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Gratitude is a Super Power!

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I am grateful to be looking at gratitude yet again this blog!
Gratitude is an awesome superpower. I read recently that one of the most powerful statements you can make, feel or think is ‘thank you’. Thank you to others and yourself too.
 
It is so helpful to remember to be thankful to all those people in our lives who have been motherly, kind and caring toward us, including of course our own maternal mothers, to whom we owe so much, including our lives. Remembering to be thankful to friends, family and strangers too for the kindness they show us in all sorts of ways is powerful to promote our happiness and peace of mind. We'll talk more about gratitude for mothering kindness next blog, as it will be Mother's Day weekend. I'll be on board travelling from Canberra to Sydney!
 
It is also great to be thankful to others who give us the opportunity to be kind to them. This includes, friends, family, pets, strangers and of course our children or anyone we care for.

It's great to remember to tune into our wise selves to be kind and thankful to ourselves too. Seeing ourselves be a positive force in the world, being kind and grateful creates a happy perception. We can reinforce this goodness by being thankful to ourselves. We can be grateful to ourselves for doing our best to be a kind, positive force in the world. Remembering also to forgive ourselves and others for all those so called ‘mistakes’, more helpfully known as learning opportunities. 
 
The opportunities to extend kindness do not always come in the ways we expect and sometimes these kind acts are received without thanks. I find it helpful to thank myself, especially during those times like when I have spent a lot of time and effort doing something like making a family meal which is received with 'I don't like this!' Resting in my intention to have prepared a healthy meal and thanking myself helps to prevent resentment. A space I  have known very well. 

Sometimes extending kindness, especially as parents, can be in the form of a strong boundary like ‘please, don’t speak to me like that’, or ‘no, you can’t do that’. Such Kindness always has the intention to protect others from harm.

I can remember the need for such a strong kind boundary many years ago when I needed to enforce the ‘no sleeping with phone rule’ with my then thirteen-year-old. As I was saying goodnight to them, I discovered the phone under their bedclothes. I removed the phone and there was much subsequent protesting.  I needed to check in with my wise self to remember that my intention was to prevent harm and for them to get a good night’s sleep. I was then able to thank myself for being courageously kind, as the protests continued.  
 
More about gratitude and its awesome benefits next blog.
With love, appreciation and very best well wishes to us all 


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Do You Ever Procrastinate?   Procasta................bake, shower?

6/29/2016

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Ever procrastinate and find endless other things to do rather than do what you know would be the best thing to do?  That was me last Saturday. I was needing to follow through on a commitment to make some videos for my free 'Peace of Happiness' course.  I know in my heart that is what I want to be doing, but somehow I was finding all sorts of things to do and excuses to avoid doing it.  I did what I call 'procasta....baking' for hours producing lots of jars of sauce, bread, soup, and cakes.  Which is great, I love to bake and it is fantastic to enjoy doing it and sharing it too!  But in this case it didn't feel good as I knew I was trying to avoid doing what I said I would do.  

On Saturday I was definitely using baking as a distraction from what I needed to do - the videos.  Part of it was fear too, I wanted to get it perfect and was waiting for the right time to do it.  The fear excuses came up "my hair is not how I want it, it's a dull day, I don't feel bright and focused, etc.".  I know that it is impossible to get things perfect and was reminded of a saying 'Don't let your want for perfection become procrastination'! So no excuses, all anyone can ever do is their best; but they need to start and be willing to make mistakes.  Often it is the starting that is the problem.  I have found it useful to tell myself I will do it for 10 minutes and then I can leave it.  More often that not, I do the 10 minutes and am so involved I end up doing much more and I often finish it! Doing this really helps me get over the hump of avoiding getting started.  

So maybe time to get over my fear, which is all about me, and get on to do what needs to be done - the videos!
I checked in with my intention in doing the 'Peace of Happiness' course and the videos..  It was to share what has been useful to me in becoming happier and more confident, with others who want to know what I know.   Still I was having problems. I went into the laundry to do some 'proocasta...removal of sticky labels from jars' and fortunately saw the Dalai Lamas wise words on the wall.  

We are visitors on this planet,
we are here for 90 or 100 years at the very most.
During that period 
We must try to do something 
good, something useful
with our lives
If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will 
find the true goal 
the true meaning of life  

His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama

So I got started and did my best to make the videos - they are far from perfect, have many mistakes and umms, but I did my best to stop procrastinating and got on to do what needed to be done to keep my commitment to share with others what has been beneficial to me.  And it feels great!! Stopping my procrasta...baking  and following through on my commitment made me feel very happy.   

Do you have a 'procasta.......activity'?  A friend of mine's son has very long procasta...showers to avoid starting his homework.  Again there is nothing wrong with a nice long hot shower especially in this cold weather.  However, it can be helpful just to check in to ask yourself and ask, if you are using this activity to procrastinate and distract yourself from something you know you have committed to and are avoiding doing.  Remember it always feels great to do what you say you are going to do :)
Maree 
​xx 

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