Merriam-Webster defines gratitude as the "state of being grateful" - grateful being "appreciative of benefits received" (click here).
Happiness, on the other hand is "a state of well-being and contentment" (also from Merriam-Webster, click here to view).
There are lots of online articles about how being grateful can lead to an increase in happiness (see article by Lauren Suval here, or Erin Skarda's article, among others). I will write about gratitude and happiness on a personal level.
Thanks to yoga, I have learned to become more focused on the present. More importantly, yoga allows me to focus on the things that are going right in my life. From little things, like getting enough sleep, or having a delicious meal, to really important stuff, such as spending time with my nephew and niece, or hearing Mass.
Because of these gratitude exercises, I find myself becoming more positive, and ultimately, happier. So, whilst happiness is not my main goal for being grateful, the latter paved the way towards being happy. Makes sense? In a similar fashion, weight loss is not my main goal for taking up running and yoga, but as a result of doing both activities I ended up losing weight (too quickly, if I may add). But that's just another story.
Anyway, going back: I stumbled upon a site called intent.com, which is all about creating a community/environment that would help you in fulfilling your intents. In their website, they say that "Social media and social connections have the power to change our lives. Statistical research shows that a person with a happy friend is 15% more likely to be happy; a person with a happy friend of a friend is 10% more likely to be happy, and a person with a happy friend of a friend of a friend is 6% more likely to be happy."
An additional appeal (for me, at least) that got me to sign up was the fact that this website was founded by Mallika Chopra. Sounds familiar? She is the daughter of Deepak Chopra, one of the (if not the) world's most famous alternative medicine practitioners and New Age gurus. One of my first intents was a 30-day challenge:
I intend to be grateful everyday - count my blessings. #30Days #gratitude
You can re-affirm your intent daily, which signifies your determination to see your intent come to fruition. You can also add comments, which you can do on a daily basis. This is exactly what I did - from Day 2 onwards, I wrote down the things I am grateful for. I missed a couple of days, however, but that's all right. Other members can support your intent or add comments as well, which can be a great confidence booster. It's such a good feeling to click on "Intent Fulfilled" - one more reason to be grateful!
You can view my intent page here. I suggest you sign up and explore other people's intents, or create one of your own and watch the love and support from a global community.
But even without the site, you can still have your own "gratitude exercise." Doing this regularly will do wonders, I am telling you. Marelisa Fabrega, in daringtolivefully.com (click here for the article), wrote down several techniques you can employ as a gratitude exercise: from keeping a gratitude journal, to having a gratitude partner. There is also a 2-Minute Gratitude Exercise from PsyBlog (http://www.spring.org.uk/), which is very simple yet effective (view the article).
So, what are you waiting for? Let your grateful juices flow!
Love and light,
Earl Patrick
Happiness, on the other hand is "a state of well-being and contentment" (also from Merriam-Webster, click here to view).
There are lots of online articles about how being grateful can lead to an increase in happiness (see article by Lauren Suval here, or Erin Skarda's article, among others). I will write about gratitude and happiness on a personal level.
Thanks to yoga, I have learned to become more focused on the present. More importantly, yoga allows me to focus on the things that are going right in my life. From little things, like getting enough sleep, or having a delicious meal, to really important stuff, such as spending time with my nephew and niece, or hearing Mass.
Because of these gratitude exercises, I find myself becoming more positive, and ultimately, happier. So, whilst happiness is not my main goal for being grateful, the latter paved the way towards being happy. Makes sense? In a similar fashion, weight loss is not my main goal for taking up running and yoga, but as a result of doing both activities I ended up losing weight (too quickly, if I may add). But that's just another story.
Anyway, going back: I stumbled upon a site called intent.com, which is all about creating a community/environment that would help you in fulfilling your intents. In their website, they say that "Social media and social connections have the power to change our lives. Statistical research shows that a person with a happy friend is 15% more likely to be happy; a person with a happy friend of a friend is 10% more likely to be happy, and a person with a happy friend of a friend of a friend is 6% more likely to be happy."
An additional appeal (for me, at least) that got me to sign up was the fact that this website was founded by Mallika Chopra. Sounds familiar? She is the daughter of Deepak Chopra, one of the (if not the) world's most famous alternative medicine practitioners and New Age gurus. One of my first intents was a 30-day challenge:
I intend to be grateful everyday - count my blessings. #30Days #gratitude
You can re-affirm your intent daily, which signifies your determination to see your intent come to fruition. You can also add comments, which you can do on a daily basis. This is exactly what I did - from Day 2 onwards, I wrote down the things I am grateful for. I missed a couple of days, however, but that's all right. Other members can support your intent or add comments as well, which can be a great confidence booster. It's such a good feeling to click on "Intent Fulfilled" - one more reason to be grateful!
You can view my intent page here. I suggest you sign up and explore other people's intents, or create one of your own and watch the love and support from a global community.
But even without the site, you can still have your own "gratitude exercise." Doing this regularly will do wonders, I am telling you. Marelisa Fabrega, in daringtolivefully.com (click here for the article), wrote down several techniques you can employ as a gratitude exercise: from keeping a gratitude journal, to having a gratitude partner. There is also a 2-Minute Gratitude Exercise from PsyBlog (http://www.spring.org.uk/), which is very simple yet effective (view the article).
So, what are you waiting for? Let your grateful juices flow!
Love and light,
Earl Patrick
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