Motivational Monday: On Gratitude

Thanksgiving Day is over. We spent the day thinking about all the things we were thankful for whether it be the people in our lives, the blessing and opportunities we have, or the sacrifices we made to be better. But I often wonder, "why must we show gratitude and thanks on only ONE DAY of the year?" What happened to showing gratitude and being gracious on the other 365 days of the year? As I watched my timeline fill with horror stories of Black Friday shopping and gluttonous indulgence, I wondered if those people (me included) thought about gratitude and thanks not even 24 hours after the Day of Thanks...

We should always make a conscious effort to be gracious and show gratitude daily. It can be in the simplest of thank yous or something grand, but we definitely shouldn't allow the gratitude to sit and fester until we think THAT one day is the right time to express it.

EVERY DAY IS A GREAT DAY TO EXPRESS GRATITUDE. As you begin your weeks, shopping for cyber deals, returning to work and school, or recouping...remember show gratitude.

"As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world."
       -Terri Guillemets

HAPPY THANSGIVING (2011)

Enough said. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

How I got myself out of a depressive state PT. 2

Recently, maybe a few months ago, I realized how unhappy I was. I realized that I was going through life...not living it. One day, I woke up and decided that I was tired of being unmotivated. I was tired of feeling down. I was tired of living with my head in a fog. I was tired of just EXISTING and wanted to live again. It was hard...I won't lie. You start to get comfortable just existing, it almost seems easier. I think it is easier. It's so easy to be unhappy, to blame others for your lack of whatever. Being happy truly does take work. So one day, I woke up and decided to get to work. This is the continuation of my journey.

Fourth. I challenged myself. I challenged myself to create something EVERYDAY. Everyday, it didn't matter what it was or through what medium, I had to create something. I am naturally creative...some may say artistically gifted, so when I don't create for long periods of time...my positive energy goes down. Whether I was drawing, singing, photoshopping, writing, blogging, photographing, videotaping, public speaking, cooking...it didn't matter. I HAD TO CREATE EVERYDAY.

Fifth. I got rid of the stuff that didn't make me happy. Although some stuff was harder to get rid of and it made me sadder at first...I had to do it for me. That included what I watched on television. I decreased the amount of drama I watched on the television and focused on the shows that either stimulated my mind or inspired me. I have to admit Oprah's Lifeclass was a MAJOR help for me.

Sixth. I imagined myself happy. I imagined the smile on my face, the warm feeling inspired, the sense of "in this moment, despite everything else, I AM happy." I started to do that before bed and when I woke up. Eventually, I noticed that for no reason at all, I started to smile more. I started to fall asleep with a smile of my face and waking up with a smile on my face. I noticed that I noticed things more...positive things...like the sun shining.

Seventh. I stopped existing and started to LIVE! I re-instated my membership at the gym, called my trainer, and started to (for the first time ever)enjoy jogging. I made the effort to go out alone and do things for me, but I also made the effor to call and hang with some old friends. I didn't have the funds to do EVERYTHING I wanted, but I was able to do everything I needed to get back to my joy.

I encourage everyone if they are feeling down or are even depressed, before taking to the meds, consider really thinking about what is making you unhappy then take the steps to get yourself out of that state and be happy again. I think the best quote to sum it up is as follows,

"When you discover the world around you, you'll discover the world within you."
       -Unknown

The fact that I made and make the effort everyday is why I think I got myself out of my depressive state because it's in the effort that you start to shine...not in the end result.

How I got myself out of a depressive state PT. 1

I have a confession.

Recently, maybe a few months ago, I realized how unhappy I was. I realized that I was going through life...not living it. Can you imagine? Imagine going through life not enjoying the sunshine, the happy moments, the good times. I had realized that I stopped being happy for myself and started to seek happiness in material things and in people...which is definitely how you aren't supposed to seek happiness. It got so bad that my best friend said that he started to see a total change in my attitude towards life (I'm typically very optimistic) and in my demeanor. I hadn't noticed because it was starting to become a part of me. But I woke up one day and realized that I truly was different...and not for the better. I noticed I stopped talking to people, stopped creating, and was generally unmotivated to do ANYTHING. I understand that every day won't be a great day and sometimes your motivation will take a dip...but I was going through week long stints...

One day, I woke up and decided that I was tired of being unmotivated. I was tired of feeling down. I was tired of living with my head in a fog. I was tired of just EXISTING and wanted to live again. It was hard...I won't lie. You start to get comfortable just existing, it almost seems easier. I think it is easier. It's so easy to be unhappy, to blame others for your lack of whatever. Being happy truly does take work. So one day, I woke up and decided to get to work.

First. I had to identify what was making me unhappy. What was missing or in my life that was preventing me from being my usual optimistic and joyous self.

Second. I had to share it with someone. It's one thing to admit something to yourself, but when you find the courage to admit it to someone else...then it really becomes real. Plus, they can help you identify some modifiers that you might not have thought of.

Third. I had to figure out what my life's mantra, my life's motto was. I heard some where that whatever you constantly say to yourself in your thoughts is what you are, what you are really about. I noticed that I would think to myself every day, "I want to create something. I want to be inspired to create something. I want to inspire other people, but how can I when I am not even inspiring myself?" The light bulb turned on.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

Motivational Monday: Being thankful

With so many negative things going on in our individual lives, it can be so easy to lose track of the positives we have going on. Often times we want to gripe and complain about how our boss is a jerk or how teachers live to give their students tons of homework or even how boring it is to just sit at home with nothing to do. We have to learn to be thankful for the opportunities that are coming our way and that we overlook often.

Sure our boss is a bit of a jerk, but let's face it you have a job that enables you to pay bills and even splurge on that pedicure every two weeks. Yeah, your teacher gives you a lot of homework but honestly there are some people who wanted to go to school and couldn't for one reason or another; you were one of the lucky ones. And yes, it can be boring to sit in the house and do nothing, but remember those hobbies you used to have that you neglected because you didn't have time? Well now you have time so use it and maybe that hobby can be your meal ticket.

As we start to gear up for the "holiday of thanks," take some time to think about some things that you've been complaining and upset about and find the silver lining in it. Turn that complaint into a moment of thanks and be thankful.

Today's Motivational Monday quotes, like all of this week's posts, is about being thankful and giving thanks. I hope it helps in making any of your dark clouds a little brighter.

We give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.

      -Author Unknown

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.

        -Cicero

The Unemployed [but Empowered] Entrepreneur