Gratitude: More than Words

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. - John F. Kennedy

How trustworthy are our words if there is no action behind them? We can tell our kids not to smoke, but if they see us smoking, can we realistically expect them to listen? We can say we care about our health, but do our eating habits support that claim? The old adage rings true: Actions speak louder than words.

It is not just the words we say that reveal the condition of our hearts. People watch what we do more than what we say. Our actions are the best indicators of who we really are. Actions can speak so loud that we may not even need words at all at times. If you see a man treating his wife with love and respect, speaking well of her, supporting and acknowledging her, you don't need him or anyone to tell you that he loves her. If you know someone who gives of their time and resources to help people in need, you do not need to be told that he or she cares or that he or she is a giving person. Observing the actions of others lead us to come to our own conclusions.

When our hearts are truly thankful, it will come out of our mouths and be evident in our words. With a thankful heart we will not find fault, but rather, we will find something to praise. We will not complain, but instead, we will rejoice. With a thankful heart, we will not focus on what is lacking, we will be filled with all that is good. We will not be resentful because we feel cheated; we will cherish and acknowledge the many ways in which we are blessed. The way we live, our attitude, and our perspective is communicating something to someone at all times.

We can be assured that our gratitude and appreciation is being heard when our life becomes a song of praise--realizing our many blessings are undeserved, our life is a gift, the love we share with others is priceless, and the beauty and wonder we see and experience in creation is a privilege.

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.  ~William James

What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things.

~Margaret Mead

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.  ~Theodore Roosevelt

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved. Written by Krystal Kuehn, co-founder of BeHappy4Life.com and New Day Counseling Center


Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a psychotherapist, author, teacher & musician. She is the cofounder of New Day Counseling, a family couples counseling and child teen counseling center, BeHappy4Life.com, an award-winning, self-help and inspirational site where you can find hundreds of free resources, insights & words of inspiration to change your life, and Baby-Poems.com where you can find beautiful baby poems, baby quotes, cute sayings & baby videos that will touch your heart & increase your joy & gratitude for the children you love & enjoy! Krystal also has several blogs: Be Your Best blog, Baby Poems blog and Words of Inspiration blog!

<< Back to Give Thanks Home

Give Thanks for Changing Seasons & Routines

I am thankful.... for changing seasons & routines

Longer days, kids out of school, and ample opportunities to enjoy the outdoors makes summer not only fun, but a departure from our regular routines. Many of us like to stay up late and sleep in if we can. It is not easy coming in for the day and getting ready for bed when the sun is still shining, and you hear kids playing outside and people mowing their lawns.

Our routines often change in the summer. For many, it is a time of less structure and more flexibility. This summer I made a new routine to bike ride in the early morning or later in the evening. I also changed the time I go to bed to very late at night. My family has no set meal times, and I don't cook as consistently as I usually would during other seasons.

I have enjoyed this new, flexible schedule all summer long. I know that it will soon have to change and become much more structured as the new season begins. It will take some time to adjust, but it is something that I am looking forward to as well.

Routines help us to organize and manage our time. School begins and ends at the same predictable time every day. This helps students plan their days and schedule time for homework, extracurricular activities, and socializing. Adults with busy jobs have to organize their time around their work and family responsibilities. A consistent routine can help them to prioritize and make better plans to use their time wisely and most efficiently.

Having routine in our lives is healthy. It keeps us on task. It helps us to anticipate and look forward to things to come. It gives us some sense of predictabilty and control.  Routines are shaped by our priorities, responsibilities, work, school, the seasons...  We can always change them as necessary. We can also add new routines to our lives as we develop new goals and habits or encounter new or unexpected situations. I am thankful that we can have a good and healthy balance of structure and flexibility. I am thankful that changing seasons and routines can help us to organize our time and priorities. I am thankful that they can give us a sense of stability, predictability and security. And I am thankful that the changing seasons and routines help us to prepare for and anticipate good things to come!

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring. ~George Santayana

People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy. ~Anton Chekhov

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom. ~Confucius

 
Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Written by Krystal Kuehn. New Day Counseling Center


Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a psychotherapist, author, teacher & musician. She is the cofounder of New Day Counseling, a family couples counseling and child teen counseling center, BeHappy4Life.com, an award-winning, self-help and inspirational site where you can find hundreds of free resources, insights & words of inspiration to change your life, and Baby-Poems.com where you can find beautiful baby poems, baby quotes, cute sayings & baby videos that will touch your heart & increase your joy & gratitude for the children you love & enjoy! Krystal also has several blogs: Be Your Best blog, Baby Poems blog and Words of Inspiration blog!


<< Go Back to Krystal's Give Thanks Journal Home

Give Thanks that Life is Good

I am thankful that...life is good

One of the simplest and greatest insights I have ever learned is that a heart of gratitude is essential to true happiness. I have always believed that love is the foundation to a truly blessed life and I still do. However, we can be loved unconditionally and even learn to love ourselves and others without practicing gratitude.

There is a difference between knowing that someone loves us and being grateful that he or she accepts us just the way we are. Knowing we are loved, we might take it for granted or even reject that love. However, if we are thankful that we are loved and accepted unconditionally, we are more likely to receive that love with joy and appreciation. Gratitude causes us to cherish and value something. This, in turn, brings us joy. There is a difference between loving someone’s sense of humor and being thankful for the times of laughter we enjoy with him or her. There is also a difference between loving our innate strengths and talents and being thankful that we can use them to help and bless others.

Gratitude helps us to put love into action. It helps us to experience love and to live it out. For example, I love my Godmother and really enjoy spending time with her. Just recently, we had a wonderful time together celebrating my birthday. She made it so special. I truly felt loved, but more than that, I was so grateful for everything she did to make it memorable. Love made me feel good and gratitude brought me joy. I notice that the more I reflect on the reasons I am thankful, the more appreciation and joy I experience.

A very effective way to increase our daily experience of gratitude and joy is to make it a habit to list at least three things we are thankful for at the end of each day.  I remember when I first started doing this years ago.  I was surprised by how many little things were real blessings to my day.  I typically would not have thought much of them and probably would have taken them for granted.  And I am talking about simple things like being thankful for having good weather so I could ride my bike, watching a funny movie with my family, discussing the day's events with my husband, running into an old friend, getting a big hug from my son, hearing a new song I like, and so on.

The more I disciplined myself to take notice of the good things in life, the more I began to recognize just how much there is to be thankful for.  Napeoleon Hill said, "Your big opportunity may be right where you are now."  Our greatest opportunity right now is to appreciate life, know that it is good, and enjoy it.  We seize that opportunity every time we reflect on our blessings and give thanks!

Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Written by Krystal Kuehn. New Day Counseling Center

* * *

What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life. ~Oprah Winfrey

* * *

Joy is a heart full and a mind purified by gratitude. ~Marietta McCarty

* * *

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more. ~ David Steindl-Rast

* * *

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. ~- Denis Waitley

Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a psychotherapist, author, teacher & musician. She is the cofounder of New Day Counseling, a family couples counseling and child teen counseling center, BeHappy4Life.com, an award-winning, self-help and inspirational site where you can find hundreds of free resources, insights & words of inspiration to change your life, and Baby-Poems.com where you can find beautiful baby poems, baby quotes, cute sayings & baby videos that will touch your heart & increase your joy & gratitude for the children you love & enjoy! Check out Krystal's new Be Your Best blog and Words of Inspiration blog!


<< Go Back to Krystal's Give Thanks Journal Home

Give Thanks that One Person Can Make a Difference

I am thankful that.... one person can make a difference

The other day we had the opportunity to vote in the primary elections.  I was talking to someone about it and he told me that he didn't want to waste his time. He said it was because he believed his vote wouldn't make a difference anyway.  Can you imagine if we all felt this way?  Every one of us has a voice to be heard and every one of us counts.  The attitude that our efforts are unimportant and worthless can transcend into the many other areas of our lives.  It will keep us from speaking up because we think no one will listen.  It will keep us from giving, because we think it won't ever be enough anyway.  It will keep us from believing, because we won't stretch our faith, try to accomplish great things, or hope for miracles.

This man's comments made me think about all the people who believed that they could make a difference even if they were the only one to take the steps of faith necessary to accomplish their goals and dreams.  I thought about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mother Theresa, and the countless others we may never know by name.  We enjoy their contributions today and are blessed by the fruit of their fortitude.  There are nonprofit foundations that are changing lives every single day that began with just one person willing to believe, make sacrifices and take action. 

I understand not everyone is called to be a pioneer, world changer, or entreprenuer.  But that doesn't exempt any one of us from doing our part to make a difference right here, right now.  I recall what a professional counselor once said:  It takes just one caring person to make a difference in the life of a hurting child.  I never forgot her words.  They are so true.  If we ever think for a minute that we have nothing to offer that can make a positive difference in this world, we ought to think again.  Our words, time, kindness, love, service, sharing, wise counsel, understanding, hugs can all make a positive difference in someone's life.  I am so thankful that we don't have to wait around for someone else to change the world.  We can all do our small part today and make this world a better place.


Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved. Written by Krystal Kuehn. New Day Counseling Center



Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a psychotherapist, author, teacher & musician. She is the cofounder of New Day Counseling, a family couples counseling and children therapy center, BeHappy4Life.com, an award-winning, self-help and inspirational site where you can find hundreds of free resources, insights & words of inspiration, and Baby-Poems.com where you can find beautiful baby poems, baby quotes, cute sayings & baby videos that will touch your heart & increase your joy & gratitude for the children you love & enjoy! Check out Krystal's new Be Your Best blog and Words of Inspiration blog!


<< Go Back to Krystal's Give Thanks Journal Home