Gratitude–Oprah-style
(Anybody else start singing “Gangnam Style“, but substituting “Oprah-style? –It can’t be just me…)
Every morning when I open my curtains for that first look at the day, no matter what the day looks like—raining, foggy, overcast, sunny—my heart swells with gratitude. I get another chance.-Oprah Winfrey
Do you hear the birds singing this morning? Do you feel the sun warming your back? Moisture beading your forehead as you pick winter debris from your yard? How about that glorious stream of sweat trickling down your back?
After a winter that seemed it would never end, spring is here with a vengeance. Before we know it, the world around us will be in full blossom. I have a feeling that this year we will appreciate it even more than we have in recent years. But I’m probably wrong–if you’re anything like me, we’ll quickly forget our heartfelt gratitude unless we make a conscious effort not to.
why not skip the suffering and head straight to gratitude?
Sometimes it takes suffering to understand that the lives we lead are pretty amazing. Remember how good a simple bowl of vegetable soup tastes after you get over a cold and recover your sense of taste and smell. Think about how nice it is to wake up alone in the morning when you’ve managed to end a marriage/relationship that wreaked havoc on your sleep. Imagine how nice it would be to have a three-day weekend after a grueling week at work. And don’t forget how quickly we forget the ache of time/distance once reunited with an old friend.
What’s your point, Rach?
Well, I’m thinking about my own life. All of the things I said above are true for me, but I am looking at a bigger picture. I’m hoping to find a way to be more grateful/appreciative without needing the burden of bad times to make me realize that my life is pretty amazing every single day. Maybe it would be as simple as Oprah’s Gratitude Journal of yore.
Oprah says it best
Being grateful all the time isn’t easy. But it’s when you least feel thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you: perspective. Gratitude can transform any situation. It alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive. It’s the quickest, easiest most powerful way to effect change in your life — this I know for sure.–Oprah Winfrey
As a teenager, I sometimes think Oprah was a big part of me not self-destructing. I actually wrote my Grade 12 research paper on Oprah Winfrey’s life–which made me feel that it didn’t matter what had happened in my childhood or even my teenage years–those events would just make me stronger. Oprah made me realize that if I was determined to do something with my life, I would. The key was to stay positive and open to the opportunities around me. Not everything has been rosy, but look at how far I’ve come. And imagine how much further I have yet to go!
Here’s a short snippet of Oprah’s on the topic of gratitude. I think you should watch it 😉
Oprah ends with this: “If you want to change your state of being, start to be grateful.”
Gratitude before 10 a.m.
- I am grateful that, although it causes me anxiety, I have managed to find a new doctor. I will meet her in less than an hour.
- The sun is shining and the birds are singing.
- My dog, Charley, is limping a little less and is happy to sit out on the deck and work on his tan
- This cup of coffee I am drinking is amazing
- I managed to finish my post before 10 a.m.–an all-time record!
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For more discussion on Oprah’s Gratitude Journal practice, read http://www.oprah.com/spirit/oprahs-gratitude-journal-oprah-on-gratitude
If you want to get fancy, you can find gratitude journals on Amazon or google “Free Gratitude Journal templates” or follow this link to a downloadable journal. I’ll just be keeping track in the journal I got for my birthday. (Thanks, Heidi!) https://celebratingeverydaylife.com/free-gratitude-journal-pdf/