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Phillip Watkins of the Greater Good Science Center said the following:

“The problem with pop-psychology approach to gratitude is that we’ve emphasized happiness so much as the result of gratitude that we ten to focus on gratitude as a means to happiness.  It is; but when we’re focusing on it as a means to happiness instead of what gratitude is in and of itself, it’s likely to backfire.”

Happiness is a byproduct of Gratitude

I agree with Mr. Watkins.  Focusing on Gratitude as a means to happiness should not be the main focus when cultivating gratitude in our lives.  Gratitude is so much more than happiness.  It helps us navigate through life in a more positive way.  It helps relax, reduces stress, it helps us take a step back and see a situation in a new perspective.

A few months ago my husband and the company he worked for parted ways.  While it was a win-win for the company and my husband, the decision to leave the company was made by my husband because of negative situations at work.

Focusing on Gratitude helped us get through

Focusing on Gratitude helped us get through the situation.  Although our income would be cut significantly, we were blessed to have enough to cover our bills.  The kids’ summer activities were already paid for, so there would be no disruption there — which I was the most grateful for — and my husband had options.  This is why I focus on gratitude throughout my day.  It helps me see that there are good things in my life.  It keeps feelings of fear and doubt at bay.  It doesn’t take trials away, or mean that I don’t feel sadness and disappointment.  It does help me navigate through the trials in a positive way.

How has focusing on Gratitude affected your life?

Sharing our stories about gratitude is a way to strengthen each other.  Please leave a comment about how gratitude has helped you, or send me your story.  I’d be happy to post it with your permission.

I can’t remember a time when education was not important to me.  Although learning outside of an educational institution is what I do now, I am grateful for the research skills I learned while in high school and college.

Why is Learning Important?

Learning is an activity that helps us develop new talents, skills, understanding and so much more.  For me learning is what adds excitement to life.  It creates a world where anything is possible.

Let’s get one thing straight.  Learning is work, but it is work that adds value.  If a person is struggling with communication skills, he can go to the library or research online and find many books and articles with suggestions on how to communicate well in about any type of situation.  What about learning an instrument.  Same process.  Learning how to create a blog.  Same process.  We live in a time where knowledge is easy to access.

Learning takes Action.

There is one additional step to this process.  Application.  While it’s easy to find the knowledge, to truly learn something one must apply it.  Have you ever studied a topic and then had to research that topic again because you couldn’t remember what you learned.  Learning is more than just reading about a subject.  If you really want to retain that learning, you must continually review and apply what you learned.

A few years back I read several books on how to run properly.  How to nutritionally prepare for and how to train for a marathon.  While I enjoyed reading this books, it was when I put the experimented with the information I had read that I really learned.  I experimented with the different ways to place your feet as you ran.  I experimented with different types of food before and after my training to see how it affected my body.  It was a lot of fun.  Taking what I was learning in books and videos, and seeing how my body responded to various methods and ideas.

Best thing about Learning.

To me this is the best thing about learning.  There are always different ideas on how to accomplish the same goal.  Experimenting with these different ideas to find the methods that work best for me, is the best part of learning.  I call it the personal discovery phase and I love it.

Right now I am in the discovery phase of learning how to blend beeswax and essential oils into beneficial products for my family.  It is a fun process that I hope you enjoy reading about here on this blog.

I also am enjoying learning how gratitude helps me not only relax, but benefits me in my personal and work relationships.

I’d love to hear how learning affects your life.  What are learning about right now?