Creating a Sense of Gratitude in your Life. Every Day.

To start the year off right, try these simple practices to cultivate gratitude.  When you're feeling blue or frustrated, use them as tools to get you back to a positive head space.

Stop Complaining.  About people, situations and events that make you unhappy, sad or depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy.  No situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to.

Commit To Your Goals.  When we look for positivity in the little things that make our lives worthwhile, we leave no room for negativity and our goals come to the forefront. Instead of recounting all events of the day, filter out only the positive ones and make a note of them. It could be anything trivial, from your bus arriving on time, your mom cooking a delicious breakfast, to remembering to pay the bills on time. You would not believe how this helps you achieve your goals — by clearing the mind.

Be Kind.  To yourself and others.  It's scientifically proven to make you feel good.  Helping someone selflessly releases serotonin in your brain and hence makes you feel good about yourself almost instantly. Try doing one act of kindness every day to flush out the toxins of depression from your system.

Practice Forgiveness.  Hatred is a negative feeling and harboring it will have nothing but negative effects on your well-being. Stop thinking about the hateful emotion/person and let it go. Remember to forgive yourself too.  

Release The Past.  When you find yourself thinking that the past looked so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening - Stop.  Remember that the present is all you have.  Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.

Be Optimistic.  Treat failure as an opportunity to learn a new and better lesson from life.  Never give up trying. Once you start harboring an optimistic attitude towards life, success will automatically follow.

Don't be Afraid to Dream.  Dreams motivate, inspire and expand our sense of self. They also make us happy because they give our lives a sense of purpose. Happy people usually love what they do, and if they don’t, they love who they are. Dreams remind us who we are.

Care For Your Body. Your physical condition has a direct connection with your well-being. A fit body and healthy mind is reflective of happiness. Start working towards the
health of your physical, mental and emotional energy by caring for your body.  Exercise and meditation help calm your nerves, soothe your mind and elevate your mood.

Give.  Cultivate a habit of sharing with others — your money, knowledge, service, wisdom, care, love.  Giving has many unexpected benefits from attracting more happiness into your life, to inspiring others, and changing the lives of those you touch. In the end the whole world is made into a better place. Ask, “how can I serve?” Pay it forward. Give freely.

By practicing these steps daily and being conscious of them, you will learn gratitude at a level you could never appreciate before. You’re made out of love, and there’s an opportunity at every corner to show it.  Excerpted from wake Up World

 

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.”  - Denis Waitley

Poverty, money -- and love

After writing my last post, I just happened to watch a very moving TED talk from one of the Kiva co-founders, Jessica Jackley.  Excellent description of how we can share, in small $25 increments, to empower the poor, and allow them to change their own lives, in the ways that are really effective.  Not us in the developed world telling them what they need, or merely appeasing our guilt.

Her ending notes: We don't need anyone to tell us to care, we already do care.  We just need to be brave enough, and take the initiative to try.  Stop, and listen to someone else's story.   Everyone has the potential to do amazing things in the world.  We're all here for each other.  Believe in each other.  We need to make our collective story into a love story to change the world. 

To be a part of the amazing work that Kiva does around the world, start here.  Or find a cause that you care about.  Be a part of the love story.

Are You Socially Responsible?

What does that even mean anyway?   

Individual or Personal Social Responsibility, often referred to as ISR or PSR is a concept  as old as The Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It's about recognizing how your behavior affects others, and holding yourself accountable for your actions. ISR expands on this by promoting a proactive stance towards positively influencing and affecting the people and environments outside your immediate circle. ISR is also at the root of Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, because a corporation is comprised of individuals and hence determines the social responsibility culture it creates. Individuals are becoming more socially responsible and, in response to this Corporations and Companies need to become more socially responsible to meet consumer demand.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) states that “In the wake of increasing globalization, we have become increasingly conscious not only of what we buy, but also how the goods and services we buy have been produced. Environmentally harmful production, child labor, dangerous working environments and other inhumane conditions are examples of issues being brought into the open. All companies and organizations aiming at long-term profitability and credibility are starting to realize that they must act in accordance with norms of right and wrong.”

According to a 2007 poll, when it comes to individual social responsibility, there are three types of people:

1. Two-thirds of U.S. adults have “Good Intentions” – they believe that social responsibility is a good idea, and they do what they can in terms of volunteering, but they do not sacrifice huge amounts of time or money.
2. At the top end of the spectrum, only 8 percent of U.S. adults “Practice What They Preach” and for this group, individual, as well as corporate, social responsibility is extremely important.
3. One-quarter of U.S. adults, however, follow a philosophy of “To Thine Own Self Be True” and, for this group, social responsibility has little consequence in their lives.

A socially responsible person will endeavor to have a positive effect on others and enrich their environment, as well as the larger community. They will strive to make a positive contribution, and will not pollute the atmosphere, both physically and metaphorically.

So, which type of person are you?  Be part of the 8% - help out or give to a cause you care about today.

“The impersonal hand of government can never replace the helping hand of a neighbor.”  - Hubert H. Humphrey