The Power of Gratitude

"Gratitude is a sense?of goodwill you can feel in your heart." ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

— Patricia Varga

Greetings!?

Thanksgiving - giving thanks - obviously means more than a feast. Gratitude, like the creative spirit, has the ability to change you. It gets you to tune in to what you love, to what inspires you, to shift your thoughts and perceptions, to befriend and embrace life regardless of what you are going through. This befriending helps you to defuse any pain, the negative, the difficult. You begin to see that you are stronger than you think ... and that you have much to be thankful for.

Years ago, I was teaching Create to Heal at Adventist Health; the exercise to jumpstart our creative writing was "Cancer is ... cancer is ... cancer is." The hand flowing across the page, words tumbling, was a meditation in itself. Patients scribbled and doodled until their pages were filled.

One woman raised her hand to share:

"I am grateful for cancer and the gift of healing. Cancer sharpened my abilities to see, hear and love. It also brought me closer to my God. Everything is a miracle." Silence in the room.

Rarely, if at all, had any of us heard or said that cancer was a gift! "Grateful for cancer" set me on a path of learning about the power of gratitude. Coincidently at that time, I attended a conference on medicine and spirituality. One of the presenters was Robert Emmons, PhD, from UC Davis, head of the psychology department. His decades of research showed that gratitude is an immensely powerful force that you can use to expand your happiness, create loving relationships, and even improve your health.? Those who focus on gratitude and have a regular gratitude practice:

1. Felt better about their lives as a whole
2. Experienced greater levels of joy and happiness
3. Felt optimistic?about the future
4. Got sick less often
5. Had more energy, enthusiasm, determination and focus
6. Made greater progress toward achieving important personal goals
7. Slept better
8. Felt stronger during trying times
9. Enjoyed closer family?ties
10. Experienced fewer symptoms of stress

If you want more happiness, joy and energy, gratitude is clearly a crucial quality to cultivate. It is a fullness of heart that moves us from limitation and fear to expansion and love. When you are appreciating something, your ego moves out of the way and you connect with your soul. Gratitude brings your attention to the present, which is the only place where miracles can unfold.?

The Leader Within Breakthrough Session. Between now and the end of this year, I am offering a free 60-minute coaching session. During this session, I will guide you to create a crystal?clear vision for your leadership journey, uncover hidden challenges that may be affecting your leadership performance, and leave you feeling renewed, re-energized, and inspired to embrace your inner leader. If you would like to take advantage of this offer, please reach out to me at [email protected] or 626 403 7575.

Happiest of Happy Thanksgivings! ??

Patricia Varga Women with Wings? [email protected] / womenwwings.org/ patriciavarga.com