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Does Gratitude Really Help Us To Live Better Lives?

 

The antidote for lack is gratitude. Gratitude is a choice, an attitude, an approach towards life. My gratitude or this moment does not depend on what is going on in this moment; it is the moment, regardless of what is going on, that I am grateful for.

My gratitude for this breath is not about the breath. It’s that I am breathing, that I recognize it comes from a higher source, and that I am alive.

Gratitude is a moment-to-moment celebration.

John-Roger DSS with Paul Kaye DSS
From The Rest of Your Life: Finding Repose in the Beloved

 


One of the greatest keys in our armory is gratitude …

Through gratitude we can always go to a more expansive, and deeper level within us. It often requires a little more openness and a greater ability to receive, but I think that is what we all want anyway. When we access gratitude we are always rewarded. At it has been shown to open our hearts.

When we look out into the world to find our reference points, before long we may find that we are projecting some kind of concern or worry about the future. When we look inside of ourselves, and check our own experience and take a quick inventory of our blessings; we invariably find that life is good and we can ride on that feeling of gratitude throughout the day.

 


What Science Tells Us About Gratitude …

Psychologists Robert Emmons at the University of California at Davis, and Michael McCullough, at the University of Miami, are foremost researchers in field of gratitude. What they have learned so far is that gratitude is good for you, really good for you.

In an experimental comparison, people who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events. It doesn’t end there.

Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based). And there’s more. Young adults who practice a daily gratitude intervention (self-guided exercises) had higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to the group that focused on hassles or thinking of how they were better off than others. The researchers keep adding to the list benefits that come from practicing gratitude.

Drs. Blair and Rita Justice

 


A Special Note From The Author Paul Kaye … 

Welcome to the first of a series of articles on Living the Spiritual Principles of Abundance and Prosperity. It seems timely to update the pieces I wrote a few years ago and add some new ones.

John-Roger shared so many keys with us on living an abundant and prosperous life. The wisdom is timeless, and although I have read the pieces many times they are always new and provide an immense source of inspiration and comfort for myself and many others.

Each piece is essentially a meditation. First, these is a quote from John-Roger, then a short piece from me on how we can apply the principle in our daily lives, followed by additional support material or a sharing on how you are living the spiritual principles of abundance and prosperity. You then go back to the beginning quote and re-read it, and usually you will find that it takes on more dimension and depth.

With much loving, Paul “Lord Tithington” Kaye

Also I’d love to hear how you’re enjoying and using this articles. Please email me with any feedback you have.


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