True Purpose(R) Coaches Jory Fisher and Beth Scanzani on "Gratitude"

On November 24th, Beth and I discussed the timely topic of Gratitude! — including the importance of Acknowledging a Gift, Accepting a Gift, Appreciating a Gift, Acting on a Gift (as in “paying it forward”), and developing an Attitude of Gratitude for what we have and what we can share with others. Sometimes it helps to ask ourselves, “If there WERE something good in my life, what would it look like?” “If I DID have a gift to share with others, what would it be?” Sometimes we need to look more deeply for the good in a given situation. It’s not easy!

Especially if you’re feeling a little uncertain about the role of gratitude in your life, Beth and I encourage you to listen to this interview. And tell us what you think.

Beth’s Coaching Suggestions

1)   “Pray Rain” … Be grateful now for what we intend to create in our lives.  See it, feel it, taste it, smell it….be it!  What would I be doing, feeling, being if I already had this in my life?  Go there.  Say a prayer of thanks as if you were there now—as if it were already raining.  (From Greg Braden’s The Lost Mode of Prayer)

2)   Attitude of Gratitude….Make a conscious effort to see the good in everything that happens—even if you have to make it up.  Stretch!  Imagine.  What if there were something good that might come from this?  What could it be?

3)  “Gratitude Journal”….or even just recalling three things before you go to sleep.  Better yet, start the day thinking about (feeling into) three things you want to be grateful for today.

4)   Pay it forward….Doing something for others cultivates the feeling of gratitude in us, in the receiver, and in the witnesses!

Jory’s Coaching Suggestions

1)      From Keeping God in the Small Stuff by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz (May 17^th)

If you want to reflect on the small stuff God has accomplished in your life, sit quietly in the early morning with your Bible and your coffee and just reflect.  Let God speak to you from His Word, and then close your eyes and let Him bring to mind the wonderful things He did for you yesterday. Soon the little remembrances will dawn on you and wash over you like a sweet scent, and you will realize that God is going to do it all over again today.

2)      From A Minute of Margin by Richard A. Swenson, M.D. (Reflection 14)

Every day write down a specific reason you have to be thankful and post it somewhere visible. Do it as a therapeutic act of discipline.  If you wrote a different reason each day, how long would it take before you ran out of reasons to be grateful? Hopefully, fifty years.  Or never.  Personally, I am grateful that grass is green, that we have vision, that our vision is in color, that four-year-olds laugh once every four minutes, that we are six feet tall instead of six inches, that we have an appreciation of beauty….Furthermore, I am grateful for Handel’s Messiah, for oboes, for sunsets, for my woodburning stove, for fishing, for birds, for our capacity to love, for the Scriptures….When you give thanks to God, He then turns it around and gives joy to you.

Scripture Verse for Today

“Be joyful always.  Pray continually.  Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Bonus Tips!

Robert Emmons Top Ten Evidence-Based Prescriptions for Cultivating Gratitude:

1)   Keep a Gratitude Journal

2)   Remember “the Bad” then look at where you are now.  How far have you come?  Could things have turned out worse?  Contrast often lights the way to see the blessing.

3)   Ask yourself three questions  (from Naikan  “Looking Inside”  Yoshimoto Ishina):

a.     What have I received from ________?

b.    What have I given to ____________?

c.     What troubles and difficulties have I caused _________?

4)   Learn Prayers of Gratitude

5)   Come to your senses – notice….Get in touch with the feelings of being alive, recovering from an illness, your health, sight, sound, taste, strength, sleep…breathing!

6)   Use visual reminders

7)   Make a vow to practice gratitude

8)   Watch your language

9)   Go through the motions – Show gratitude and the feeling will come

10)  Think outside the box – What part of this could be a gift?

If you’re feeling a little uncertain about the role of gratitude in your life, Beth and I encourage you to listen to this interview. And tell us what you think. You can leave a comment here on BlogTalkRadio, or you can go to WomenFindPurpose.com and leave a comment for us.