Maintaining the true spirit that many celebrate this time of year can be challenging. And for some, it simply serves to further fuel the overwhelm of trying to make it the “perfect” holiday, and in particular trying to make sure kids understand the true meaning of the season.
The answer lies in building on the Gratitude celebrated recently at Thanksgiving. Taking it to the next level. You may already be keeping a gratitude journal. Excellent! That is a wonderful place to start! However, really increasing the Warmth, Joy and Peace you feel when expressing Gratitude comes from then moving to the next level: Appreciation. The difference between Gratitude and Appreciation is not, well, appreciated, sometimes. In fact, you can use them interchangeably, as many do.
Distinguishing the two is this:
Gratitude is an acknowledgment, so to speak, of having received or experienced something that brought you good feelings. It may even have an undercurrent of a sigh of “relief.” Appreciation first includes recognition, but then goes beyond it. Webster defines appreciation as: an increase in value. It is in your focus and feeling of adding value to what you have received or experienced, and/or to the person or persons responsible for your blessing, that takes you to a higher level. It takes it to the next level allowing even bigger and better experiences to continue to wash over you…and those around you.
So how do you amplify the celebration of Gratitude that is taking place right now and take it to the next level of Thankfulness that both you and your family will honor, enjoy and share during the New Year?
Here are three simple ways for you to try now.
FIRST: changing: “Thank you”, or “I am thankful/grateful for…”
To: “I really appreciate (you)”, “I really appreciate that (you did that for me)”, “I’m so thankful for…” And, remembering to really FEEL that sense of added value when you say it. .
SECOND: Expand your gratitude journal. Start by writing on the front “My Joy Journal”. There’s a very different amplification between the feeling of “relief” you often get when at the end of the day you make a list of all the things you’re thankful for that went right, and the FEELING that even the word “Joy” brings to A you.
Also, when writing your list of 5 things you are grateful for, write “I APPRECIATE YOU SO MUCH…” instead.
THIRD: Commit to yourself and/or as a family to share your appreciation with 1 (or more!) people each day. Sometimes in the craziness, especially this time of year, but even in everyday life, you find yourself thinking: Wow, that was really nice. Oh, geez, he looks good today. I love his coat!… but you never TELL the person. (Even expressing such appreciation for something/someone to someone on TV can have the same effect. It may seem like fun, at first, but it beats yelling insults or disgust at football players on TV!)
The effect is to increase your awareness of all the Value around you, and raise your vibration and the vibration of those around you to then receive and give even more. It’s a win-win! Today, commit to DO IT. Appreciate yourself (value yourself) enough to Think, Feel and Share Appreciation expressing it, in each and every one of the situations that you can! BE the role model for your children and those around you