Mindful Gratitude Exercise #11: Milestone Gratitude

"(Gratitude is) one of the things that stands between where we are and where we really want to be." 

-Seth David Chernoff

Milestone Gratitude is simply taking time to say "Thank You" to your Higher Power for providing life, food, rest, financial support, shelter, and all other "everyday" blessings up to this point in your life, whenever you reach a new milestone. 

For example, you can say, "thank you for letting me live to see another birthday!"  

Or, "thank you for letting me live long enough to see another Christmas!"  Remember, regardless of how you feel about these events, many will not live to see their next birthday, or the next holiday on the calendar.

You can also do this for each new day, for example: "thank you for letting me see another Wednesday!"  Many people were not so lucky!

You can also express your gratitude every time you start a new week, or month, or year.  (Thank you for letting me live to see another September!  Thank you for letting me live to see 2012!) 

More milestones when you can express gratitude are:
-your children's birthdays
-your parents' birthdays
-the onset of a vacation
-the beginning of a concert
-the end of a dinner
-the wedding of a friend or family member
-sunrise or sunset
-Homecoming at your Alma mater
-the end of a work day
-Halloween
-Veteran's Day
-Flag Day
-Earth Day
-and so on...

The possibilities are endless!  Come up with any milestone you can think of, anything that occurs regularly, and I guarantee you there are many people who will not live to experience it, or who are experiencing it under less than ideal circumstances.  So each time you DO live to experience it and experience it well, take that opportunity to give thanks!

It is important to note that in order for Milestone Gratitude to be beneficial, you must really feel grateful in your heart in the moment as you think, write, or say these statements.  It cannot be done mindlessly, like how we zone out while writing thank you notes, or recite prayers over our food without thinking. 

As all my posts emphasize, gratitude works best when it is felt in the moment.  You'll feel it springing up in real time from a mysterious place deep down inside, it will be unmistakable.  And likewise mindfulness, while extremely beneficial when used alone, is that much more effective when feelings of gratitude are what you have to pay attention to!  I can't stress it enough: gratitude and mindfulness work hand in hand to produce astronomically positive change.  I'm on a mission to let the whole world know!

Give Milestone Gratitude a try.  I can promise you'll find more and more things to be grateful for in your life, and you'll begin feeling better and better in general. 

Be well, and I wish you and yours many more happy milestones to celebrate! :)

Mindful Gratitude Exercise #10: Gratitude While Doing Something New

"Learning to live in the present moment is part of the path of joy."
-Sarah Ban Breathnach

Make an effort to seek out activities that you have never experienced before, like skydiving or bungee jumping, or a new roller coaster at a local theme park. 

Or, if you prefer things a little less extreme, try something small, but still new to you.  Take a different route to a destination, eat on a different plate, sleep on a different side of the bed, watch a new television program. 

While engaged in the new activity, constantly look for reasons to be grateful.  Like, for example, if you choose to watch a new TV program, and you see someone get into a screaming match with one of their loved ones (a very common sight these days!), that could remind you to be grateful that you and your significant other's relationship does not include similar fights.  

Or perhaps the program is dealing with some problem that you have never had and probably never will have to deal with, like drug addiction, or trying to lose 500 pounds, or eating Ajax (ahem, Strange Addictions!).  These are all reasons to be thankful!

As human beings, when we do things that we have never done before, it is natural for us to stay focused and pay attention.  Therefore, doing something new is a great way to keep your mind fresh and connected to the present moment.  Try it, you'll see--it is much easier to "Be Here Now" when you are engaged in something new, interesting, or different.

Let me know the new things you try!  I'd love to know what they are, and some things you noticed to be grateful for as a result of doing them.

Mindful Gratitude Exercise #9: Grateful Walking, Breathing, and Eating

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
― Thornton Wilder 

Grateful Walking

Try this the next time you walk anywhere for any reason.  With every step, identify something to be grateful for related to the walking process;  for example, you could thank your feet and legs for holding you up and supporting you so effectively, your brain for learning the activity so completely that you can do it without thinking, or your muscles for doing exactly what they're supposed to do, and exactly what you expect them to do, with no unpleasant surprises.

  

Grateful Breathing

Every time you feel a breath come in, give thanks to your Higher Power for supplying it, realizing that it was not promised, and that there are many others who wish they had a breath to notice, or wish they had the easy ability to breathe.  (A drowning person gasping for air, for example, would absolutely LOVE to trade places with you.)  Be thankful also for your breath as it goes out, thankful for all the beneficial things it did while it was in your body.  Be thankful during the pauses in between breaths, for that feeling of certainty you have that another breath is coming.  Repeat!

Grateful Eating

With every bite, thank your Higher Power for something: for the food and sustenance on your fork, for the taste of the food in your mouth, maybe for allowing you to taste something you really enjoy one more time, or for all the times you've gotten to taste it in the past.  Be thankful for the fork, and how it keeps you from having to get your hands dirty.  Be thankful for the plate and how it holds your food.  Be thankful for the temperature of the food, the fact that the food is not making you sick, or maybe that the food was prepared for you by someone else.

These three activities are wonderful ones for practicing gratitude and mindfulness, since we do them all the time.  Focusing on them can be a transformative experience!

Let me know your experiences with grateful walking, breathing, and eating.  I can't wait to hear from you!

Mindful Gratitude Exercise #8: Mundane Task Gratefulness

In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.
-- Albert Clarke

As you probably know, it is essential to stop trying to escape the present moment if you are ever going to learn to love and enjoy ALL of your life.  Using this exercise, you can breathe new life into tasks that are currently annoying or boring to you.  With time and practice,  you will be blown away by how much joy you will begin to derive from the very activities that formerly weighed you down with negativity.  Loving every moment of your life is always the goal!  And learning to love your everyday chores (or "Home Kung Fu, as I like to call it) is a great way to make that happen.

The next time you are doing something mundane, like washing dishes or mowing the lawn, focus on an object in the moment and think of some way to be grateful for it, directly or indirectly.  

For example, you may look at a dish and think, "thank you for letting my eyes see such a beautiful shade of yellow."  Or "thank you for the food that was on this dish."  Or perhaps "thank you for providing this dish to hold my food for me."  

(I mean really, what WOULD we do without dishes??  Like Bebe and Cece sang years ago, "don't wanna think about it...I said I don't wanna think about it...")

While mowing the lawn, you could say, "thank you for making it so easy to cut the grass compared to olden days."  Or "thank you for the row I just cut, and therefore won't have to cut again until next week."   Those are causes for celebration!

(Or, if you DO cut grass like in days of yore, rejoice that you have the body strength and agility to get the job done!  I imagine that's an activity that would take some serious skill.  I'm sure not everyone can do it!)

You can do the same thing while paying bills, or while making your daily commute.  "Thank you for letting me have enough money in my bank account to pay these bills."  "Thank you for my independence."  "Thank you for allowing me to have a car."

(Or a bike, or two good working legs!  No matter what category you fall into, you can ALWAYS find something to be extremely thankful for, something that others don't have and WISH they had.)

WARNING: Don't be surprised at how fascinating and beautiful your world will become through this practice!  You will find yourself marveling at how you could have possibly missed all this beauty around you in the past, and your heart will be filled to overflowing with gratitude and wonder.  (I spontaneously break out singing Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" on a regular basis, complete with tears! :-D)  You will start to realize the fundamental truth of this statement: With so many beautiful things to look at, who has time to complain?

The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.
-- Friedrich Nietzsche

Let me know if you have any success with Exercise #8!  I look forward to hearing about your experiences.

Mindful Gratitude Exercise #7: Awareness Without Agenda

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
–Buddha

Be aware of your surroundings, the sounds you hear, the sensations in your body, et cetera, with as little thought as possible.  But don't try to stop your thoughts.  If they come, just listen to them.  Let your only conscious, on-purpose thought be: "Aware".

All that exists is in this instant.
-Marta Davidovich Ockuly

This simple technique has been very effective in keeping me mindful.  I'm not sure why!  There's just something about the word "Aware" that brings me back to the present moment every time.  I hope you can find luck with this exercise as well!  Try it and let me know how it goes for you.