I’ve been hearing a lot about gratitude lately. I remember it casually being mentioned years ago… probably when Oprah started talking about the importance of keeping a Gratitude Journal. I did dabble in it for a while (I love journals and pens!), but nothing made it stick. Now, with the flow of information coming to me from Facebook, videos, internet articles, books, I keep getting little pings into my consciousness… “gratitude is important, gratitude is important…”
How important? I mean, we can say Gratitude is Important till the cows come home, but a skeptic like me needs a little proof. For me, that has come in the form of a quote from Dr. Brene Brown, a shame and vulnerability researcher, and author of many books, including the current bestseller, Daring Greatly. She says that after 12 years of research and 11,000 pieces of data:
“I did not interview in all that time a person who would describe themselves as joyful, or describe their lives as joyous, who didn’t actively practice gratitude.”
She goes on to say: “…practicing gratitude invites joy into our lives… When I say practice gratitude, I don’t mean the attitude of gratitude or feeling grateful, I mean practicing gratitude. These folks shared in common a tangible gratitude practice.”*
Wow, this really struck me. I have to admit, I’m not a particularly joyful person… Continue reading
Follow Me