A Recipe for Appreciation Day

 

It’s Thanksgiving time again. I like to think of it as Appreciation Day. We in the U.S. were not the first to have Thanksgiving Day.

“The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth” (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

But we are happy to carry on this heart-felt tradition. As Kim Allen, from HeartMath says, “Thankfulness. Admiration. Understanding. Gratitude. These are all aspects of a powerful human emotion we call appreciation. Science shows us when we feel appreciation all systems in the body, including the brain, work in greater harmony. A sincere feeling of appreciation has the power to change how we see our lives and the world around us.”

In this hurried-up, fragmented, frenzied world we seem to live in, it’s more important than ever to feel sincere appreciation. You can do it by stopping for as little as 30 seconds to close your eyes, focus on breathing through your heart, and think about someone or something you are truly and deeply thankful for.

Here are some other tips from HeartMath to feel more appreciation every day:

• Every day tell someone – a friend, loved one or co-worker – one thing you appreciate about them.
• Find three things to appreciate about a tough situation you’re facing. I promise: # 2 and #3 are easier than #1!
• On your way to work, appreciate the scenery. It sure beats worrying about all you have to do!
• When you pick up the phone or answer an email, find one thing to appreciate about the person on the other end. You don’t always have to say it; feeling it is what’s important.
• Once a week, take turns sharing what it is everyone appreciates about each other around the dinner table.
• Make a list of all you appreciate about yourself.

And, here’s a “rampage of appreciation” from an Abraham-Hicks workshop that puts it all into perspective:

Script Your Own Horoscope for Happiness

If you’re like millions of people around the world, you check out your horoscope from time to time in the newspaper, magazines or online. It’s entertaining and fun to see what the “stars” predict for you based on your Sun sign, or even more details about your astrological chart. It can also create an attitude of expectation, good or bad, for what is about to happen in your life. Even though we know intellectually that the horoscope predictions do not control what unfolds in our lives, it remains in the back of our minds as an attitude that influences our behavior and feelings.

I have studied astrology a bit and have enjoyed the insights about my personality and temperament that it has given me. When it comes to predictions, I take it with the proverbial grain of salt. It’s become a sort of game that I play with myself to see what “energies” are likely to surround me and how my life turns out. I subscribe to an automated email service called PlanetForecast by some of my favorite professional astrologers at stariq.com, Jeff Jawer and Rick Levine.

ORANGE, CA – JUNE 5: The planet Venus passes before the sun, a very rarely-seen event, on June 5, 2012 near Orange, California. The transit of Venus involves the planet Venus crossing in front of the sun. The last time it was seen in California was 1882 and the next pair of events will not happen again until the year 2117 and 2125. The transit of Venus across the sun has been seen only seven times since the telescope was invented. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

 

My PlanetForecast for today was exhilarating:

“Nov 04, 2012
Transiting Venus Conjunct Natal Sun

FEELING WORTH IT…YOU ARE
This is definitely not a bad hair day, as you’ll feel especially beautiful, and everyone one else will notice you too. Today is the day you will catch someone’s eye. With your confidence moving into high gear, take a risk and shoot for the Moon, perhaps by asking for that raise or promotion. Things should go your way, but only if you’re charming and disarming, not alarming. Contact an old friend you need to patch things up with.”

In my experience over the years, I’ve noticed that the energies show up in my life a couple of days before the exact day of the transit described in the PlanetForecast. So, when I was out and about last night with a friend, I had fun expecting that I would have fun, feel good, and things would go my way. And they did!

As I was lying in bed and savoring the day’s experiences, I had the thought that I should write my own “happyscope” like this for every day and go through my day with the same happy, fun, positive expectations. It’s certainly worth a try! I encourage you to try it, too. I’d love to hear from you about how it goes.

 

 

 

 

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