Happy 2017 - A Year for Cultivating Gratitude

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”― Thornton Wilder_________________________________________________________________________________

Happy New Year! I think the general consensus is that 2016 was a rough year for most people, on so many levels.  But in this post I don't want to focus on politics or difficulties, but instead on cultivating gratitude. A new year is the perfect time to be cultivating gratitude and a renewed focus on what you appreciate. And 2017 is in particular a great place to start because from a numerological perspective, 2017 is a “one” year. (In short: 2+0+1+7 = 10 = 1+0 = 1.) Numerology looks at time in nine-year cycles, in which a “one” year begins a new nine-year cycle of creativity, learning and growth. It is a time of intentions and planning for the next phase. The intentions and foundations you build in 2017 can help shape the upcoming years. A “one” year is the perfect time to set intentions and goals for yourself.  It’s an important year to take time for yourself and clarify the direction you want to travel. And a perfect time to focus on gratitude for what you have.  My new years message talks about this and about the importance of silence in your routine. You can read more about that here in my newsletter.  And if you want to read more about the science of silence, you can read about that in my article in Thrive.Cultivating gratitude is so important as we enter 2017.  Psychology Today defines the benefits of gratitude as:

Gratitude is an emotion expressing appreciation for what one has—as opposed to, for example, a consumer-driven emphasis on what one wants. Gratitude is getting a great deal of attention as a facet of positive psychology: Studies show that we can deliberately cultivate gratitude, and can increase our well-being and happiness by doing so. In addition, gratefulness—and especially expression of it to others—is associated with increased energy, optimism, and empathy.

Another good reason to cultivate gratitude is:

"Your experience of life is not based on your life, but what you pay attention to."

And when you pay attention to what you are grateful for, that becomes your experience. It becomes your experience that life is good and full and wonderful.I have often quoted Melody Beattie here but it is so appropriate, I have to do it again."Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." In Japanese Psychology, on a wonderful site, The ToDo Institute,  seven principals for cultivating gratitude are given:

1. Gratitude is independent of our objective life circumstances
2. Gratitude is a function of attention
3. Entitlement precludes gratitude
4. We often take for granted that which we receive on a regular basis
5. Gratitude can be cultivated through sincere self-reflection
6. Expressing gratitude, through words and deeds, enhances our experience of gratitude
7. Our deepest sense of gratitude comes through grace, with the awareness that we have not earned, nor do we deserve all that we've been given.

If you are looking for a way to focus on gratitude as 2017 unfolds, I suggest getting a 'Gratitude Journal' - and start by just writing down 3 things you are grateful for every morning before you even get out of bed. And if that feels too hard, then just think of 3 things you are grateful for before you get up. That's a great start!If you are feeling more ambitious, I can suggest a wonderful course on Daily Om! It's a new course I have authored and it's available here.  The course is offered with the option of selecting how much you want to pay. No matter how much you pay, you'll be getting the same course as everybody else. Daily Om believes that people are honest and will support the course with whatever they can afford. And if you are not 100% satisfied, they will refund your money.  So what have you got to lose? It's a great way to start the year.I'll close with a YouTube clip describing the course so you can get a better idea of what it is about.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krxrCmleirY[/embed]

I’d love to hear your thoughts about how you cultivate gratitude and it's impact on you.  And as always, thank you for taking the time to visit.  I appreciate it.