Monday, March 3, 2014

Gratitude Blog Hop

I'm so glad Sheri Larsen decided to do this Gratitude Blog Hop. After watching the video on her blog, I realized that for the most part, I'm a fairly happy and thankful person. The only part I struggle with is the exercise part--that comes in waves of commitment, but I do agree wholeheartedly that exercise is good for a happy soul.

Photo courtesy of Tristarkarate.com
I recently heard a story about a woman who decided to count the number of negative thoughts she had in a day. She'd heard a statistic that the average person thinks 1,000 negative thoughts a day and she was convinced that couldn't possibly be true. She bought herself a clicker and put this statistic to the test. In that first day, she clicked so many times that she became depressed and in a serious funk. Every time one of her kids spilled their drink, made a mess, or cried over a toy, she had a negative thought/reaction. Over the next couple of days she decided she needed to make a change. She began to click all the positive things she noticed and the positive thoughts she had. Amazingly enough, this change in her thought process caused a change in her attitude, in her reactions to her children, and the general mood in her home. Positive, happy thoughts do lead to a happier, more positive person!

So, in keeping with the Gratitude spirit, I feel I must share with you those things I am most grateful for.

I am grateful for my family. Even though they leave me piles of laundry and sinks full of dirty dishes, I can't imagine my life without them. I'm even thankful for all the chaos that comes with having five extremely loud and incredibly active boys, because without the chaos, all I'd have is a quiet, lonely house.

I'm grateful for my husband's job. Even though he works long hours at times, I'm thankful he is able to support our family so I can stay home, raise our children, and pursue my own dreams and aspirations.

I'm grateful for imagination, inspiration, creativity, art, and books.

I'm grateful for humor, smiles, and kind hearted people.

I'm grateful for beautiful sunsets that cause the world to stand still for a small moment.

I'm grateful for the sound of the ocean, the calming influence of the ebb and flow of the tide.

I'm grateful for music. I think the world would be a very dull place without it.

I'm grateful for knowledge and truth, and my own journey to find knowledge and truth (in a religious sense).

Lastly, I'm thankful for the stories that fill my mind. That beg to be told. For the characters who rattle around in my brain and fill me with thoughts and emotions. But most of all, I'm thankful to be a WRITER.

You can find all the others in this awesome Blog Hop HERE.

So, tell me, are you a positive person? How happy are you on a daily basis? What are you grateful for?                                                                                                                

19 comments:

  1. I'm sure all of us would be shocked if we knew how many negative thoughts crossed our minds every day. And I like to think I'm a positive person.

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    1. Exactly. So important to focus on the positive!

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  2. It's definitely better to dwell on the positive rather than the negative. I can't believe anyone could think 1,000 negative thoughts each day.
    You have a wonderful and inspiring list of things to be grateful for, Kristin. It's good not only to think of our personal blessings but also the external ones like sunsets - what gratitude!

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    1. That number shocked me as well!

      So glad you liked my gratitude list. There are so many more, but those were the first to come to mind. As a sunset lover, I couldn't forget sunsets! :)

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  3. I think I'm a pretty positive person, but I think that learning about being thankful has helped that. Your post reminded me of 1,000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp, which had a huge impact on me. I loved that you included sunsets and the ocean in your list. We live in such a beautiful world!

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    1. After reading your message, I looked up that book. It sounds AMAZING! Definitely one I need to buy and read and keep on my nightstand as a constant reminder. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!!

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  4. You know what, Kristin? I had a similar revelation about myself when I first watched the video. Thus - inspiration to create this blog hop. If I stop and think. I know my life is amazingly blessed. But on a daily basis, it seems the grime floats to the top totally clouding my view. I NEED a reminder. Often. You have a wonderful life. Thanks so much for sharing your gratitude with the world and for joining in the blog hop. I'm glad you already saw the little gift I made. It looks great here!

    Sheri at Writer's Alley

    Home of Rebel Writer CREED 2014
    Mighty Minion Bureau Team #atozchallenge

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    1. Love that you decided to do this blog hop! We ALL need a reminder!

      I also LOVE the gift you made! Thank you!!

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  5. Love this post! I never thought to keep a clicker nearby to count how many negative thoughts I had. I hope it's not 1000!

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  6. Thank you! Let's hope it's not 1,000! I think I'd be just as depressed as the woman in the story if I came to that realization! :) Thanks for stopping by!!

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  7. I am grateful for the simple and kind acts of others...it is truly the simple things that can make all the difference in my day! When we sit back and think about all these simple things that happen to us all day long, we realize that our lives are blessed by others more than we realize! Today was definitely one of those days!

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    1. So true! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!!

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  8. Love the clicker for the positive thoughts and actions ... makes my brain work for how I could use something like that at school! :)

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    1. I have a school teacher friend who uses it with her 5th grade class! She says it works miracles! The kids go out of their way to do good things so they can see her click. :)

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  9. Awesome list! I really enjoyed the story you shared about negative thinking and how she was able to turn it around. Inspiring! :)

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    1. Great story, huh? It's all about the attitude! :)

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  10. Ah! I'm late visiting but so glad I made it here because my list should have included books, art, music, knowledge... thank you for the reminder! I loved how you pointed out that with a lot of kids (I have 5 too) things are chaotic but it's something to be grateful for when you think of the lonely alternative!

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    1. So glad you made it by!! I love that you have five kids as well, so you know how crazy it can be!! :)

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