Originally Posted by
2ndhandrose 
I have made "gratitude" scrapbook pages where I write out my gratitude, with and without pictures. I find them very gratifying
I thought vision boards were a silly waste of time.... until I made one & then within the year it had almost
exactly come to fruition. This type of stuff is surprisingly powerful as a tool for reprogramming ourselves for the positive in life.
Originally Posted by NYCDoglvr
While my mind is in gratitude it can't be in self-pity and negative thinking.
Yes!!
LOVE this, so true, great way to think of it.
Originally Posted by honeypig
Two things came out of this for me, one being the more obvious benefit of feeling present and grateful way more often and the other being the lesson I learned that it's worth it to go through the awkward initial stages of learning something. Even if it seems stupid. Even if it seems forced and artificial. Given time and repetition, the new behavior/thought pattern WILL become ingrained and the benefits WILL be realized. No matter whether I believed it would work at the beginning or not.
What a great point hp - that initial discomfort can be so off-putting. It definitely didn't feel natural & "normal" to put these kinds of behaviors into practice. It felt silly & vulnerable.
But like you said -- all of a sudden, it IS my normal. It IS comfortable. This morning I've been thankful & openly grateful for the most mundane things - people that are considerate enough to use their blinkers when driving, the sweet, sweet lady at the bank that always makes time for chit-chat when I'm there, the wild iguanas that have adopted our office & live in our tree/yard (one is huge!!), the simple & irreplaceable fun & bonding of spending hours with DD last night, baking off cakes and whipping up batches of homemade buttercream for her birthday later this week.
Thank you all for these great shares!
