Welcome to Gratitude Watch.
Gratitude Watch is an eye on the internet for news, articles, videos, and other items, all focusing on the subject of gratitude. For more on my intent on these postings, see About Gratitude Watch.
So … let’s rock!
• Something Visual •
TED Talks (Technology, Entertainment, Design) gives us “Dan Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren’t we happy?” – a thoughtful and at moments very funny presentation that “challenges the idea that we’ll be miserable if we don’t get what we want.” (Not a quick view — over 21 minutes, but worth it.)
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A Note: I prefer starting “Gratitude Watch” with something visual, but I am finding that it is becoming more difficult to find material of the calibre that I would prefer. Rather than go with lower quality material, I’d much rather go with more substantial material even it it’s significantly longer, such as these TED Talks.
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If you are aware of material I may not have found, or even have material you have created yourself, feel free to contact me and I’ll take a look.
• The “League of Gratitude” •
- As I’ve mentioned prior, I’ve added a new category of links I call The “League of Gratitude,” folks that have been frequent contributors to Gratitude Watch.
Dragos Roua at eDragonu – the choice of a personal path, gives us “The Gratitude Experiment – Follow Up,” which is just that, following up on his January 11 article “The Gratitude Experiment.” In this, Dragos candidly evaluates his own progress and need for discipline in the practice of gratitude journaling.
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Jonathan at The Year of Gratitude offers “Courage Wanted: Inquire Within,” wherein he proposes something utterly revolutionary in standard business practices, something that really shouldn’t be revolutionary at all. (Hint: it has something to do with gratitude.)
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Brenda Arnall at It’s a New Day gives us “The Blessing Of Lessons,” recalling a relationship she will always remember in gratitude. She also includes another “blessing” in her gratitude journal craft project, for you crafty folks out there.
• This is The New Stuff •
Valerie Saurer at Living Gratitude Blog offers “Solitude: Being Grateful for Peaceful Moments” — an acknowledgement of those quiet spaces, where “your entire being gets focused into that one moment, and time really does stand still.”
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Kathryn Britton at Positive Psychology News Daily, gives us “Applying the Science of Positive Psychology to Improve Society: Morning,” a partial summary of the Saturday, 24 January 2009 conference held at Claremont Graduate University. Why I included this summary is the nature of the content of the presentations … a “wow, really?” reaction from yours truly. Part of my reaction is that psychological well being has been quantified in positive psychology circles and is actively being measured, producing results that can be used to compare different societies.
Sure to be controversial, but the dialogue in itself will be interesting.
• Oldies but Goodies •
Finding quite a few older items out there today …
Jerry Lopper, posting at Suite101.com gives us “Be Happier with Gratitude and Optimism,” giving us the “good news” about research by positive psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky that points to effective ways in increasing our overall happiness.
Jerry Lopper is a life coach and author of two books, Personal Development 40 Best Articles on Cheering Up, Positive Attitude, Goal Setting, and much, much, more and Jump for Joy, Clearing the hurdles to an easy life. More about Jerry can be found at his site: The Balanced Life.
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Amy E. Willard at Courageous Motherhood gives us “Cultivating Gratitude: A How-to Guide for Moms,” explaining how gratitude can help mothers cope with times of stress.
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The 29 Day Giving Challenge – Changing Lives One Gift at a Time. Created by Cami Walker, the collective mission of the 29Gifts Movement “is to revive the giving spirit in the world.” Go take a peek. You might just join in.
(Thanks to Brenda Arnall for the tip.)
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For those who prefer a little sea spray with their gratitude, The Ocean of Gratitude cruise for 2009 features Michael Bernard Beckwith, his wife, and a veritable hoard of fellow presenters and practitioners, on March 14-22.
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Two of the presenters on the Ocean of Gratitude Cruise are sisters Jill Daniel and Mary Kay Cocharo, founders of The Gratitude Groove: a 40 Day Empowerment Program for Women Friends.
An overview of the idea behind The Gratitude Groove can be read at the sisters’ guest blog on Psychology Today, “Grateful Girlfriends Are The Best Stress Relievers.”
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Stay tuned for the next Gratitude Watch.
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If you have a substantive original posting about gratitude (please see my “About Gratitude Watch” page) feel free to email me a link through my contact page, or “tweet” me on Twitter.
© 2009, by Daniel Brenton. All Rights Reserved.
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