The Habit of GRATITUDE

 

One of the greatest habits we can ever develop is the habit of gratitude.  The more we practice being thankful, the more joy and peace we will have.  Having a gratitude attitude helps us to be positive and optimistic because we are more likely to focus on what we have rather than what we do not have.  We also are more likely to appreciate simple things in life like remembering to be thankful for a new day. 

When we practice being thankful, we like to let others know we appreciate them by the way we treat them. Also, we are much more likely to enjoy what we have and what we do, or at least find the good in it.  And, when we make gratitude a habit, we tend to not take things or people for granted.  

When gratitude fills our hearts, we practice it with our words, attitudes or actions.  Practicing gratitude keeps us from grumbling and complaining.  But, that is the key.  It is a healthy habit and must be practiced daily.  It is all too easy to allow disappointments, pressures of life, troubles, and people to steal our gratitude.  We must guard our hearts all the time and stay thankful if we want to be happy.  Remember, these simple words of wisdom:  It is not happy people who are thankful; it is thankful people who are happy!


Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved. Written by Krystal Kuehn.
Co-founder of New Day Family Couples Counseling, MI and http://www.Christian-Kindle-Books.com


Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a licensed professional counselor, international best-selling author, teacher, and musician. She specializes in helping people live their best life now, reach their full potential, overcome barriers, heal from their past, and develop a lifestyle of health, happiness, and love. Krystal is the cofounder of NewDayCounseling.org, Christian-Kindle-Books.com, BeHappy4Life.com, Baby-Poems.com

For inspirational and educational kindle books by Krystal, go to:  http://www.amazon.com/Krystal-Kuehn/e/B0074OI67O/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Recommended resource on GRATITUDE - Discover the untold power of gratitude in every area of your life. You will be inspired to receive and enjoy the good things in life that are available to you every day. Your life and the way you live it will never be the same once you discover the miraculous power of gratitude!

Giving Thanks - Why It Makes You Happy, Fills You With Peace and Changes Your Life!

Recommended resource on the power of habit: In 21 Power Habits for a Winning Life, you will be empowered to have a winning perspective and attitude in all areas of your life. Each chapter discusses a power habit with empowering affirmations and words of wisdom to help you understand and apply the principles to your life.

* You do NOT need a Kindle to read the ebooks! You can read them on ANY computer, smartphone or tablet using Amazon’s free software available here: http://amzn.to/QFexMkhttp://goo.gl/fisU2
 


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A Grateful Heart Remembers

Oh, God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry;

When I have work, help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a warm home, help me to remember the homeless;
When I am without pain, help me remember those who suffer;
And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency and bestir my compassion.  Make me concerned enough to help, by word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. ~Samuel F. Pugh

I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me..."  ~Matthew 25:35

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~W.T. Purkiser

Never underestimate the difference YOU can make in the lives of others. Step forward, reach out and help. This week reach to someone that might need a lift. ~Pablo

Remember those who suffer and make a difference in the lives of families in need today:
http://www.newdaycounseling.org/Donation_Michigan.html

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Revitalize Your Life with Gratitude

“…a basic law: the more you practice the art of thankfulness, the more you have to be thankful for.  This, of course, is a fact.  Thankfulness does tend to reproduce in kind.  The attitude of gratitude revitalizes the entire mental process by activating all other attitudes, thus stimulating creativity.”  --Norman Vincent Peale

The Power of Gratitude

On a recent episode of the Dr. Oz show, he had special guest Dr. Andrew Weil share his holistic secrets. 


One of those secrets is the POWER OF GRATITUDE.  Watch video below as Dr. Weil shares how practicing gratitude can boost your mood and improve your life!!


http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-andrew-weils-holistic-secrets-pt-3


Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted–a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul. ~ Rabbi Harold Kushner


Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. ~William Arthur Ward

3 Things to be Thankful for Today

Practicing gratitude is one of the best habits we can develop.  It not only changes our lives, but it affects others around us.  Our gratitude is like a positive energy that can inspire and energize others.  I knew a woman who always confessed that she had a black cloud that followed her wherever she went.  And guess what, it did!  That black cloud was her negativity and lack of gratitude. Although she had much to be thankful for and some good opportunities in her life, she always found something to grumble and complain about.  This woman was one of the most unhappy people I have ever known. The black cloud kept her in darkness, clouding her hopes, dimming her outlook, and constantly attracting more negativity and problems in her life.  This only reinforced her self-destructive attitude.

Negativity surrounds a person who cannot find the good or be thankful for even the simplest blessings.  Being thankful is a way of life. It is a way of thinking that affects how we feel and what we do.  To make it a part of our life, we must practice it.  A great way to do this is to think of at least 3 things every day that you can be thankful for.  At the end of the day, before going to sleep, think about all the things that were good and give thanks for them. Record them in a journal if you would like.  When I first started this years ago, it wasn't long before my list grew to many more than three things each day.  Before I knew it, I was feeling really positive.  I realized that there are simple little things we don't even give a second thought that are blessings to us.  I came across a beautiful quote that illustrates this perfectly:


I'm thankful for a pair of shoes that feel really good on my feet; I like my shoes.
I'm thankful for the birds; I feel like they're singing just for me when I get up in the morning... Saying, 'Good morning, John. You made it, John.'
I'm thankful for the sea breeze that feels so good right now, and the scent of jasmine when the sun starts going down.

I'm thankful...
Johnny Cash


Can you think of three things you are thankful for today?




In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.
~Brother David Steindl-Rast






Copyright © 2011 Krystal Kuehn, New Day Family and Couples Counseling Center. All Rights Reserved.





Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a psychotherapist, author, teacher & musician. She is the cofounder of New Day Counseling, a family marriage 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 is also author of The 10 Keys to Happy and Loving Relationships and several other blogs: Words of Inspiration, Baby Poems blog & Be Your Best blog.





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7 Reasons to Set New Goals

One thing I absolutely love about a new year, or a new day for that matter, is that it gives us a fresh start to set new goals and implement new plans to pursue and achieve.  I have recently set some new goals that have been keeping me very busy, motivated, and excited.  One of my many goals began about three weeks ago.  I cut desserts out of my diet.  It started with a chocolate fast.  I was literally consuming at least one bar or 5 pieces of dark chocolate every day, and that is not including cookies, icecream and other desserts I love.  It wasn't until I went the doctor's for a sinus infection and got weighed in that I decided to set that new goal.  It was motivated by my surprise in learning that I had gained almost 10 pounds.  As long as I exercised I figured I could have my daily desserts.  I was wrong!  Anyways, I set the goal of losing the weight by cutting chocolate out of my diet.  I started with that and then added cookies and eventually all dessert.  To my surprise, I no longer crave sweets like I did before.  Still, I would love to have at least a little of my favorite dark chocolate.  But knowing myself and the chocoholic I am, it's just easier to abstain completely for now.  I still have a bag full of my favorite dark chocolate on the side of my desk just to tempt me.  Actually, it's a reminder that I can do without it if I must.

Weight loss has been just one of my goals.  I have set others as well and I am amazed at how motivated they keepn  me.  One thing I believe is that we must set goals for the things we love to do.  Personally, my musical goals keep me interested, challenged, and provide a lot of fun and enjoyment in my life.  I decided this year to devote a portion of my time to really enjoying and appreciating my artistic interests.  We all need a healthy balance of work and play.  I encourage everyone to add pleasurable activities and goals to their lives as much as possible. 

Setting new goals can be very exciting and rewarding.  I was recently thinking about the many reasons I am thankful for new goals. Goal setting has many benefits!  I came up with 7 reasons to set new goals. I am sure there are many more.  Please feel free to add to the list. 

1. Goals give us something to look forward to, anticipate, expect.
2. Goals require us to make plans that we can pursue and achieve.
3. Goals help to refine our focus and vision.
4. Goals can spark our dreams and hopes and help us move toward them.
5. Goals give us the opportunity to learn, grow, change and improve.
6.  Goals keep us moving forward.
7. Goals keep us busy, occupied and productive.

Setting new goals is a great way to start the new year and it is something we can do every day.  For specific steps, go to my article: 5 Steps to Goal Setting Successful.


Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life. ~Les Brown

If you don't know where you are going, you'll end up someplace else. ~Yogi Berra

Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives.  ~Viktor Frankl

There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something. ~Henry Ford

Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind. ~Seneca

It is not enough to take steps which may some day lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.  ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


Copyright © 2011 Krystal Kuehn, New Day Family and Couples Counseling Center. All Rights Reserved.



Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a psychotherapist, author, teacher & musician. She is the cofounder of New Day Counseling, a family counseling marriage 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 is also author of The 10 Keys to Happy and Loving Relationships and several blogs: Give Thanks Journal, Baby Poems blog & Be Your Best blog.


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Family Traditions - Why Should We Keep Them?

I am thankful for...family traditions

The holidays are some of the best times and opportunities we have to continue our family traditions.  Many of us can recall how our families celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, or birthdays every year.  There are some extra special traditions we may remember.  Maybe every Christmas we got together with our grandparents or we went out of town to visit friends or family members.  Maybe there was a certain dish we especially enjoyed that was prepared specifically for Thanksgiving day.

Traditions can hold very special meaning and memories for us. I remember learning about their importance to our emotional health and well-being back in my first semester of grad school.  Traditions contribute to our overall sense of connectedness, family, continuity, and identity.  They give us something that is socially, emotionally, and spiritually meaningful to carry on.  As I reflected upon this recently, I thought about my own family traditions.  One that came to mind was the New Year's blessing.  Every New Year's Eve, as far back as I can recall, my mother would make a traditional Macedonian dish (cora, aka burek).  Before baking it, she would hide a wrapped coin inside of it.  When our family gathered around to enjoy this delicious dish, we would cut it into pieces like a pie.  The big round pan would then be spun 3 times.  The piece directly in front of each person would be the one designated to him or her. The remaining pieces would be designated to other important people or work in our lives.  We would then enjoy the burek with homemade yogurt and eventually the coin would be found.  The fortunate person would then be named as the recipient of the coming year's extra special blessings of abundant prosperity.  I always look forward to this fun tradition.  We still continue the tradition every year with our children.  They also enjoy it and look forward to this tradtion.  It's especially fun seeing who will get the special blessing. 

I am thankful for family traditions and I especially like those that continue on to the next generation.  We don't keep all of them, but we do remember the meaning they had and how they enriched our lives.  This year we will continue with our New Year's blessing tradition as well as singing and playing Christmas carols, gathering together, and having a wonderful feast of fun and family time!

May you enjoy some of your family traditions this year and remember to give many thanks for them.

Have a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!!

May your New Year be filled with many blessings, new beginnings, good health, prosperity, peace, true joy and God's unending love!


P.S.  Let us remember our military and all those who will not be spending the holidays with their families and keep them in our thoughts and prayers.  May God bless them and keep them safe.  May He be gracious to them and give them peace. 

P.S.S.  I absolutely love the classic musical:  Fiddler on the Roof.  In it, Tevye (Topol), a poor milkman with 5 daughters, talks about tradition. He says, "Without traditions our lives would be shaky as a fiddler on the roof."    To hear the fun song from the movie, click here

Tradition does not mean that the living are dead, it means that the dead are living. ~Harold Macmillan



Tradition simply means that we need to end what began well and continue what is worth continuing ~ Jose Bergamin

Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes -- our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking around. ~Gilbert Keith Chesterton

The merry family gatherings
The old, the very young;
The strangely lovely way they
Harmonize in carols sung.
For Christmas is tradition time
Traditions that recall
The precious memories down the years,
The sameness of them all.
~Helen Lowrie Marshall




Copyright © 2010 Krystal Kuehn, New Day Counseling. All Rights Reserved.


Krystal Kuehn, MA, LPC, LLP, NCC is a psychotherapist, author, teacher & musician. She is the cofounder of New Day Counseling, a family couples counseling, children counseling and teenage 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 other blogs: Be Your Best blog, Baby Poems blog and Words of Inspiration blog!


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