SC Patch:

Book Review: The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude by Lisa Ryan - Blogcritics Books






I have to say that The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude by Lisa Ryan is just what I needed. In my own personal journey, it has been suggested that I work on being grateful for what I have. It is a struggle at times to remember that when it seems everything is going wrong, it’s not really everything.
This workbook has really good exercises that force you to dig deep to find the good. In most cases, it’s not really that hard; it’s really about if you want to recognize it. Looking at things from a positive perspective is not something I do easily or even very often.  



The first exercise follows a short story about a trip to a restaurant where Lisa experienced exceptional service. She asked for the general manager’s business card and sent a note about the server. The next time she came in, he remembered her and had written her a poem of gratitude and how her small note touched his life in a huge way.

The exercise asks you to write to or about someone who has provided excellent service to you. This one I had to skip because I haven’t been out much. I will do this the very next time I have a great experience.

Lisa goes on to say “Gratitude is in the details.” and “gratitude is not a now-and-then thing.” Boy is that true! It takes practice to make it a part of your everyday life. Something I have not ever done in mine. No wonder I haven’t had many positive reactions to life.

Another exercise is to go about your day and make a point to bring a smile to someone’s face and log what you have learned from the experience. This is just another from the introduction.

This book is filled with great ways to reflect on yourself and remember the good in the life you have, even when everything is not at its best. I believe this is a great tool for me. I can imagine this would be great for someone in the process of recovery, and I mean recovery of all types - mine is co-dependency, so I am working on making my life more enjoyable and setting the past free.

The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude is a workbook I will work over and over, so I chose not to write in the book but rather in a notebook. This is part of my new self-loving program and I will even purchase copies for my friends who have similar struggles!


A letter of Gratitude from the Lerners

A letter of Gratitude from the Lerners:

Thomas Strakeljahn: Tears of gratitude spilled during Badger Honor Flight

Thomas Strakeljahn: Tears of gratitude spilled during Badger Honor Flight:

Share your gratitude with your Mr. Curry

Share your gratitude with your Mr. Curry:

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The Money Lesson You Can Learn From ‘Gangnam Style’



The Money Lesson You Can Learn From ‘Gangnam Style’ (via Credit.com)

It has racked up 221 million YouTube views as of this writing and is the number one song downloaded on iTunes. Psy himself has been on a media tear in the United States and has appeared on the MTV Video Music Awards, Ellen (twice), The Today Show and Saturday Night Live. And if you haven’t…

The Art of Gratitude



The Art of Gratitude (via EcoLocalizer)
If you turn on the radio today or watch television, there’s a good chance you’ll be inundated with bad news. Politicians are preoccupied with throwing mud at the competition, the economy is in a slump and everyone seems perched on the edge of disaster. It’s easy to get ensnared in a downward…

Gratitude - Go Gratitude Experiment

Gratitude - Go Gratitude Experiment: