Living Life as a Thank You Journal

by Lesowitz, Nina; Sammons, Mary Beth

• ISBN13: 9781936740345
• ISBN10: 1936740346
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-12-11
• Publisher: Viva Editions

Summary

Building upon the foundational wisdom of the bestselling Living Life as a Thank You Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons have created a journal filled with life-changing practices and encouraging advice to take readers through a process of self-transformation and personal growth. The friendly format not only provides readers with tried and true thank you techniques and practices, but also allows them to take part in creating their own. The act and power of gratitude has a direct effect on our lives on a physical, spiritual, mental and emotional level. Studies have shown that living life with appreciation leads to a greater sense of well-being and happiness. The secret to a happy and fulfilled life may rely on focusing on all the good, rather than what is lacking or not going well at the moment. The Living Life as a Thank You Journal is a toolkit for this transformation.

Author Biography

Mary Beth Sammons is an award-winning journalist and author who is grateful to be welcomed into the lives of those she writes about who are experiencing the ups and downs of handling life, parenting, and caregiving in Family Circle, the Chicago Tribune's lifestyle section, and on various online health and wellness websites. The author of seven books in the women's self-help and health and wellness fields, including We Carry Each Other: Getting Through Life's Toughest Times; My Family: Collected Memories; and Gifts with Heart. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her children. Nina Lesowitz is a gratitude practitioner in the San Francisco Bay Area. A volunteer for literacy organizations, she also runs Spinergy Group which represents authors and corporate clients as well as non profits. The recipient of numerous awards and tributes including a national award for excellence in media relations, Nina is the coauthor of the best-selling book, The Party Girl Cookbook. She becomes more thankful each passing day for the myriad blessings in her life.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. vii
Thank-You Power: Your Well Being	p. 1
Grateful for the Good Life: Turning Your Life Around	p. 19
Gratitude as a Spiritual Practice	p. 37
Practicing Gratitude in Everyday Life	p. 51
Staying Thankful in Difficult Times	p. 71
The Power of Gratitude to Make a Difference in the World	p. 91
Finding Grace and Wisdom in Goodbyes	p. 111
Inspiration and Perspiration: All Parts Gratitude	p. 129
Gratitude in Times of Transition	p. 147
Putting Gratitude into Action	p. 161
Conclusion: Opening a Gratitude Circle	p. 181
About the Author	p. 186
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Gratitude Exercise:
Prompt Yourself with Prayer

Create gratitude prayer prompters. With these prompts, you'll be able to incorporate gratitude prayers into your life by using common sensory information from daily living as a trigger to remind you to be grateful for what is right in front of you. Each time you come across these visuals, remind yourself to halt your thoughts for a minute and say a prayer of intentional thanksgiving.

Examples:

• A fire truck or an ambulance: Say, "Thank you," for the men and women who are there to take care of the sick and hurting.
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• A police car: Pray for those whose lives are in trouble and give thanks for those who serve, counsel, and protect.
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• A school bus: Give thanks for children everywhere. Pray for your children and pray for the children worldwide who will never have the opportunities you have had.
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• A church or spiritual place: Remember your blessings. Then pray for those in need or for those who don't have the grounding and blessings of faith.
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  Gratitude Exercise:
  Craft Gratitude
  Create your own prayer book. Cut out pictures from nature magazines of inspirational or spiritual scenes and paste them in a spiral notebook. Then add quotes and prayers to create your own inspirational prayer book. Leafing through it can remind you of what you are grateful for and remind you to give thanks in prayer.
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  Gratitude Practice:
  Daily Affirmations
  
• I am appreciative of all the "tough times" in my life as I have grown from them.
  
• I am learning, everyday, how I can be a better person.
  
• As I grow in gratitude, I want to give equally. I give through service.
  
• Each day, I give thanks for the gift of life.
  
• I am glad to have figured out that the people that I have the most problems with are the ones I can learn the most from.
  
• I treasure my friends, family, and loved ones, and for that, each day is Thanksgiving.
  
• I am becoming a more conscious and integrated person each day. It's not so easy, but I am fortunate to live in a society that encourages it.
  
• I am blessed. May others be, as well.
  
• We are here to love and to give. I shall love more, each and every day.
  
• Every day is an opportunity. I will seize each day.Carpe diem!
  
  
  Whoever you are-I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.
  -Blanche DuBois (in A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams)
  
  
  Write Your Life
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