Gratitude

In the spirit of Thanksgiving…

I reflect often on gratitude, as most people do this time of year. A lot of personal development exercises have you ponder on gratitude. You hear about how important it is for happiness and seeing things positivity.

Why do we need gratitude?
We need gratitude because we need people. Upon birth, we are dependent on our parents for survival. Being able to pay it forward or give back, gives positive reinforcement. Okay, okay, I’m an Ayn Rand enthusiast. And sometimes, altruism can be a bit frustrating or not very apparent. To some people, it is natural and essential. But, for selfish people, sometimes it is forced. At least for me. But what happens when I do force it? It forces me to see the positive.

I believe in manners, and say thank you and please a lot. But since I started a regimen of personal and spiritual development, I take care to do meaningful gratitude. And really putting some elbow grease into it!

An example? I am doing a 90 day business enhancement project, inspired by Chalene Johnson. Of ten things, the fourth is to do something every week during those 90 days to make your significant other feel significant. If you don’t have a relationship partner, then it’s your best friend, your sister, your kid, whoever is significant in your life. I have a list written out for my boyfriend, and the first was a letter and drawing I wanted to make for him. It takes some effort to put down how I feel. But if I don’t express that, how would he know?? How often do those we love, get to hear it from us? Especially in a meaningful, thought out letter or way.

Sometimes we have to put in more effort and force the positivity. That doesn’t mean it’s any less meaningful.

I encourage you to engage in some meaningful gratitude- go out of your way to make people feel special this holiday season. You’ll be surprised how making others feel good can make yourself feel good!

Why are my posts not all about development and WordPress and marketing?

I am, like you, your partner, your gardener, a dynamic individual with a million stories and thoughts in my past and my future. I wanted a blog to show some of my personality and struggles and movement, to be the dynamic part of this otherwise static portfolio. And hopefully inspire, comfort, or help someone. These posts are not riddled with keyword-rich phrases because I do enough of that for clients. I am a different kind of developer, with communication and people skills and a desire to use my skills for good. Let’s build a culture together, I can’t wait!