Weekly Happiness Note October 3, 2024
7 Ways Gratitude Brightens Our View
“The more you practice gratitude, the easier it becomes to see all the things you are grateful for.”
Happy Thursday! 🌞
Do you ever feel let down by others? Do you sometimes get caught up in judging others or yourself too harshly? If so, check out this week’s happiness note. It’s called “7 Ways Gratitude Brightens Our View”. In it, I share a strategy for shifting how you view others.
You can access this week's topic below (available for free subscribers) and consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive the weekly planning prompt and framework to set you up for October 7th - October 13th.
❤ Emily
Here is a short 90-second video that highlights this week’s topic, and for the rest, read below:
This Week’s Featured Topic:
7 Ways Gratitude Brightens Our View
Have you ever noticed how we are influenced by what we choose to focus on? The thoughts we think, beliefs we hold, and lenses we view life through all shape our reality. Imagine what might change if we regularly view our lives through gratitude.
Being grateful in our thoughts, words, and actions helps us to see and appreciate the world around us. When we regularly practice gratitude, the need to search for peace and joy fades away. We realize everything we need, we already have. It is just a matter of focusing on the good before us and noticing who we already are.
Here are 7 ways gratitude brightens our view. These simple reminders show us how powerful gratitude is and why it deserves a leading role in our lives.
#1 Gratitude Gets to the Heart of the Matter
We all can get swept up in chatter, judgment, and worry. Gratitude has a way of removing the noise and stories that cause these feelings of confusion. We can quickly see what truly matters when we focus on what we are grateful for, regardless of what may be going on. Life is a gift. When living in a story that goes against this, we can use gratitude to find our way back to the truth and remember why we are blessed.
#2 Gratitude Helps Us See People Clearly
We choose to see people clearly or not. We can judge others and focus on why we believe they are flawed. Or we can use gratitude to help us see the light and the beauty in these same people around us. Love lives inside all of us. Gratitude helps us recognize the presence of love in others and feel it in ourselves.
#3 Gratitude Simplifies Everything
Life is not meant to be so complicated. If we are looking for simple solutions to feel happy in our hearts, it’s as easy as counting our blessings. There will always be reasons to be grateful and evidence to show us why all is well. If you are reading this right now, you are alive and can read. I bet this merely touches the surface of possible causes for feeling glad in your heart.
#4 Gratitude Accentuates the Beauty Around Us
Seriously! Just look around you. Everything from the beautiful sky to the creative genius that makes it possible for us to travel the globe is beautiful and light. There is beauty and light in every single human being and living thing. Our only job is to open our hearts and senses and marvel at the beauty around us. Our world is breathtaking.
#5 Gratitude Helps Us Be Present
When we focus on everything we love about life, we feel good in the moment. Gratitude helps us re-create an experience and feel a deep appreciation. It feels good to create opportunities to quiet the noise and appreciate what is before us.
#6 Gratitude Grows through Practice
The more we practice gratitude, the easier it becomes to see all the things around us that lead to feeling grateful. If you are looking for simple ways to grow a gratitude practice, use rituals to help you. You could start your day off giving thanks. Perhaps write in a journal, say all your reasons aloud, or think about them while you enjoy your morning coffee or exercise. Before you drift off to sleep, write down or think about three things you are grateful for that happened in your day. The great news is we get to create a gratitude practice that works best for each of us. There is no right or wrong way. The more you do it, the easier it becomes.
#7 Gratitude Connects Us to Ourselves
When we are focused on everything we love about life, it helps connect us to our inner truth. Our true selves will always be there to guide us on the path that sits best with who we are. Sometimes, we forget who we are, or we can lose touch with our truth. The voice that wants us to do well and encourages us to see the good in the world around us is the one we can trust as our own. When we are thankful for what we have, we connect to who we are and the life we are so incredibly blessed to be in.
This Week’s Quote:
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Planning for Next Week📝:
Use the framework below to plan your upcoming week: October 7th - October 13th. Some people like to map out their forthcoming week on Friday to ease into the weekend, knowing they are ready to hit the road running on Monday. Others (like myself) have a Sunday planning ritual. Do what works best for you. Over the years, in supporting many people in their planning and goal-setting, it seems to work best to pick a day of the week that’s easy to stick to so that your weekly planning becomes a habit and ritual.
What are your wins? Before you organize the upcoming week, ‘October 7th - October 13th’, reflect on the week you are wrapping up. What are your wins (big or small)? What is something you are grateful for? What have you learned about yourself this week? Record your reflections in your journal or the Notes section of the Planner Printout. Feel free to comment below (others in this community will also be able to see your comment) or hit reply to this note and share directly with me.
Planner PDF printout: This printout is from the ‘Fall in Love with Your Life, Seasonal Planner’ and will give you the framework and planning system to help you organize your upcoming week: October 7th - October 13th. Click here to access. You will need to enter a password to open the PDF. It’s in all caps: FILWYL
Accountability: If you’d like an accountability check-in to support you in making the weekly planning ritual a regular habit, just hit reply to this email after you’ve organized your week and let me know you’re organized and complete. Feel free to share your weekly intention/power word. I’m always happy to be the check-in support and would love to celebrate your wins.
Instructional Video: Get free access to this mini 20-minute video course. It will show you how to efficiently use the ‘Fall in Love With Your Life, Seasonal Planner’ method of organizing your week. Go here to access the free video course.
Priorities: What are your top three priorities for the upcoming week? What are some of the daily ways you will prioritize yourself? Remember to balance your energy output with energy input. Think: What has been energizing me lately? What has been draining my energy?
Connect with Nature: Where are your favorite places to visit in nature? Do you tend to switch things up as the seasons change? Our neighborhood beach is my favorite place to go in the fall and winter. I take my dog there regularly. I love how the view and beach look a little different each day. Here is a video from this morning’s visit and walk to our favorite beach.
Journal reflection point prompted by nature: What are your favorite places to visit in nature through the changing seasons? Can you recall some favorite nature spots you went to in childhood? What did you love about it the most?
Share your intention for the week of October 7th - October 13th. What are you calling in? What is your power word/phrase?
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Disclaimer: This newsletter's advice and strategies are for informational purposes only and do not constitute professional advice. While we strive to provide accurate and helpful information, we cannot guarantee outcomes or be held liable for any consequences of using or misusing the information provided. We encourage you to seek professional advice or consult with qualified experts for guidance related to your particular needs.