For those who need evidence about how critical gratitude and appreciation is for our wellbeing there is scientific based research, feel free to check out the links. At the end of this blog are some references. My intent here is not to discuss those research data but to suggest that our minds so rely on evidence we have failed to understand again and again that it is the very nature of believing its importance without seeing evidence which is the lesson we must learn.
PBS just aired Happiness 101 by Dr.Tal Ben-Shahar on how important gratitude is and to ‘ritualize’ this every single night. Dr. Ben-Shahar emphasizes how New Year’s resolutions fail because it is not done consistently.
Now the question is DO we need to have evidence to prove how important gratitude is? As a society many are focused on seeing this ‘evidence’, the show me the money mentality. Even if a person starts a ritual such as giving gratitude on New Year’s Eve, they continue to experience their outer environment which is ‘evidence’ for them that nothing is changing even with this ‘gratitude’ ritual. So they give up and they miss the point that it is not doe to achieve a particular outcome. Without BELIEF that the change is happening in the ‘inner’ self, not the outer environment, one cannot continue this ritual of giving gratitude, it will simply fair if you are doing it ONLY to get a certain outcome.
As we develop the gratitude muscle we must understand that it is to become who we are, it needs to become a virtue no matter what the outer circumstance is at that moment. Happiness IS a state of mind, it is not something we get, it is something we ‘are’, that we become, it cannot be a forced action, we cannot fake it and we cannot accumulate it with wealth. Yes things can give us a surge of elation but it is temporary ‘fixes’. We have to step out of our mental mind, stop rationalizing. Let’s go deep within and appreciate and be grateful within. Happy peaceful people just won’t elect to go to war and hurt other humans. Happy people don’t get angry frequently and hold a grudge or engage in road rage. Gratitude and appreciation is key in developing this peaceful and happy spirits of society and change the unhappiness that plague our world today. Parents, grandparents and all…we need to teach the kids of today about gratitude and apprciation. Most busy parents buy their way out of spending time with their kids and those kids don’t value the stuff or the abundance they live in. What will become of these kids? What will it take to make them ‘happy’ in a few years? a trip to the moon? We have lost our spirits in all the stuff, the daily grind that we don’t even know happiness or even where to start looking for it. Start with gratitude, just start doing it, you will see a change if you truly do it with humility.

I really had the opportunity to enjoy the first snow today. If you really took the time and looked at the beautiful snowflakes that gently come floating down, you will appreciate and be grateful for the magnificence of Mother Nature’s creativity. Yes we are all guilty of forgetting but here is a chance to remember and start changing that energy inside us to become more serene by developing that attitude that is ever so important, actually, not just important but critical in our lives and in our world today.
The frenzy stress of the holidays is yet another reason why we need to think through why gratitude and appreciation is important as a virtue developing deep within us.
At Blue Marble 4LIFE we are planning one last GratitudeMania to give thanks for 2009 and appreciate the blessings of 2010. Those who are part of our Facebook group (www.bluemarble4lifegroup.com) will receive an email with details. We encourage all of you to have your own GratitudeMania parties to focus on appreciation and gratitude. Go to our website www.bluemarble4life.com to learn more and if your feel so you can purchase a ‘gratitude’ blue earth marble for yourself and those you care about and begin this journey of gratitude with all of us who are connecting to create peace and harmony with an ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE!
Peace and Joy this season,
Elizabeth
Links:
http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/labs/emmons/
http://www.acfnewsource.org/religion/gratitude_theory.html
http://www.cpbn.org/program/happiness-101-tal-ben-shahar

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