“Why can’t we keep the Christmas Spirit all year?

Yes, there is something heart warming and magical about the Season and we seem to be filled with a more loving and grateful heart.

Then mid-January rolls around along with the bills and the busy life, and soon all the warm fuzzies we had in December are nothing but little dust bunnies under the furniture.

Well, here is an idea in hopes to help you capture and enjoy some Christmas Spirit all year!

Make a “Christmas Spirit” jar!
1. Hurry, right now go run over and make a list of 30 things that you enjoyed and made your Christmas special. To jog your memory, try some of these: People you saw, places you went, events you attended, special foods, ornaments, a tradition….Get the idea?
2. Now, make your jar ( follow the simple directions over on this page http://www.squidoo.com/christmas-spirit-jar )

It’s that simple! Now any time you need a little pick me up of Christmas Spirit and gratitude, just open your jar and read one of the slips of paper and remember……..

I’m going to go make mine right now!!

~~The Attitude of Gratitude will Increase Your Altitude!~~

I enjoy starting a new project, whether it’s a new page to write, or a garden to be planted or a new recipe to be cooked. The unwritten page – the untilled soil – the unchopped vegetables. They all represent a new beginning. A new start. No mistakes or failures yet to discourage me.

Today was the day back to work for many folks, including myself. A new beginning. One of the first days of the new year of 2012.

I remember when I was a younger our family used to make New Year Resolutions and we would make our list and put it in a jar only to be read at the end of the year. Of course you know the idea, to read the the list of all the great accomplishments. But, I think most of you know how the story ended. We were lucky to have one or maybe two of our items accomplished. So, through the years I reduced it from 20 to 10 and then last year I made 5. I kept reducing my “resolutions” because the list of unfulfilled was just too discouraging.

This year, my husband was a bit of an inspiration to me. He proudly proclaimed he was making only one resolution of 4 words. One item on his list. This idea resonated with me, and I began thinking about it more intently.

The thought of choosing ONE thing that I felt would make the most difference in my life was perplexing. What should it be? What could it be? What could it be for you?

What one thing could you focus on for the entire year that would make an awesome and incredible difference for your life?

One Thing
Focus

What would it be? A bad habit that is holding you back from your ultimate potential? A character you want to strengthen?

What if you could channel all your energies to ONE item and FOCUS on obtaining success and accomplishment?

I think for me personally, this was a stupendous idea and removed a massive amount of stress off an already overworked and burdened shoulders!

So, I chose a Character Trait of “Gratitude”. This was something I was already working on during the last week of December. But, I personally want to overflow with Gratitude during the coming year so I decided to focus on finding 3 things daily.

Of course, as we all know with Resolutions. As sure as the world, once you decide to DO something, it seems as though obstacles come trying to derail your efforts. In fact, last week I was having one of those “horrible, terrible, awful” days at the office and my loving husband reminded me that I had not stated my “Gratitude” for the day. Wow, I was being WATCHED and he was holding me accountable! Well, I had to dig deep that day, but I found some gratefulness in my 2 precious furbabies, Zak and Ginger.

But, the point here is two-fold. Be prepared for a little work as it will not always be easy. And be prepared that folks are going to be watching you once you let it be known. Accountability is a good though!

So, here’s to your 2012!
Focus on New Beginnings!

I realize after making this list that the I think the true balance of finding and expressing gratitude is the realization that it does not have to be major or big things that are on the list. Of course those can and will be, but the key is learning to have and express gratitude for the small things.

I immediately thought of a classic song by Julie Andrews in the film “The Sound of Music”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I found a very nice article about gratitude and the 3 simple ways it can change your life.

I love this quote found in the article:
“The key to success is fearlessness combined with a commitment to being open to learning new things.” by John A Walsh, Senior EVP of ESPN

I love the thought and fact that gratitude is contagious.

Another quote in the website is “Just one dose of gratitude and your dance partners, “Ms. Worry Wart” and “Mr. What If”, fade into wimpy wall flowers. (Good riddance – they are the worst dance partners you could pick on the planet to ask to polka.)

Please hop over to the article to read about the toe tapping tune of of the three G’s: Gratitude, Grace and Giving.

It’s time to open the flood gates for change, and I’ll be writing more about these as well I’m sure!

A while back I coached a young lady through a rough time in her life. She felt like every day was full of nothing but bad luck and bad things. I have to admit, the things she was sharing with me were bad. But, I tried to show her how to look for good things.

So, I gave her some homework. I asked her to get a little notebook and to write one thing every day that she was grateful and thankful for. I told her not even to concentrate on the big things, but to purposely look for small things. A child’s smile. A sunny day. The sight of a bird in the sky.

A couple of weeks later she showed me her notebook – dated and a list of things she was thankful for.

Does it every surprise you when someone actually listens to you? This young lady had listened and I noticed that she had a smile on her face that truly came from within.

Gratitude will not only cheer your heart, but it is actually good for your health.

According to the folks over at CISM International
“When you find one thing, however small, to be thankful for and you hold that feeling for as little as 15-20 seconds, many subtle and beneficial physiologic changes take place in your body:

Stress hormone levels of cortisol and norepinephrine decrease, creating a cascade of beneficial metabolic changes such as an enhanced immune system;
Coronary arteries relax, thus increasing the blood supply to your heart;
Heart rhythms becomes more harmonious, which positively affects your mood and all other bodily organs;
Breathing becomes deeper, thus increasing the oxygen level of your tissues.

Important mental changes take place as well. It lifts your mood, makes you smile and gives you a more positive outlook. Best of all, you can do it any time, any place and reap the immediate benefits of your change in perception.”

I encourage you to start a “Grateful List”. It can be a cute little notebook or as simple as a sheet of paper on your refrigerator. Everyday, put down something you are grateful for.

Remember, “An attitude of gratitude will raise your altitude”

With a grateful heart,

Remember, You Got To Move It (whether you like it or not, lol)

Click here to view the embedded video.

I simply mean that during my time of reflection today, after naming all the things that are “GREAT” I realized that I am “great-full”!

Is life great right now?
Do you have great friends?
Are great things happening right now?
Are your kids great?
Is your husband great?

Then, perhaps YOU are “greatfull” as well!

If you aren’t experiencing a great life or moment right now, maybe the applying some of the following ideas will help you have a GREAT day!

1. Be in the present. Do you find your mind drifting to a mistake you made, or a bad moment in the past? Bring yourself back to the here and now – this moment. Focus on where you are right now, what you are doing, and who you are with. You cannot change the past so reflecting and thinking about the past just drags you down. And since you really cannot predict the future, worrying about tomorrow doesn’t do you much good either. Instead, just focus on your now. Live now as if that’s all there is.

2. Less is More. Do you have a full schedule today? Is every hour full and you feel like you are spinning in circles. Remove some. Really. We are in such a multi-tasking, gotta do more, society that more than likely you are overextending yourself. Have a full schedule today? Cut it in half. You don’t need to do everything on that list. I took a couple things and moved them to next week. Grant it, they of course were not urgent tasks. But it was nice to rethink the list and truly put priority on what really needed to happen this week. Yes, stress reduced and I felt better about the day and the outlook for the rest of the week.

3. Do one important thing. Do less, but do more important things. Do something of impact for the day that you can really sit back and say “I’m so very glad I DID this today” The sense of accomplishment will do wonders for your day and self-esteem.

4. Write our your “perfect day/life”. What would a perfect day be like for you? What type of day would make you happy? Write it out and read it often. You will find you will start doing things that move you toward that perfect day. Planning a and building your perfect life is amazing. And as things start taking shape and “happening” like you planned it, you will start feeling like you have a “GREAT” life.

5. Clean and Reduce. The other word is “Declutter”. Every little piece of new space you create, Even if it’s just a little space — a shelf, a drawer, a corner, a bookcase — cleaning and reducing an area of your life truly has a great effect on your mood level.

6. Go for a walk. Even a simple 10 minute walk clears the mind. Focus on what you see and hear. Just allow your brain not to think for a little bit. A quick walk can be a calming addition to your day and leave you walking away saying “what a great relief!”

7. Listen to great music. I love to get into the car and put in a favorite CD that just makes me feel good! I have a stack of my favorites and listening to those tunes makes my toes tap, I sing along and jam to the tunes! It’s great!

8. Watch Nature. Does that sound too simple? Just a few minutes of watching some birds, or the sunset or sunrise is a great way to get things into perspective. I spent about 15 minutes this summer following a beetle. Yes, just like a little kid I followed that beetle across the yard and then walked away marveling at the wonders of nature.

9. It’s a little crazy that we have to be reminded to spend time with our loved ones. If you don’t have a spouse or kids to spend time with, there is someone in your life that you value, or that values you. I have a wonderful husband who I enjoy being with. But today, I took time to visit with a young lady at work that I’m mentoring along. It was a quick 10 minute visit but we spent time visiting and connecting. We T-A-L-K-E-D with spoken words! It works. It made for a great morning.

10. Maybe it’s because of baseball season and the play offs. But I have been thinking about “3′s” lately. 3 Bases. 90 feet from base to base which is 3 sets of 30. I while back I read that a person should focus on 3 projects. I have found that having 3 projects on my list is not overwhelming and is manageable. I’m better at focusing on 3 and getting them done, rather than overwhelming myself with a dozen things to do. It looks much better to see those items getting eliminated and seeing that I’m getting there!

Here’s to your great-full life!

P.S. I found a website called “1000 Awesome Things”. It’s full of great, awesome, funny things! I hope you enjoy and that it adds some great to your life!