In Gratutude (and Happiness)

I’ve been listening to Ted Talks while I work.

Wow!! There are some incredible people in this glorious world.

I have learned SO much!

Here’s something BIG… the more grateful you are, the happier you will be.

You would think it was the other way around, wouldn’t you… that you become grateful because you are happy… but no, apparently it’s the grateful people who are the happiest.

Isn’t this good news?!

We have control over how grateful we feel, don’t you think? By taking stock of our blessings and acknowledging how lucky we are to have so many beautiful things in our lives, surely we couldn’t help but feel grateful; grateful for our families, grateful for our beautiful earth, grateful for the love we can feel and express … and, most importantly, grateful for each and every precious moment we are experiencing together which, in fact, is the greatest gift of all.

The more we live gratefully, the happier we feel!

Who knew it was so simple?

We just have to be grateful. And we just have to raise grateful children.

All I want for my children is for them to be happy people. I want the best for them, of course, but most of all, I want them to be happy. Surely they are living their best life if they are living a happy life. Happiness is all we really need… to be genuinely happy with what we have and who we are.

So, we have started a new family tradition in The Sunny House. Every evening at the dinner table, we each have a turn to tell each other one thing that happened in the day that we are grateful for.

It is so interesting how the children have taken to this daily ritual. At first, they struggled with it. They couldn’t think anything they were grateful for. Slowly they became better at it… they were grateful for their things, their toys and their belongings. My Good Man and I resisted the urge to encourage them to be grateful for more important things like the people in their lives and the experiences that make them feel good.

We are both so ‘grateful’ we held back as they have come to this place all on their own. Now, more than likely, they are grateful for a person or what a person did for them or something nice that happened to them. Isn’t that lovely!

The second part of the ritual is telling each other one thing that we did that day that made someone else feel grateful. This has been wonderful and has had amazing implications for the children and for My Good Man and me. We actually find ourselves going out of our way to be kind thinking, Yay, I”m making so-and-so feel grateful. It feels so good. And makes us grateful, which in turn, would you know, makes us fell happy.

We all love this coming together to express our gratitude and, more often than not, it sparks wonderful dinnertime conversations.

Let’s all take time to acknowledge and express gratitude throughout the day. You’ll be amazed at what an impact it will have.

In deep gratitude, here is one of the Ted Talks that have inspired us : David Steindl-Rast : Want to be Happy? Be Grateful.

Blessings and magic,

Donni