Monday, March 3, 2014

Is Gratitude Relative?

Other Participants HERE
A month ago, I asked a group of writers to ponder the questions: How happy do they feel on a daily basis and How often do they consciously think about it? 

Then, I invited them to join me in watching a video that explored the idea of gratitude. I asked them  They were instructed to watch the video once every day and note the effects, if any, it had on them over the course of a month's time. Between March 3 - 5, they were to share their findings with us.

Feel free to visit the other participants and see what they discovered about gratitude in their lives.
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The video--found HERE--asks us the ponder whether or not there are steps we can take to learn to be in a state of constant happiness - gratitude. But that begs us to answer the question of what happiness really is.
  • When am I most happy/grateful?
  • Why am I most happy/grateful?
  • Do I find slivers of gratitude and happiness during trials? 
  • How do I see negatives in my life?

By formal definition from Dictionary.com, gratitude means the feeling of being grateful. Well, that's specific. From watching the video along with my experiences over this past month, I'm going to try and give gratitude a more specific definition. 
The essence of being grateful, thankful, or happy is all about attitude. It's about how I perceive the world around me and how I interact and react to events, instances, words, and happenings that are beyond my control. In other words, gratitude is a choice. It doesn't hang on what's happening to me or the world around me. 

Bad things happen to good people. We all know that. Nature keeps balance in ways we may not understand, like the death of a loved one or another lose that couldn't have come at a worse time. Choosing to be grateful despite negatives in our lives gives us power: power to forge ahead and power to be an inspiration to someone else. 

Just this past week I attended the funeral of a friend's twenty-two-year-old son. Talk about the realm of negativity - a parent losing a child. Who would blame them for being anything but bitter? 

But they weren't. Several family members stood to speak at the end of the service. Not one of them dwelled on the obvious fact that this young man's life was tragically cut short. Instead, each focused on what he had brought to their lives and to the world. They rejoiced in who his was and still is. They CHOSE to be grateful for the time they had with him instead of clinging to the new hole in their world now that he's gone.

Let me share a quote with you that I read over morning.
You attract what you are, not what you want.                                                                                          So if you want it, reflect it.
Brilliant, is it not? Meditating on what that statement truly means has made a huge difference in my life. It's washed away all my distractions--stripping away the layers of onion peel so I can see what's important. And what are my distractions? For the most part they are negatives in my life I perceive as obstacles.

But those obstacles can be easily washed away if I stop focusing on them. Focusing on them only gives them power. 

Let me ask you this: Wouldn't that power be put to better use on a positive in my life? (You bet.) In your life? 


My first Act of Random Gratitudeness is to offer my participants and all of you this little badge I created as a gift. ((Hugs)) I've included two sizes for your convenience. Copy it. Paste it on your site, your desktop, or wherever. Share it on social media or keep it private. It's my gift to you. I hope it helps remind you on a daily basis of just how cool you really are.

SPLAT: Don't forget to ENTER the KINDLE FIRE giveaway I'm a part of, where TWO Kindle Fires are up for grabs.
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Saturday, March 1, 2014

Two KINDLES Up 4 Grabs!!!

HAPPY SATURDAY!!! 
I don't think I've ever posted on a weekend, so this is new to me.
*waves frantically to all weekend lovers!* 

 I decided to participate in another KINDLE Giveaway. It's a great opportunity to give you a chance to simply win a FREE KINDLE. Who doesn't like free stuff? And a KINDLE, at that. Just ENTER. Honestly, what do you have to lose other than the five minutes it will take you to chose your entries on the Rafflecopter. And really, those five minutes are an investment in a possible gift for yourself or maybe a loved one.

  March 2014 Kindle
Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)   This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT! Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HDX 7".

All New Kindle Fire HDX 7" Giveaway
Details 1 winner will receive their choice of an all new Kindle Fire 7" HDX (US Only - $229 value), $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash (International). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire HDX 7". 
Ends 3/31/14


The winner will have 
the option of receiving 
7" Kindle Fire HDX 
(US Only - $229 Value)

 
Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)

March Kindle Fire Sponsors
I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
Feed Your Reader
The Ripple Effect Romance Series
Bound 4 Escape
Fae Books
Author Mary Ting
Giddy Over YA
The Loopy Librarian
Bea’s Book Nook
Laurie Here
Bella Street’s Weird Romance
Bonnie Blythe’s Pure Romance
Immortal Ink Publishing
Owl Always Be Reading
Author Alecia Stone
Author Heather Gray
Author Camelia Miron Skiba
Author Kimber Leigh Wheaton
The Reporter and The Girl
Author Rae Z. Ryans
The Storybook Kingdom
Loren Secretts
Elizabeth Woodrum
Paige Ryan
Lori’s Reading Corner
Author Melissa McClone
Author M.A. George
Author Inger Iversen
Lena Sledge
Author David Pandolfe
Andrea R. Cooper, Author
Emily Hemmer, Author
Author Jennifer Faye
SA Larsen, KidLit Author - ME!!!
More Than a Review
The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something year Old Girl
My Story That I Like Best
Meredith & Jennifer’s Musings
Ally Shields
Author Carol Davis Luce
Author Steven Brown
Author Danielle Annett
The Girl Raised by Books
The Stubby Pencil
The YA Buzz
Author Ednah Walters
Author DiDi Hendley
Barbara Silkstone
Addicted Readers
Reviews from a Bookworm
Amid Summer Night Dreams
Hallowed Ink Press
Jennifer Allis Provost
Author Rosanne Rivers
Author MK McClintock
Elizabeth Parkinson Bellows
DE Division of Energy & Climate
Awesome Romance Novels
Want to sign up to sponsor the next Kindle Fire Giveaway? Take a peek HERE.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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