The Good Egg: Grateful & Happy
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“Smile at the world and know that this day is going to be the best day of your life.”
Wise words from yoga teacher Tao Porchon-Lynch. It seems like our gratitude journals have been going really well!
Ashley B. said she’s grateful for “sunny days that allow us to go outside during the pandemic.” I’m in the same boat, Ashley. The sun makes everything better.
Kaitlyn K. said, “working from home lets me eat more meals and go on more runs with my boyfriend.” Totally agree, Kaitlyn. It’s so healthy and refreshing to spend quality time with the wonderful people in your life.
I’m so thankful for those willing to share their gratitudes with other readers. It gives us something to think about when deciding what we are grateful for.
Thank you for sharing :)
So, as you can probably guess, today’s mindfulness lesson is on GRATITUDE!
Albert Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
I prefer the latter.
Why aren’t we grateful all the time? When we’re frustrated, upset, or just in a bad mood, our brains latch onto the negatives and don’t see the positives in our lives. Media does this to our brains as well — mostly focusing on what is not going well in the world and not showing us the good in the world.
When we practice mindfulness, we don’t judge or try to get rid of negative thoughts. We acknowledge their existence, but try to open our minds to see the “full picture”.
Studies have shown that practicing gratitude and focusing on joy and positive thoughts, not only increases our happiness at the time of practice, but also throughout our lives. We literally become happier people.
A study performed at UC Davis proved that those who kept a “weekly gratitude journal” (what you’re doing right now) “demonstrated higher levels of well-being, 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” (Mindful Schools).
So, basically, keep up the great work! And remember, these gratitudes can be big ones like “I’m thankful for my family” or they can be small ones like “I’m thankful for my basketball.” In the end, no gratitude is too small.
Everything in life is worth appreciating.
If you only do one thing today, PLEASE watch this video. It’s 6 minutes and very inspirational.
Thank you for reading!
-The Good Egg 🐣
