Were you blessed with living in a house where gratitude was a given or was it a premises where put-downs and teasing were more the norms? In these houses, it was often expected that the children growing up were expected to display behaviors, emotions and thinking patterns that had never been modeled. Gratitude is held in high esteem by virtually everyone, at all times, in all places. From ancient religious scriptures through modern social science research, gratitude is advanced as a desirable human characteristic with the capacity for making life better for oneself and for others. Though gratitude is associated with pleasantness and highly desirable life outcomes, it is certainly not an easy or automatic response to life situations. Resentment and entitlement often seem to come naturally. Individual personality flaws such as neuroticism or narcissism make it difficult to recognize the positive contributions of others. The very fact that gratitude is a virtue suggests that it must be deliberately cultivated.

So how has gratitude been expressed over the centuries, let’s go on that journey:

1. Sara Avant Stover, a teacher of feminine spirituality and empowerment and a yoga and meditation instructor, bestselling author, and inspirational speaker, is the founder of The Way of the Happy Woman: a worldwide community based on the teachings and practices in her bestselling books, The Way of the Happy Woman and The Book of SHE. As the creator of the world’s first Women’s Yoga Teacher Training, the online program Reversing Our “Curse,” and The SHE School, Sara has taught tens of thousands of women worldwide. She has been featured in Yoga Journal, the Huffington Post, Newsweek, and Natural Health and on ABC, NBC, and CBS. Sara’s teachings, writings, programs, and communities support women of all ages to place the Heroine’s Journey at the heart of their lives. She teaches on feminine spirituality, lifestyle, healing, relationships, and more. Sara lives, hikes, writes, and dances with mystery in Boulder, Colorado. These thousands of women are very grateful for Sara’s teachings.

2. This beautiful image caught my eye immediately. it reminded me of the facebook group I am a member The Daily Gratitude Space of, where hundreds of people choose to place what they are grateful for over the airwaves: Grateful.

3. I write one thing a day I am grateful for in my Desire Map Planner by Danielle LaPorte. Just one thing a day sees this happen for me.

4. Why you should be grateful fro what you have at this time is that you have worked for it. That’s how to get things, doing the work: Royals.

5. From the greatest quoted philosopher Anonymous comes the above classic pointing to that you need to take the actions of gratitude first.

6. That’s the place gratitude hits home, in our hearts: Beautiful.

7. perform an act of gratitude a day to a stranger and you may just transform the planet.

8. Who is this for you? Your parents, your lover, your children, your boss, your bestie? Go on do it, and make the difference: Stand Up.

9. The author of several transformational books, the latest being The Universe has Your Back, Gabby Bernstein trains people to be grateful for their lives and do great things with them. Read her books and check her website at https://gabbybernstein.com/

10. We all have lots of stuff, but often in this consumer driven society we search of more and forget that what we have has made us what we are. Remember this act of gratitude and you will free your life up expedientially : That’s just the Way It Is.

11. There is a minimalist movement sweeping western society, here’s one thing they could take one.

12. They don’t need to hear that I really appreciate what they did for me. Not!!!!!!!Speak Up.

13. This makes my soul shudder, how beautiful.

14. From Little Things, Big Things Grow, really only one song for this: From Little Things.

15. Melody Beattie is one of America’s most beloved self-help authors and a household name in addiction and recovery circles. Her international bestselling book, Codependent No More, introduced the world to the term “codependency” in 1986. Millions of readers have trusted Melody’s words of wisdom and guidance because she knows firsthand what they’re going through.

In her lifetime, she has survived abandonment, kidnapping, sexual abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, divorce, and the death of a child. “Beattie understands being overboard, which helps her throw bestselling lifelines to those still adrift,” said Time Magazine. This beautiful quote is an example of the power of her work.

So, as you may have picked up, I believe in the power of daily gratitude. I hope from reading this you join our band of merry pranksters.

Namaste until next time, my dear friends.