Gratitude rituals - Reclaiming Your Life's Wow Factor
1. As you open your eyes in the morning thank G-D , with the energy and excitement of someone who has just been granted a new lease on life, for the sublime privilege of being granted another day
2.Thank G-D constantly for everyone and everything
3.Thank people for everything they do great and small whether what they do works out or not
4.Take some time each day and reflect on what G-D has done and does for you (in specific detail)
5.Take some time each day and reflect on what each of your loved ones have done, do for you and what they mean to you( in specific detail)
6.Take some time each day and reflect on what each of your friends , co workers etc have done and do for you
7.Make a gratitude strategy journal and list the ways you are planning to unconditionally show your gratitude to G-D , to your loved ones, to friends coworkers etc and then put those plans into action
8. Take nature walks while noticing the miraculous beauty and genius even in the smallest blade of grass and consider the many areas of the world that are devoid of such beauty and those who cannot behold it
9.Pick a miracle at least once a week ,like pollination for example , research it in detail ,appreciate its awesomeness and realize it is but one in the endless miracles that surround us daily
10. Take an apple for example and before eating it stop and even just before the blessing you make prior to eating it consider that for that Apple to get to your hand G-D brought the whole world to bear.In other words the rain , the sun,the appropriate soil the seeds, the tree , the ripening at the right time,the picking , the packing the cleaning , the wholesaling, the retailing etc.
11.Pick a person at the very least once a day to say thank you to in detail ,take the time to tell them what they did for you and why you appreciate it etc even if it was nothing for them
12.Make sure to spend quality time with those you love
13.Do something daily for someone even if they could do it ,there is no greater way to show gratitude for the gift of life than giving.
14.Take one day a week where you totally focus on someone else's needs wholeheartedly demanding absolutely nothing for yourself
15.Take one day a week or even some time every day where you decide you are not going to correct your spouse, children etc,you are not going to criticize them ,preach to them,"teach" them any type of lesson etc.What you are going to do is let them be themselves as they are now,as G-D has let them be at this very moment. Experience , them ,enjoy them , love them,let them express themselves for who they are and exactly as they are right now. Be totally present in the privilege of being around them ,let them flourish and shine.
16.Pick one person a week that impacts your life positively now or has done so in the past, give them a call, send them an e-mail and let then know how they changed your world, no matter how small the change and you might find that in doing so you change theirs as well.
17. When you return home, if your day has not been what you would have liked it to be,before entering your home instruct yourself that your family does not have to suffer in anyway because of the day you had.
18.Write on a piece of paper and resolve to glance at it every hour at least and your gratitude to G-D and to people will skyrocket bringing more meaningful joy into your life
1.I will( bli neder) take nothing and noone for granted
2.Nothing is guaranteed or a foregone conclusion but a gift from G-D
3.Things did not have to turn out as they did(they could have been worse in many ways).
4.Life can change in a second
5.See everything that G-D does as a blessing,a miracle and G-d's unconditional love
6.See whatever people do for you( no matter how small etc) as a huge favor and not an expectation.My life changes immediately when I choose appreciation over expectation.
19.In your gratitude strategy journal mentioned above reevaluate daily and ask yourself the following questions
Did I show my gratitude to G-d in my thoughts, deeds ,language, speech etc today?
Did I show my gratitude where necessary to people in my thoughts, deeds ,language, speech etc today?
Where was I successful?
Where could I improve?
Celebrate your daily successes no matter how small, enter your answers daily and apply your daily resolutions (bli neder) to upgrade
The life we want , the person we are and want to be is expressed in our rituals and habits when they change eventually so will we.Our lives are too important to lock them up in our comfort zones.We are granted life by the Creator and Maintainer of all that was is or ever will be,"Who" thought that we were worth creating and that we are always worth the effort.
Start with these rituals at a pace you can handle , be persistent, be resilient, be determined and the gravitational power of gratitude will keep you grounded in the miracles, beauty,majesty and blessing that is all around you no matter your circumstances
You can always take it higher you have G-D within you
