Scroll down to read my comments for April 8th!
I'm so grateful that you have chosen to be a part of the Joyful Living Concepts Community! A heartfelt welcome to "Thankful Thursday!"
In my opinion, the quickest way to unleash more joy in your life is to actively focus on gratitude. So often we complain about the things that we do have in our lives, and sulk about what we don't.
I caught myself complaining recently about how much I hate my new microwave oven. "The little lever to open the door is too hard to push, and I have to push too many buttons to get it to start cooking. And it either under cooks, or char broils my popcorn. " I finally "heard" myself in the midst my tirade and laughed at how truly absurd, and selfish, it was.
I spent the next 5 minutes redefining my reality. I felt gratitude for having electricity to run the microwave. I felt gratitude for having the financial resources to have purchased the microwave. I felt gratitude for having food to cook in the microwave. I realized how many people don't have electricity, and don't even have a home. How many don't have the money to purchase such a luxurious item as a microwave. How many don't have a choice of what food they will eat; or if they will even eat at all. And I felt immense gratitude for my precious little microwave.
This is how it is with all situations in our lives. It is a choice to focus on what we don't like, don't want, and what frustrates us; or to choose to focus, instead, with a heart of gratitude, love, and joy.
Often we complain
about very petty things, like my microwave example above. But sometimes, we are dealt a very hard blow with more serious matters, such as health issues, loss of a loved one, or financial loss. It can be far more challenging to keep an "attitude of gratitude" in such painful situations.
As someone currently sharing my journey with the chronic condition of Fibromyalgia, I have learned first-hand how important it is to be able to redefine a challenging situation. I learned that if I had any hope of moving forward and leading a fulfilling life, that I needed to focus on my blessings, rather than my pain. I then chose to find the hidden gifts interspersed within my personal situation, and be grateful for them. Is that always an easy thing to do? No. I still have my days when I need to just allow the heartache to have it's time in the spotlight. I take a small detour to give it the respect it is asking of me in that moment, and then I gratefully release it, and gently place myself back on the path to joy.
Can't wait to see you back here tomorrow for "Fun Friday!!" (NEW!!)
Go forth & create a day filled with love, laughter & magic!
Hugs,
Kim
=========================================================
Thankful Thursday Reflection...
So, what is it that you are grateful for today? What are the smallest of blessings that allow you to live a rich and fulfilling life? What makes you smile, or makes your heart sing? Please take a moment to share. You may inspire someone to consider things they never even thought about before! Remember, comments may be posted anonymously, so don't be shy!
=========================================================
Kim's Thoughts: April 8th...
Some random things that make me smile/happy/grateful...
* Reading about & performing random acts of kindness
* Watching the birds & squirrels that visit my backyard
* My beautiful tree friend who lives off my patio
* Dragonflies (I have only seen one so far since the weather warmed up - hope they come back, soon! I really miss them!)
* Watching ducks run - they "quack" me up! ;)
In my opinion, the quickest way to unleash more joy in your life is to actively focus on gratitude. So often we complain about the things that we do have in our lives, and sulk about what we don't.
I caught myself complaining recently about how much I hate my new microwave oven. "The little lever to open the door is too hard to push, and I have to push too many buttons to get it to start cooking. And it either under cooks, or char broils my popcorn. " I finally "heard" myself in the midst my tirade and laughed at how truly absurd, and selfish, it was.
I spent the next 5 minutes redefining my reality. I felt gratitude for having electricity to run the microwave. I felt gratitude for having the financial resources to have purchased the microwave. I felt gratitude for having food to cook in the microwave. I realized how many people don't have electricity, and don't even have a home. How many don't have the money to purchase such a luxurious item as a microwave. How many don't have a choice of what food they will eat; or if they will even eat at all. And I felt immense gratitude for my precious little microwave.
This is how it is with all situations in our lives. It is a choice to focus on what we don't like, don't want, and what frustrates us; or to choose to focus, instead, with a heart of gratitude, love, and joy.
Often we complain
about very petty things, like my microwave example above. But sometimes, we are dealt a very hard blow with more serious matters, such as health issues, loss of a loved one, or financial loss. It can be far more challenging to keep an "attitude of gratitude" in such painful situations.As someone currently sharing my journey with the chronic condition of Fibromyalgia, I have learned first-hand how important it is to be able to redefine a challenging situation. I learned that if I had any hope of moving forward and leading a fulfilling life, that I needed to focus on my blessings, rather than my pain. I then chose to find the hidden gifts interspersed within my personal situation, and be grateful for them. Is that always an easy thing to do? No. I still have my days when I need to just allow the heartache to have it's time in the spotlight. I take a small detour to give it the respect it is asking of me in that moment, and then I gratefully release it, and gently place myself back on the path to joy.
Can't wait to see you back here tomorrow for "Fun Friday!!" (NEW!!)
Go forth & create a day filled with love, laughter & magic!
Hugs,
Kim
=========================================================
Thankful Thursday Reflection...
So, what is it that you are grateful for today? What are the smallest of blessings that allow you to live a rich and fulfilling life? What makes you smile, or makes your heart sing? Please take a moment to share. You may inspire someone to consider things they never even thought about before! Remember, comments may be posted anonymously, so don't be shy!
=========================================================
Kim's Thoughts: April 8th...
Some random things that make me smile/happy/grateful...
* Reading about & performing random acts of kindness
* Watching the birds & squirrels that visit my backyard
* My beautiful tree friend who lives off my patio
* Dragonflies (I have only seen one so far since the weather warmed up - hope they come back, soon! I really miss them!)
* Watching ducks run - they "quack" me up! ;)
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Please feel free to share a public comment using the form below. (Remember, this is a place for positive attitudes, so please keep that in mind when posting.)
NOTE: I have enabled the "moderate all comments feature" but it is unclear if it is working the way that it should. So, please know that what your post just might be immediately viewable to all site visitors.