Attitude of Gratitude
The Thanksgiving Issue                                 November 21, 2010 - Vol 1, Issue 6
In This Issue
Stuff that I Want to Share
New Feature
Develop an Attitude of Gratitude
shelley head shot
Shelley C. Wilson, MFT











               










"It is not about trying harder." 
  


































give thanks





















  

  

Stuff That I Want to Share

 

My recommendations are to spread the word about stuff that I think is meaningful, helpful, enjoyable or interesting.


Another loss...this is the final season of a brilliant television series: Friday Night Lights. (just like my lipstick colors, they seem to discontinue my favorites.) Friday Night Lights is ostensibly about Texas high school football but it is really a portrayal of relationships and the wonder of humanity. The writers and actors "get it" and you can care about and relate to the characters.

The past seasons are available on DVD (thankful for Netflix) and I highly recommend that you start at the beginning of the story. The final season is currently showing on Directv 101 but is supposedly coming back to NBC. (If you start with season 1, just hang on because they change the camera work in later episodes.)

New Feature!
    
I added a helpful new feature to my website www.shelleywilson.com - my newsletters are now archived and can be accessed at any time. You don't have to search your old emails if a prior topic is what you need to read now. Just go to the "Newsletter" page on my website.  Easy.

I also updated my "headshot" photo. The lighting in my prior backyard version was less than ideal so I bit the bullet and had another one taken. (thanks to Rob for the feedback.)

 
 
Develop an Attitude of Gratitude 

 

"Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world."  - John Milton 


Our national holiday of Thanksgiving is this week but the fourth Thursday in the month of November is not nearly enough emphasis on gratitude. We may go around the table and share what we are thankful for but for most of us, the day morphs into feasting and football. Instead of a Thanksgiving day framed by the "biggest travel day of the year" and the "biggest shopping day of the year," we need a daily experience to develop an attitude of gratitude to give thanks for everything that happens to us.
 
During the initial session, after sharing some of his/her life struggles with me, there is usually a moment when the client asks me "what can I do to fix this?" "What do I do?"  At that moment, I long for a magic wand or the "quick fix." There is rarely one simple answer but rather a series of small moves and insights that improve and change our lives.

But there is one simple answer for everyone to the question: "What can I do to make my life better?"

Develop a daily gratitude practice. It is so simple. Just write down 3 to 5 reasons that you are grateful each day. That is all it takes to improve the quality of your life. Easy. Simple. Profound.
 
Melody Beattie says "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend." Gratitude has incredible energy. When you feel grateful, you do not feel angry, depressed or anxious.

So let's get started this Thanksgiving...here is my gratitude list for today.

I am grateful


  1. that my work makes a difference.
  2. for the incredible softness of my horse's coat and her luminous soft eyes.
  3. that I wrote this newsletter next to a roaring fire on a cold rainy day.
  4. that my husband cooks.
  5. that I can get lots of books on CD from the library - for free!

What is on your list? Write it down every day and watch your life change. I promise that it will.

 

Just so you know, I am also grateful for you. 


Happy Thanksgiving!
  

 
 

If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having enough and more. Please let me know if you or someone you know wants some help with this gratitude process or with other life satisfaction issues.  I am always grateful for referrals. 

Please give me a call.
 
Take good care,
 
Shelley
 
Shelley C. Wilson
phone:(949) 922-7800
Unless otherwise attributed, all material is written and edited by Shelley Wilson.  Copyright 2010 Shelley C. Wilson.
 
You may reprint material from this newsletter in other electronic or print publications provided the above copyright notice and a link to http://www.shelleywilson.com is included in the credits.