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 •
At Vimeo, Conscious Living TV (Twitter user @ConsciousTV) gives us “The Power of Gratitude,” a short (5:20) interview with Rev. Michael Beckwith, founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center and a principle in Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret.
•
YouTube user Annasamovar, Bo Sanchez, the “Preacher in Blue Jeans,” (Brand new Twitter user @BoSanchez) gives us a Christian-flavored take on gratitude with “Gratitude is wealth.”
• This is The New Stuff •
At Dream Manifesto, (Twitter user @DreamManifesto) Drs. Blair & Rita Justice share “The Effects of Gratitude on Your State of Mind,” which takes an interesting look at some of the physiology of gratitude.
•
Joanne Mayhead at My Unlimited Abundance offers us “How to keep a gratitude journal,” some good suggestions on getting and keeping the ball rolling.
•
Stephanie at Keeper of the Home gives us “Gratitude and a Little Bit of Housekeeping,” wherein a coincidence (are there such things?) gave the family a chance to save a large stand-alone freezer full of food.
•
Xing Ping at American Buddhism gives us “Master Sheng Yen on Gratitude,” a surprising reflection on institutionalized gratitude in traditional Chinese culture.
•
Elizabeth Foss at In the Heart of My Home gives us “Gratitude and Patience,” wisdom on the power of gratitude, that, in my opinion, transcends the religious context and speaks Truth.
•
At Jobing.com, Quinn McDonald (Twitter user @QuinnCreative) gives us “Gratitude Journal: New Age Hype or Useful Tool?” gives us some wonderfully blunt — even curmudgeon-like — commentary in begrudgingly approaching gratitude.
•
Interesting one: E-kontakt.se, a very Swedish … dating site? (I think) posted a page of very good “Gratitude Quotes” … in plain English. I’m not sure what this means, but they’re worth reading.
And if you’re looking and can read Swedish, then maybe the site has a little more to offer.
• Oldy but Goody •
Speaking of guidance for gratitude journals, Quinn McDonald at her own weblog QuinnCreative, also gave us, back in November, “Gratitude Journal, Step By Step,” with a half-dozen pointers to help make it happen.
•
Stay tuned for the next Gratitude Watch.
• • •
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.
My name is 
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Daniel – Thank you for highlighting my post on your blog. It is much appreciated.
Best wishes
Joanne
Sometimes we forget that gratitude has short term benefits in addition to the long term ones. But notice how gratitude makes you feel in the moment. A grateful state of mind feels good right now. So as we become familiar with the joy associated with gratitude, we naturally want to cultivate it to a greater degree.
@Joannne — Thanks for the comment. I appreciate good material.
@Jonathan — Thank you for that. I wonder if our friend Dragos might actually argue that finding gratitude in the moment is “being” grateful, and this is how we really bring it into our being. Not to be argumentative, of course. I don’t care how a person learns the value of gratitude, as long as they learn it. People plus real gratitude equals better people.
How gratitude became real to me was mostly due to some significant emotional experiences — experiences in the present moment … “back then” … of such overwhelming impact that they will stay with me my whole life. Hopefully others are more intelligent than I am in that they can learn the value of gratitude through less traumatic means …
I guess the benefits of those Gratitude Watch’s for you are immense. I only start to feel those for me now. It’s a great and meaningful project.
Dragos –
Thanks for that. These really are my gratitude “practice,” though my intent is to bring value to others. (Can’t help but rub off.)
The audience for Gratitude Watch is small, really, but a very enthusiastic one. I hope over time the material I have found has gotten incrementally better, as I become better at finding items with solid value or something new in them I hadn’t run across before.
I truly enjoy perusing these tidbits you find, Daniel. It’s nice to read about positivity and gratitude when so much out there these days is negative.
Angela –
Thank you. Comments like yours — and Dragos’ and Jonathan’s — reinforce to me the value in gathering these kinds of materials in one place. It is appreciated.
– Daniel