It is #GratefulFriday (Copy)

It's #gratefulFriday​​​​​​​​
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Scientific research shows that the most effective way to cultivate joy in our lives is to practice gratitude. The key word here is practice. It's not just about feeling grateful, it's about developing an observable practice. So often we think that joy makes us grateful, when in reality it's gratitude that brings joy.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

So how do we practice gratitude? We have to find ways to sustain the feeling of Thanksgiving every day. We need to interrupt our fast-paced lives with moments in which we stop, connect to that very moment, and feel gratitude, no matter whether what is going on is positve or negative. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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One way to start a gratitude practice is to have a gratitude journal and write in it every day one thing that you are grateful for. Spend a few moments writing why you are thankful. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Every morning I start my meditation with a Gratitude Practice. I ask myself "what I am grateful for"? Sometimes the answers flow easily, other times I just allow the answers to flow. Most often I am grateful for life's lessons that help me to heal, grow, and become more and more whole. I try to focuse on just one thing and to feel the gratitude fill up my heart.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And then I'll ask myself "Who am I grateful for?" I don't force the answers. I just allow myself to see and be thankful those who touch my heart, even in the smallest of ways, such as a kind smile on a dark day. I feel the gratitude fill my heart and let it flow throughout my being. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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A daily gratitdue practice has helped me to get through some very dark and challenging times, to find beauty in small things, and to warm my heart when it is closed off. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Try it and notice the joy that comes into your day and life.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Much Love,⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Lindsay