Write a Gratitude Letter

Last week I encouraged you to speak out loud or to write down the things you are grateful. Big things. Little things. Lots of things. A few things. Daily. Weekly. Whenever. The more we can acknowledge and celebrate the good stuff, the better off we are.

Positive psychologists have been researching the effect of all this, and it's demonstrable. If you want to improve your life, starting by framing the positive. Another way to do that is to write a gratitude letter. We don't have to wait until someone dies to think of how they have contributed to our well being. We can do it right now, and we can write a letter of thanks.

Assuming the person that comes to mind is still alive, we can write that letter and deliver it to them either personally or by mail. The more personal the better when it comes to the letter's impact. A gratitude visit, with no intention other than to frame the positive, is a powerful experience.

A hand-written letter can also be very touching. In this day and age, when everything is becoming electronic, a hand-written gets more rather than less attention. I've been on both the receiving and the giving side of these letters, and I know what a difference they make. When one comes in the mail, they brighten up my entire day. When I send one, I also feel good.

Framing the positive is like that. It benefits both the giver the receiver. There really is no better way to live.

Coaching Inquiries: Who has made a positive difference in your life? How could you frame that difference in appreciative ways? How could you share that difference with them, through memory and action? What steps would you like to take right now?

If you would like to learn more about our Coaching Programs and to arrange for a complementary coaching session, Click Here or Email Us.

Keep a Gratitude Journal

We don't do it every night, in fact, we go through spurts where we don't do it at all, but we do it often enough to qualify as one of our habits: my wife and I keep a gratitude journal. At the end of day, as we lie in bed, before we go to sleep, we each say out loud three things we appreciate about our day. As we say them, we record them in a dated journal. From time to time, we review and read past entries out loud in order to celebrate our life journey.

That was easy to do this past week, since we just celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary. We saw a romantic movie, "The Time Traveler's Wife," after which I broke with the Optimum Wellness Prototype to enjoy my favorite dairy product: a banana malt. What fun! Even in ordinary times, however -- when I'm staying on my diet -- as well as in hard times -- when I'm facing life's challenges -- the practice of speaking and writing down our appreciations makes a difference.

That's because the practice focuses the mind and enhances the experience. We are not just going mindlessly through life. We are, rather, appreciating life as a gift. That is, indeed, why it's called the present. The more appreciation we cultivate the more reality shifts in that direction. It seems to be how life works. Some even call it a "spiritual law." What we appreciate, appreciates. So find things to celebrate that you would like to develop further in your life. The more you notice and appreciate them, the more they will grow.

Coaching Inquiries: What three things can you celebrate right now in your life and work? What's stopping you from writing them down? How might you develop appreciation routines on a day-to-day basis? Who could you do those with?

If you would like to learn more about our Coaching Programs and to arrange for a complementary coaching session, Click Here or Email Us.