SOFT SKILLED LIVING WORKSHOP
LESSON TWO
THE VALUE OF THANKFULNESS
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
Epicurus
c.341-270 BC, Greek Philosopher
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”
Marcus T. Cicero
c. 106-43 BC, Great Roman Orator, Politician
What Life Trauma Survivor and their loved ones don’t understand the meaning of this word? On a separate sheet of paper write 50 things you are thankful today. Take a few minutes to list fifty things things, events or emotions. Each day, ponder over the things you are thankful for. As you repeat this process, you will find yourself experiencing more joy in your daily life. Your priorities become more refined and you will start to enjoy a much simpler path in life.
Every day is a balance of hardships and stressful events blended with patience and the invigorating spirit of thankfulness. This spirit of thankfulness combined with a humble spirit is the foundation of living in a balanced environment; not one of overwhelming crisis. Life is not an emergency. Don’t let this become a joy robber. Think of three stressful situations in your life that cause imbalance in your day. When one occurs, humbly reflect on all you are thankful for from your list. This mental exercise (visualization) will strengthen the emotion of joy you have captured and become your foundation of living in a balanced environment.
What are your three most stressful events that cause imbalance in your day? When these events occur, what will you visualize that you are thankful for?
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Instead of succumbing to these stressful occurrences, humbly flood your mind with all you are thankful for. Repeat this process (visualizing your end result), until the monster of stress has been defeated by the invigorating spirit of thankfulness.
In a world that seems so fast and selfish, it is sometimes hard to be thankful for the simple pleasures and gifts we have that are free.
Starting today, what negative filters I process life through am I going to change? Some examples would be pessimism, anger, gossiping or envy.
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What is the best advice I can give myself?
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This mental exercise of living a positive life will not always be easy. You owe yourself a good life. This is an important step in ‘learning how to love yourself so that you will be able to love your neighbor.” Remember to be patient with yourself, give yourself room to fail and use the value of thankfulness as the foundation of living in a balanced environment.
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Steve, theGoodWordGuy here, let’s move on to Lesson 3: The Victory of Hope.