I’ve found over the years that practicing gratitude isn’t just about listing things I’m thankful for. It’s about fully embodying a sense of appreciation that reaches into all aspects of life. In one of my past blog posts, Why I Spend 30 Days Focused on Gratitude, I shared my personal journey of committing to a month of gratitude each year. This practice transformed my perspective. Making me not only happier, but more resilient in the face of life’s ups and downs. I truly believe gratitude is key to a fulfilling life. Why not join me in experiencing its powerful effects.

The Science Behind Gratitude and Happiness

When we look at the research, the benefits of gratitude are undeniable. Gratitude has been studied extensively, and its benefits go far beyond that warm feeling we get when we think about what we’re thankful for. Research from Harvard Medical School reveals that gratitude actually rewires our brains to make us happier, healthier, and more resilient. According to the article Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier, those who actively practice gratitude experience more positive emotions. They feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness. They even have stronger immune systems. With this in mind, the science is clear: gratitude isn’t just an emotion; it’s a powerful tool for creating a happier, more fulfilling life.

8 Ways Gratitude Boosts Happiness

In a blog post by Grateful.org, gratitude is highlighted as a powerful way to boost happiness through eight specific pathways.

1. Improved Relationships: Gratitude strengthens our connections with others, making us feel more valued and appreciated.
2. Enhanced Self-Worth: By focusing on what we’re grateful for, we shift our attention away from self-criticism, building a more positive self-image.
3. Greater Resilience: Gratitude provides perspective during difficult times, helping us focus on what we have instead of what we lack.
4. Reduced Stress: A focus on gratitude allows our minds to escape the stress cycle by emphasizing what’s going well.
5. Better Sleep: Practicing gratitude before bed can help calm the mind, setting us up for a restful night.
6. Boosted Physical Health: Studies have shown that grateful people tend to take better care of their health, engaging in behaviors like exercise, better nutrition, and regular check-ups.
7. Increased Empathy and Kindness: Gratitude enhances our ability to see the good in others, making us more understanding and compassionate.
8. Sustained Positive Emotions: Over time, gratitude promotes a more lasting sense of joy by helping us savor the small moments in life.

When we practice gratitude, we train our minds to notice the beauty and kindness around us. And over time, that shift in perspective builds a happier, more fulfilling life.

Gratitude and the 24 Character Strengths

In positive psychology, gratitude is recognized as one of the 24 Character Strengths. According to the VIA Character Institute, these strengths are like a toolkit for a fulfilling life. And gratitude is a powerful piece of that toolkit. Gratitude is a strength that can be developed, practiced, and embodied. It has the power to influence our outlook and enrich our lives.

If you haven’t taken the VIA Character Strengths assessment, I encourage you to do so. It’s a free tool that helps you understand your unique strengths, showing how gratitude fits into the larger picture of who you are. When we recognize gratitude as a core strength, we give ourselves permission to lean into it, using it as a foundation for growth, connection, and resilience.

Gratitude Through Life’s Challenges: An Exercise in Resilience

One of the most beautiful aspects of gratitude is its ability to ground us even in challenging times. Life is filled with moments of both joy and struggle. Although it’s easy to feel grateful when things are going well, real growth happens when we find ways to appreciate life’s difficulties too.

Try this exercise: Think of someone or something you’re deeply grateful for. Let yourself feel the warmth and fullness of that gratitude. Now, imagine going back in time to see all the steps that led to that moment. Perhaps there were difficult situations, unexpected turns, or even losses along the way. We may not have felt grateful in those moments, but looking back, we can see how each one was a stepping stone that led us here. Recognizing this can be incredibly empowering—it reminds us that even our struggles can bear gifts.

This perspective is echoed in the inspiring story of a young man who lost his leg at age 10, yet through it, found a deep sense of resilience. In a powerful video, he shares how embracing gratitude gave him the strength to rebuild his life, focusing not on what was lost but on what could be gained. His story is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, gratitude offers us a way forward, helping us find light amid shadows.

Daily Gratitude: Building a Happier, More Resilient Life

Research shows that gratitude becomes even more powerful when we make it part of our daily routine. When we approach each day with an open heart, looking for moments of beauty and kindness, we start to notice more good things. Our lives begin to feel more peaceful and joyful because we’re actively tuning into the gifts around us. Small, consistent acts of gratitude—like keeping a gratitude journal, expressing appreciation to loved ones, or simply taking a moment to savor something beautiful—can create lasting happiness.

But practicing gratitude every day isn’t about glossing over the hard stuff or pretending everything is perfect. It’s about choosing to see the good that exists alongside the challenges. Harvard’s research shows that when we regularly practice gratitude, we not only feel happier in the moment, but we also cultivate a lasting sense of contentment. We begin to find joy in the present instead of waiting for things to get “better.” This shift in perspective brings us a deep sense of peace.

Imagine, for a moment, starting each day with a sense of openness, asking yourself, “What am I grateful for today?” Over time, this simple habit becomes transformative. You’ll begin to notice beauty in places you might not have noticed before. As well as experience a deeper connection with yourself and those around you.

When we practice embracing gratitude for a happier, resilient life, we’re choosing to build a reserve of positivity that supports us through life’s inevitable challenges. The beauty of gratitude is that it’s available to us at any moment. Whether we’re celebrating a joyful occasion or navigating a difficult one, it’s a tool for seeing the bigger picture. As well as for recognizing that even in the most challenging circumstances, there is something to be grateful for.

Join Our 10-Day Gratitude Challenge

You now see how transfmormative gratitude is. How it’s something that can be cultivated with intention. If you’re ready to start embracing gratitude for a happier, resilient life, I invite you to join me in our 10-day Gratitude Challenge,  which starts on November 19 and culminates on Thanksgiving Day. Over these ten days, we’ll explore different ways to bring gratitude into our lives. From reflecting on past blessings, to appreciating the present moment. Each day, we’ll take a step closer to cultivating a practice that not only brings happiness but also strengthens our ability to face life’s ups and downs with grace.

This journey is a chance to dive deeper, to discover the power of gratitude, and to make it a part of who we are. When we look through the lens of gratitude, we see that even the hardest moments carry the seeds of beauty, strength, and transformation and we begin to make it a practice that stays with us long after November ends.

Here’s to a season of gratitude—and to a happier, more resilient life.

The post Embracing Gratitude for a Happier Resilient Life appeared first on Eclectic Well-Being.

Teaching Aqua Yoga I have had a number of students comment about the temperature of the water. Usually that it’s too cold and it can’t be the stated temperature of 84 degrees. Even in St Croix, a number of guests felt the water to be cold and wanted to ensure our next practice would be when the sun was bright and high in the sky. Not early in the morning as they thought at that time of day, the water would be too cold.

Made sense to me. The water would warm up during the day and of course, would be colder in the morning and warmer in the afternoon.

But…

One guest had brought a thermometer to check our human observation of the senses and scientifically measure the temperature. And guess what?

The temperature barely changed. The water in the pool maintained between 84 and 86 degrees every time we looked at it!

But how could that be? The water definitely felt colder at times and warmer at other times.

I am not a scientist, but I believe it all has to do with the temperature of the air. When the air temp exceeded the temperature of the water, the water felt cold, regardless of its real temperature. And when the air temp was below the air temperature, the water felt warm and enjoyable.  It didn’t’ matter the actual temperature of the water. Our perception changed based on what was happening outside the water. The temperature was constant, but the temperature of the air was not.

We are like the consistent water temperature.

Who we are on the inside is sort of like the temperature of the water, it fluctuates, but only slightly. However, it may not seem that way based on what is happening outside of us.

When we are faced with adversity, our sympathetic nervous system may kick in and we may seem angry or sad. But WE are NOT anger or sadness, we are still the person we have always been.

Or perhaps when faced with a challenge, we step up. We become laser-focused and determined. Did we change or is it the outside situation that is simply highlighting a part of us that has always been there?

Life can bring turmoil to our lives. It can bring joy to our lives. Yet, no matter the circumstances, aren’t we still that same person? The perception of who we are seems to change. In reality, it is what is happening on the outside that brings about that illusion.

Most of the time, not always, as sometimes we do make significant changes in our disposition, but for the most part, who we are is consistent. Our values are at our core, and they lead us through each situation.

It is the situation that changes, not us.

VIA Character Strengths

This is how I’ve gained a better understanding of the VIA Character Strengths, a tool I use in my coaching practice. In the early part of this century, Martin Seligman and Christopher Peterson led a 3-year study to research, and classify the positive aspects or traits found in human beings. They studied cultures across the globe, throughout time, and even pop culture. This culminated in a list of 24 Character Strengths, classified within 6 virtues, and the movement to focus individual awareness on the positive aspects of what makes us who we are.

VIA stands for Values in Action. I see these character strengths as 24 human values. Values we all possess, but in different ways. Thus, making each of us a unique personality, a unique individual. This study is at the forefront of the positive psychology movement.

Positive psychology is about focusing on what is right with us, rather than what is wrong with us. We spend so much time in our lives trying to correct our flaws, instead of focusing our energies on our positive qualities. Research shows that when we focus on the positive and let go of our negatives, we are happier. We achieve more. We become who we are meant to be.

Our Values are Consistent

For the most part, our values, our character strength profile, remain consistent. I’ve taken the survey a number of times. And although some strengths move a bit, there hasn’t been a groundbreaking change without me mindfully working at it. (Zest is one that I mindfully worked at and moved higher up on the scale, meaning I now use it more often. It was always there, I simply decided I wanted to use more of it. You can read more about that journey in my eclectic thoughts from 4/15/2021)

You see, it’s because we are who we are; a unique individual being with our own way of living and seeing the world.

When the world presents different situations, we utilize what is already inside of us to navigate through the challenges. It’s not that we changed, the outside world has changed and thus the perception of reactions may seem different. But just like the temperature of the water in the pool was consistently between 84 and 86 degrees, we are consistent in who we are, in our values in action.

Look at it another way. We all have the value or character strength of love. We all have a relationship, whether it be a friend, partner, parent, or caregiver that we actively love. Yet, we may not always show it. It’s not that our love for them changes, the external world changes. Perhaps they need our support, so we call them daily, check in and lend a hand. But then there are times they are busy with their lives, maybe their career or studies, and we don’t talk to them for weeks or even months. Did our love for them change? No, the circumstances outside of us changed.

We are the temperature of the water.

We are constant. Without intention, we don’t change. Our circumstances and the world around us changes, bringing out different aspects of our Internal Self. But those different aspects are always there.

Curious to know more about your Character Strength Profile?  Take the free survey and schedule a discovery call with me!  Discover what makes you, well you!

Or join me on Thursday, May 19 for a Free Workshop – Create You, where you will learn you will discover 3 Simple tools to Create the Life You Crave, one of them being using your character strengths!

The post Things Aren’t Always What They Seem appeared first on Eclectic Well-Being.

I’ve been on hiatus from writing for the last month. I decide to consciously spend time with family and friends. Which got me thinking. I talk a lot of consciously creating a life and body you love, but what really do I mean by that?

When Mark and I decided to create Eclectic Well-Being, we had a vision of helping people gain clarity on their well-being, including their health, their mindset, and their relationships. We struggled for years creating and recreating our lives. It wasn’t until the kids were in college and after I turned 50 that we went inward, finding ourselves again. And once we started yoga and then mindset work, we realized we were actually creating our lives. We were Consciously Creating our days, our goals, and our activities.

Consciously creating your life takes 3 steps, the first being, understanding your spiritual vision, your reason for being, your why.

What’s Your Why?

Do you know your why? Your reason for getting up each morning. I believe it changes over the course of our lives, but the changes are more a difference in interpretation. How we live our why. Take Oprah. As a child, she wanted to be a teacher. She wanted to be known for inspiring her students to be more than they thought they could be. Although she landed up as a talk show host, isn’t she teaching and inspiring us all?

I remember years ago, maybe just a few years after Mark and I were married, in an argument, asking Mark what his purpose was. He looked at me like deer in headlights. He had no idea.  At that point in my life my why was to raise my kids to be independent. To be compassionate and loving. To be their own person.  Being unique and being who they were meant to be was important to me. I never wanted my kids, or anyone to pretend to be someone they aren’t.  Mark at that point in his life didn’t have the mindfulness and mindset training to understand his purpose yet.

The Values Exercise

However, he had recently joined BNI and their founder, Ivan Misner co-wrote a book, Whose In Your Room. I picked it up and work through the exercises. Chapter 24 was my favorite as it’s all about your values and your values dictate your why. It’s the first step to truly understand your why.

The exercise starts with first understanding the importance of consciously (yes, the book actually uses that word) identifying your values. Because when you acknowledge them, you are more apt to actually live them.  When presented with what to do in our lives, we can use our values to make our decisions and ensure our actions are aligned with our higher being, our values.

The book provides 4 steps: 1) Identify the times when you were the happiest. 2) List the times when you felt a sense of pride. 3) Identify the times when you were most fulfilled and satisfied. 4)Determine your top values based on your past experiences of happiness, pride and fulfillment.

The results of this exercise are still saved as a note on my phone It’s there to remind me whenever I’m struggling on a decision.

Each of my top values has a declaration that goes with it, a personal context of how one views the particular value. Below is what I wrote on August 6, 2014, and was probably the first step I took in consciously creating the life I have now.

Honesty/ Trust

Trust is the foundation of any relationship. Whether it is professional, volunteer, family, or friends, if there is no trust and honesty between each person, the relationship is bound to fail or end in disappointment for one or both parties. Originally, I had authenticity separate, but have now included here since an honest person is also authentic, as to be authentic, one must be honest with themselves.  If one cannot be honest with themselves, they will find it very difficult to be honest with others.

Nature

Nature is my god. When people comment about their faith, I look at nature and feel in awe.  Nature has a way of living each day, creating beauty over time, and recognizing that everything has a purpose. I would rather be out in nature any day of the week then be indoors or be in a city or museum or church.  The beauty that just happens is more than any religion can give me. Nature and all its beauty is my faith in life and living every moment.

Contribution

Contribution is the value that connects me to others and to the world at large. I believe one must contribute something to this world, that we are all unique in our mix of qualities and that we are each meant to bring something to this life. Although I may not believe in God, I do believe we all touch each other’s lives without even knowing it. This must be the reason I love the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. He contributed to his family and community and didn’t really understand how many lives he touched.

Learning and Personal Growth

I value learning and personal growth because I believe this is what keeps our minds active. Our individual learning leads to a community of learning and I know some may object, or call me snobbish, but by better understanding the world, sciences, math, etc , it is then we can improve human life and this world we live in.  Ignorance solves nothing. Ignorance cannot contribute to society. Ignorance leads to misunderstandings. Thus, I truly believe everyone must strive to continuously improve themselves, to improve our world.

Leadership/Mentoring/Coaching

I get enormous joy from mentoring young people. This is why I stay so involved in Sigma Kappa and why I am pursuing a second career in teaching.  I enjoy and value leadership because it is a way to pass along knowledge and if I value knowledge – I want to share that knowledge with others.  This is how the world can improve, people can better understand and begin to also value knowledge and personal growth.

Travel/ Explore

I wasn’t sure if this was one of my values but after realizing my happiest memories are of traveling to new and old places and spending time just exploring I realized how much I do value travel as another way to learn and grow while also just learning to relax and enjoy nature. Travel allows me to really enjoy those values in a more focused way.

Commitment/Dependable

These in my humble opinion, are good behavior values. Someone should not commit to something if they have no intention of keeping that commitment.  When making commitments, one should not take it lightly. If they are unsure they can follow thru, they should be honest.  Once a promise is made, it should take something quite serious to break it. This goes in personal relationships, like marriage, work projects, volunteer assignments, and anything we have made a commitment to.  This is highlighted in my desire to always be punctual.

Yes this was written over 7 years ago, and all are still relevant today.

I highly recommend that even if you think you know your why, that you do this exercise. If nothing else, it will provide you a manifesto of your spiritual vision to share or keep somewhere just in case you need it!

VIA Character Strengths

Another option, not exactly the same, but can also help you define your purpose, is to know your Character Strengths. VIA Character Strengths are defined as the positive personality traits that define your unique identity. Just like our values can be used and interpreted differently, so can your character strengths, which makes each of us unique! You can take your Free VIA Character Strength Survey at http://eclecticwellbeing.pro.viasurvey.org and then schedule a call with me if you’d like to review.

In next week’s Eclectic Thoughts, we’ll tackle the second step of consciously creating a life you love and that is Visualizing and Finding Clarity of the life you want to live.

Till next week……..

The post What It Means to Consciously Create a Life You Love appeared first on Eclectic Well-Being.

It’s something I spent most of my life taking for granted.

Sure I was grateful for things. But living every day in gratitude? My life didn’t seem that way.

I was raised to say “Thank you.”

Taught that it’s polite to send thank you cards. Was told to eat what was on my plate, be thankful for it since there were others who were starving.

But to embody the spirit of gratitude, that was missing from my life.

When I first took the VIA Character Strengths survey, Gratitude was one of my lower middle strengths, coming in with a ranking of 3.5 out of 5. VIA Character Strengths, this is a system designed by scientists in the positive psychology world that identifies your unique character strength profile. It is a classification of 24 positive traits we all possess, but use in different combinations and in different ways, which makes us each unique. This survey measures which ones you use on a regular basis, your signature strengths, and then ranks the others in order of your preference. Those at the bottom of the list are not weaknesses, just those that one uses less often, or maybe under only certain conditions.

So gratitude was number 16 on my list, but the score of 3.5 making it somewhat like me.

I wanted it to be more like me.

It was 2018 and I had recently left my corporate career, bought a yoga studio and become a Life Coach. I thought Gratitude would be a more significant part of me bein a yogi and all. We had a gratitude jar at the studio. At the end of class I shared quotes and poems on gratitude. I had done the social media gratitude challenge in 2016. I felt like something was wrong with me! I’m surrounded by gratitude, but it’s not even close to being one of my signature strengths! My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, in part because there are no gifts. Just love, family and friends.

Am I not grateful?

The Monkey Mind was at it again! There is nothing wrong with me.

That’s what I love about looking at gratitude through the lens of positive psychology and how this survey was designed.

Gratitude is a part of who I am. I may not use it all the time, and perhaps I could do more to embody it, but it is still a positive aspect of me! I simply use other strengths more often!

And if you think of it, if we all had Gratitude as our number 1 strength, and we all used it ALL the time as our go to strength, we may all start taking it for granted. And there would be less diversity in life.

So even though I know that gratitude is a part of me, I still want to embrace or more fully embody it. I’ve been observing life, coaching others, joining in masterminds, and what I find weaved throughout is that those that are happiest and most successful, all radiate Gratitude!

How could I strengthen my gratitude? Make it even more like me?

I decided back in 2018 I would not only do the social media Gratitude challenge again, I would also make it an annual ritual. Every November I would focus my energy on embodying gratitude. Taking time each day to acknowledge the big and small things in my life that I am truly grateful for. It is my annual Gratitude Check-Up! Making sure it stays strong and I’m hoping gets stronger!

This year I am at it again.

I am posting each day to my social media accounts what I am grateful for. I recall back in 2016 many others taking part, but this year, I’ve only seen one other person post.

Would you like to join me? Would you like to give yourself a Gratitude Check-Up? Give that strength a work-out?

Gratitude is one of 5 VIA Character strengths that have a strong connection to happiness. Having more gratitude, we find more joy and happiness! When we are grateful, we feel more connected to our lives, we are engaged, and our lives have greater meaning.

Wherever gratitude is in your Character Strength Profile, (take the survey to find out), it doesn’t hurt to focus 30 days out of the year to keep that gratitude spirit strong!

So, post what you are grateful for on any of the social media platforms: Facebook, IG and LinkedIn. Post daily, post weekly or just post one time! Then tag Eclectic Well-Being and use hashtag #eclecticgratitude! We will share someone’s post each day with intent to spread gratitude and thus spread happiness!

What are you grateful for?

The post Why I spend 30 Days Focused on Gratitude appeared first on Eclectic Well-Being.