Rox’s Story – Finding love in myself
Before I began practicing gratitude I had just broken up from a long-term relationship and was in a very dark place.
I saw my life as just getting through each day and found myself constantly crying at any little thing that reminded me of the person I was with before. I felt broken, lost and so lonely.
I learned about the art of practicing gratitude from a self-development course that I did and from that moment onwards a light appeared and possibilities began to open up for me.
Your perspective changes. Your heart feels at peace. You really appreciate the little things, the people in your life, your life.
I was now inspired and open to love again. To love me again was the biggest struggle and the most rewarding gift that I could give myself.
I learned to look after myself again, to go out and meet new people. I had no real “friends” just people I knew but no one that would ask me, “Hey, want to hang out or go for dinner?”
I took a deep plunge into the unknown and began to be open to what was possible and realized that I was the one that was limiting myself.
To break through the boundaries that we impose on ourselves in our minds stops us from that connection with others – for so long it was just me and this person that I was with, jealousy was a third person in our relationship which prevented us from having those connections with others.
I wanted to start practicing gratitude to see the beauty in the mundane. To see myself in the mirror and not be so hard and compare myself to all the people I see on social media but to be open and know that I am worthy and I am grateful for the God-given body that I am in and the mind that I have.
I found the Gratitude app like a breath of fresh air to remind me to reconnect to be grateful in my heart and mind. I had heard that men had to be a certain way and I had a checklist in mind to find the “right one” but when I gave that up I was open to so much more and found the love of my life was in front of me and within 2 years we got married, have a house and now a little baby.
I feel so blessed and grateful to have gone through this journey, to grow and to fall in love with myself again allowing someone else to love me wholly. Thank you.
Gratitude- The One Thing We All Need
Gratitude – The One Thing We All Need
We all know that gratitude is helpful and is a major cause of happiness. But, it’s even more than that. Find out here why we need gratitude in our lives.
What is something simple yet life-transforming? What can give you the most joyful perspective? What can help you form beautiful, lasting relationships? What can most effectively inspire happiness? And, what can (along with empathy) drastically change our society? You guessed it – Gratitude.
There’s a reason that in therapy, psychologists often recommend keeping a gratitude journal. The feeling and expression of gratitude is something that decorates your life without changing anything.
Regrettably, it’s one of those things that are so underestimated that they’re forgotten or worse, considered unreliable.
Take this blog post as a reminder that at any given time some amount of gratitude will help you as you go through your days. Who knows, it might be what saves you too.
Word of a friend: Keep in mind, that gratitude is not always whole, joyful, and overwhelmingly ecstatic. It’s sometimes just a warm hand to comfort the tears, just a reassurance in an ocean of fears, just a soft nod in the depths of desperate prayers.
You don’t have to have happiness to feel grateful. And, yes, just because it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. But here’s why we must plow through and latch on to it:
1. It changes everything without changing anything
2. It helps improve your relationships significantly
3. It makes you a better person for the world
Why We Need Gratitude
1. Gratitude changes everything without changing anything
Gratitude is a lens, a perspective, a shift. As soon as we honestly switch it on, there’s a brightness of awareness. Suddenly, your mundane bedroom is noticeably valuable.
You’re grateful for the reliable bed you sleep and rest on, the warm blanket that protects you, and the frames on the wall that tell tales of eternal memories.
The bedside table that carries your diaries, the painting that your friend made of you on your birthday, and the speakers that sing your favorite tunes.
The windows that welcome light in, the balm that softens your lips, and if I promise to write it all, it might not end very soon.
All of this, and it’s only brushing the surface, is what I’m fortunate to have. This sudden awareness of blessings all around you and the warm feeling of gratitude for them is magical.
It’s what all of a sudden makes me realize that even if I spent half of my day worrying about a genuinely important matter, I can take a step back and know that all is not wrong.
Gratitude gives you hope and strength during times of distress. It’s that friend who walks alongside you without saying a word, who squeezes your shoulder when you need it, who reminds you to take a moment and know that it’s okay to relax, that it’s going to get better but they’re with you even when it isn’t.
Related: How to Enjoy Life As It Is
2. Gratitude helps ameliorate your relationships significantly
I think one of the main reasons that relationships suffer is that we start taking each other for granted.
That supposed honeymoon phase (in all types of relationships) owes its charm not just to novelty, but heightened patience, appreciation of each characteristic, efforts in ideation, and the fear of loss.
As time passes and we are sure of someone’s presence, we become comfortable and also start slacking. Even people who have good parents tend to not value them in each moment as they should.
Enter Gratitude, the healing light growing plants of taking notice, listening, patience, respect, adoration, and also the knowledge that what we have is precious and could very well be lost if we’re not careful.
Goes without saying, walk away from people that hold you down and harm your health. And, honor the ones that lift your spirits and treat you well.
I saw a video once of a bride and groom writing letters to each other for a time in the future when they would have their first fight.
Gratitude is that perspective. It brings you back to knowing how much you love and want that person and what they mean to you. Today, to everyone that you love, express your gratitude. A small step but with everlasting imprint.
Related: 40 Ways to Show Your Partner You Love and Appreciate Them
3. Gratitude makes you a better person for the world
As Gratitude heightens your awareness, you acknowledge the infinite ways that the world supports your life. It helps you recognize the things that you might be doing unconsciously that were causing harm to others.
You become grateful for everything that you receive and cherish each drop of water that nourishes you. Grateful people reduce waste, reduce suffering, and commit to making the world a better place in any way that they can.
As our planet now suffers because of countless recurrent mistakes, it is gratitude for our home which will make us protect and replenish it.
Related: 50 Swami Vivekanand Quotes for Deep Wisdom
As I said in the beginning, gratitude and empathy might be the two things that will help us save our home and build a beautiful society. Let us not take them lightly, but plant their trees in our hearts.
I wish you beautiful days. Also, if you found this helpful, let your friends and family know about it too 🙂 Take care.
Read Next 👉 Why Empathy Is One of the Most Important Life Skills
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Aarushi Tewari
The writer and affirmations speaker at Gratitude, Aarushi believes that one of the most effective ways of feeling inner peace is by being grateful and having a loving self-relationship.15-day New Year Challenge
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How To Stop Complaining and Live Gratefully
How to Stop Complaining and Live Gratefully
One choice that can change our lives.
“When you complain, you make yourself a victim. Leave the situation, change the situation, or accept it. All else is madness.”
— Eckhart Tolle
Today we will learn how to stop complaining and make the choice of being grateful instead.
Let’s begin by understanding why we complain. According to Dr. Guy Winch, writer of ‘The Squeaky Wheel: Complaining the Right Way to Get Results, Improve Your Relationships, and Enhance Self-Esteem’ – “We complain when we feel there is a significant gap between an expectation and reality.”
The root of complaining is wanting the truth to be something different. And, that is not wrong by any means. When there is a need for change in policies, in behaviors, in relationships, in the status quo, we must speak up and take action. This is imperative for our society.
However, when we complain, our cause might not need change and there is rarely any action. It’s just a waste of energy.
Some complaining might lead to bonding as we share mutual dissatisfaction with another person and vent our feeling together, but that too must be controlled and not form the foundation of a friendship.
I’m glad that you want to work on this because it’s going to bring such an important change in your personality making room for joy and peace.
Let’s now learn about the 5 main pillars of how to stop complaining:
Gratitude
Acceptance
Action
Mortality
Humility
1. Gratitude
Gratitude is, in practice, the antonym of complaining. It is a transition where we choose to look at what we can appreciate and feel blessed for instead of what is wrong. It is a simple life-altering choice.
While working on The Attitude of Gratitude Course, I thought over the topic ‘how to stop complaining’ deeply. Let me share an excerpt from the lesson Overcoming Obstacles where I talk about this:
“One obstacle that we often face – is that we complain or have difficulty removing our focus from whatever is wrong instead of the many things that are going okay.
This stems from negativity bias which not only registers negativity more but also makes us dwell upon it. One thing that the realization of this makes me think about is that I’ve called my brain’s bluff, now that I know what it is doing. It isn’t controlling me as dominantly now.
And, another helpful way is to understand why this exists. Let’s go back to our origins. The negativity bias back then helped us survive. Being on the lookout for all potential dangers was what was most important.
However now, we need to let our brain know that it’s okay. To know that life is an experience constituted by countless others and whenever something wrong happens there’s some good apart from it too.”
When we shift our focus from what we want or what could be and choose to appreciate what we have, gratitude walks in smiling. Remember that we wanted many of the things that we have now.
We have all been blessed with so much. We need to open up our eyes to that. There will always be something more, something else. So, we must cherish what is.
😇
5 Things to Do When You Compare Yourself to Others
5 Things to Do When You Compare Yourself to Others
Let’s learn how to use our energy in a healthier way!
On Day 3 of my 21-day Self-Love Course, I talk about overcoming comparison to other people as an important part of being a better friend to yourself.
As we have people around us that seem to be doing well and serve as examples of success or happiness, we might want to be like them somehow.
Maybe in terms of appearance, behavior, career choices, buying choices, vocabulary, or anything else.
All of this leads to comparison and measuring ourselves up against them.
It causes feelings of insufficiency and dissatisfaction with who we are. It also paints them up as perfect people who have it all good.
But, they don’t, no one does. They might even be comparing themselves to someone else, or you if they happen to know you.
But, there are much healthier ways to deal with this, and let’s dive into them today.
Here are 5 ways to help you stop comparing yourself to other people:
How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Eliminate triggers
Don’t bring yourself into everything
Appreciate the good things about you
Appreciate and learn from others
Divert this energy into working
1. Eliminate triggers
Are there some certain stimulants of comparison in your life? I’ll be honest, it’s Instagram for me.
Looking at these beautiful women does make me feel that I’m not beautiful enough. It’s shocking because I don’t even think about beauty so much.
Why is Instagram doing this? So, first I put an app timer of 10 minutes so that I wouldn’t use the app for long.
But even then, it didn’t really get solved. So, I uninstalled the app.
This is the case for appearances. Sometimes, it’s about looking at other people, online or offline, and they seem to be doing so great.
Everything looks put together. And, dealing with this is not as simple as uninstalling an app. Let’s see what else we can do.
2. Don’t bring yourself into everything
Yep. When I compare myself to someone, I am critical of my tendency. Why exactly do I have to bring myself into this? Why am I obsessed with myself?
Since these are such visceral experiences, no one will guide me unless I express my thoughts. So, I talk to myself.
When you tend to compare yourself to someone, be direct with yourself. Not everything is about you.
It’s such a negative feeling, all of this. When we compare ourselves to someone, we want to feel better about ourselves.
So, mostly we’ll want to seem better than them. This manifests in thinking that we’re better or even saying mean things about the other person.
Let’s put a stop to this. This is not about you.
Although connected, we are all separate people. Why should we compare when it’s not leading to any good?
3. Appreciate the good things about you
All of us have great things about ourselves, and we have the capability to be even better.
So, what do you like about yourself? What are some things that others like in you? What are you appreciated for? How do you help those around you?
There is a lot of good in you. You need to transform your perspective to be healthier towards yourself.
Here are some gratitude prompts for self-appreciation:
What do you like most about yourself?
Write about a time when you challenged your comfort zone.
Express gratitude to yourself and the journey you’re having.
What are you always excited to do?
What is your strongest life value?
What is one part of your life that you won’t trade for anything?
What is something that was hard to do but you did it anyway?
How have you supported people throughout your life? Remember a time when you helped someone in need.
What are the steps that you have taken through the years that made you a better version of yourself?
What is your favorite part of your daily routine?
Read more: Self-Appreciation: What It Is & 7 Ways to Appreciate Yourself
4. Appreciate and learn from others
I just said that we need to form healthier perspectives toward ourselves, right? That applies to others too.
We don’t need to compare. We need to appreciate more. Everyone has great things about themselves. We learn from each other.
When there’s something about someone that you like, appreciate them for it, genuinely. And, learn.
There’s no shame in being inspired by others. How else would we be inspired? We are all connected.
5. Divert this energy into working
And, finally, let’s admit that comparison is a useless, negative, and draining activity. What does it lead to? We resent ourselves and other people.
If what they have is something that you genuinely want, work for it.
If it’s a healthier body or a richer vocabulary or better work or anything that is good enough to work for, then do it. Just don’t stay in this darkness.
You deserve peace and happiness.
And, that’s it! These were my 5 tips on how to stop comparing yourself to others. I hope this helped you. Trust me, I know how this feels.
Stay patient with yourself. Keep working on overcoming this. It’s a gradual process. I wish you the very best!
Continue reading: How to Stop Complaining and Live Gratefully
The Ultimate Guide to Finding Happiness Alone
The Ultimate Guide to Finding Happiness Alone
Embrace the time you have with yourself happily.
A few days back I was talking to my best friend Rain and she was telling me about a problem she’s been facing for several years now – she doesn’t know how to find happiness alone.
She told me how it makes her rely on her boyfriend for happiness, and it’s really something that is troubling her. I’m sure that all of us have at some point in our lives been how Rain is.
We could’ve come out of a relationship that left us clueless about how to enjoy being alone. Or, we’re not with anyone and not sure how to be happy single, thinking that going into a relationship might solve the problem.
It’s a real struggle and I want you to know that it’s okay that you feel this way. There is nothing wrong with you.
Learning to be alone and happily so is not an innate skill in a lot of us, which is okay. We can learn and develop it over time.
I too am currently at a point in my life where I have the time to be with myself more and I am going through the same thoughts about how to be okay with being alone.
It’s not that I don’t have people around me but relying on anyone other than myself for my happiness is not a good place to be in. I feel really grateful for this moment of discomfort because it’s inspiring me to rekindle my relationship with myself and with time so I can not only help myself but you too.
Note: As you must’ve heard before, loneliness and being alone are two different experiences, although they may coincide. Without going too deeply into definitions, being alone refers to not being around other people, while loneliness is a graver situation.
In loneliness, we feel as if we have been separated from the world and are left alone. It has a strong sense of sadness and abandonment associated with it and therefore requires a lot more effort to heal.
I strongly suggest taking therapy in this case because only there will the nuances of your life and the reasons behind your feelings be fully explored.
Now coming back to our topic at hand, here are my tips for you on how you can find happiness alone:
Lower expectations
Reduce screen time
Discover interests
Understand yourself
Express gratitude
Be patient
Prioritise mental health
How to find happiness alone
1. Lower expectations
One of the key meddlers with happiness is not living up to our own expectations. These can be expectations of how much we should have achieved, how our lives should have turned out to be by now, how we should look in society, what we should be doing with our time, how much we should earn, and so on and so forth.
But why? Why do we have all these expectations from a single human life? What is the basis for these expectations?
Similarly, when we are alone, we have expectations of what we should be doing at that time. There should be something to fill up that time, whether it be reading a classic novel, learning about personal finance, or listening to a podcast.
These are all great things but even if we don’t do any of them sometimes, it’s okay. Boring isn’t bad.
We see other people on YouTube and Instagram all happy and productive and it makes us question ourselves. I, for one, have chosen the path of insignificance. I do not have a big dream for my life, no big goals, no mammoth career.
What I only think about is how I can be more in tune with my body and nature so that I can connect with the wisdom that already exists within myself.
This wisdom is what I see a lot in animals, particularly my dog brother Alex. He has really basic requirements to be happy and he thrives being alone, and I really respect that.
So, I hope you get what I mean. Lower the expectations that you have from yourself and your life. Take things slowly, and leave yourself time to be alive, and nothing else.
The one expectation I have from myself though is whether I am listening to my body and my health. I expect to let myself be a human being. It’s such a rudimentary thought but that’s the thing about humans, we don’t know how to let ourselves be just human beings.
2. Reduce screen time
Now, from a very feeling-based tip, I come to a super action-based one. Chuck your phone or laptop away as much as you can. It is remarkable how “smart” devices make us do things unconsciously.
The doom scroll and constant urge to look something up are not healthy for us. One of the main proponents of this is social media. Multiple studies have found a strong link between heavy social media and an increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts.^
Think about the times you mindlessly picked up your phone to check if there was something and then minutes passed by and you were still using it doing something you didn’t really set out to do. It’s really become so ingrained in our behavior.
I recently disabled my Instagram account and it’s only been a couple of days but I can see how it is making me feel disconnected. And, I didn’t even use it much in the first place. But, being someone who has struggled with self-esteem and body image, even a little bit can do a lot of harm.
And, it’s not just Instagram. The Internet is an infinitely valuable resource, and if we let it control us, we overload our minds with information we really don’t need.
Simplify your life, there is no need for there to be so much around us or in our heads all the time! All of our answers are within ourselves, we just need to connect to them. And, that takes time and stillness. The Internet is not going to give us that.
To help yourself do this, keep your phone at a distance where you have to stand and walk to get it. This will create a gap between the mindless urge to check it and the effort it takes to reach it.
In this time, you’ll have to question whether you really need to use it or not. You can also put in timers on your phone whenever you are using an app so that it won’t take you through an endless maze, leaving you oblivious about where the time went.
These mindless activities really bring in more and more feelings of dissatisfaction and let’s try and grow away from them. It will be difficult but it will be a valuable change.
3. Discover interests
This is the most obvious advice when it comes to finding happiness alone. And, I think it does really help but you need to have tackled the more important issues that I am mentioning in this post here.
Just finding a hobby will not necessarily help you find happiness alone. So, let me give you a few ideas on the interests you can nurture when you are alone:
Learn a new instrument like guitar or piano
Read fiction books. Here are some recommendations by Jack Edwards on YouTube.
Learn calligraphy or hand-lettering.
Learn a new dish every other day.
Learn a new language
Start a side hustle, like blogging, running an Etsy store, a YouTube channel, etc.
Gardening
Join an exercise club
Learn dancing
DIY home projects
Gratitude journaling
These are a few ideas that you can try out. Pick one at a time, don’t overload yourself. Go first with the one that interested you the most.
4. Understand yourself
If you’ve been finding it difficult to be happy alone, it is a sign that there is something that you have to understand about yourself. Some feelings in your heart that want your attention. It is a place of discomfort and that’s normal.
“Be not afraid of discomfort. If you can’t put yourself in a situation where you are uncomfortable, then you will never grow. You will never change. You’ll never learn.”
― Jason Reynolds
There is another special thing about us humans – just because we know something doesn’t mean we feel it too. For example, I know that I am a human being and I deserve to be happy. My life is not something to be measured by achievements. I can write this down and know it in my mind but in my most vulnerable moments, it will show that I don’t really feel this to be true. I have become positive in my thought, but not in my feelings. This is something I learned in therapy.
So, why do you think you’re not happy alone? Is it really the reason? How do you feel when you are alone?
Answer these questions and focus on the feeling along with your thoughts. Go to those uncomfortable places to really understand yourself. The answer is within you.
5. Express gratitude
The feeling of gratitude is a boon to have. And, what is great about gratitude is that you can inculcate it. Even though you haven’t been feeling grateful lately, you can make yourself feel it. You can even make it a practice, then a habit, which then becomes a behavior.
How this helps in finding happiness alone is that you realize that there are already a lot of great things in you and your life that you have forgotten to appreciate. Instead of looking outward to find happiness, gratitude makes you find it within and that is supremely powerful.
And again, just saying that you are grateful for something doesn’t really mean that you really feel grateful for it. But don’t let this discourage you. It’s okay if the feeling of gratitude is not strong for you sometimes. What you can do is keep a gratitude journal, and try a technique called 8 To Go Deep. I learned this from Shealing:
“If you really want to be grateful, pick something and find at least 8 things to be grateful for about that one thing. And what I found is, the magic number is five.
The first four that you do, for instance: a home. I’m grateful for my home because it provides shelter because it provides this and it provides this, and it provides this.
But I find that once you get to the fifth entry, you find yourself going, what else am I grateful about this one thing? And the last three of your entries are the magic entries because they force you to go deep.
It’s easy to find a bunch of things, but when you really need to find more, that’s when you can feel gratitude.”
This technique will help you feel deep gratitude.
But, you ask, what do I feel grateful for in the first place? Here are gratitude prompts to help you here.
6. Be patient
Yes, another age-old piece of advice. And I know you know it, but do you feel it? Haha, I’m quite connected with the connection of feeling with thought now.
So, if you’re in a state of not feeling happy or comfortable with yourself alone, I really hope that the tips I gave you will help. Patience is going to be important.
I know we are inundated with videos and case studies of people achieving huge goals in a short amount of time, like earning from $0 to $1500 or losing 20 pounds in a month. And, they make us feel pressured and inadequate.
Just remember that small steps consistently create great results together. Slow is the fastest way. And, it’s okay if your progress is not quick. Learn from nature. Everything works in perfect balance, with no hurry, and still, there’s no power above it.
7. Prioritize mental health
And, just as a closing note, I wanted to validate that the experience of being alone and unhappy with it is not easy. It becomes the breeding ground for many unpleasant thoughts and feelings. So, I am really proud of you for wanting to make an effort to come out of this. You will get there, you will.
Take care of yourself. Put your health first. Sit with silence and nothingness. Treat yourself like a human being.
Being happy by yourself is one of the greatest joys I have experienced and I know that it is coming to you too.
Continue Reading: 5 Things to Do When You Compare Yourself to Others
45+ Inspiring Have a Great Day Quotes & Wishes
45+ Inspiring Have a Great Day Quotes & Wishes
You deserve to have a great day every day!
We all live such different lives. I’m in one of the world and you’re in another. But, we’re all alive together. And, we all deserve to be happy. And, that’s why I’m here with some really wonderful have a great day quotes.
Who doesn’t want to have a great day, right? But, it may not be the reality for a lot of us. So, I hope that with these great day quotes, you will find a light of hope and joy.
As I went through these quotes, I found a renewd sense of value for my life and how I should not take it nonchalantly. If there are things that are bothering me but I’m still sticking up with them because one day I’ll be better, it’s not what I deserve, and I can’t take life for granted like that.
I hope that you too find something valuable in these have a great day quotes, or at least find a smile blossoming on your face. You will also find have a great day wishes at the end that you can send to your friends and family to make them feel better.
Have a Great Day Quotes
“Every day is a good day to be alive, whether the sun’s shining or not.”
― Marty Robbins
“I believe every day is a good day when you paint.”
― Bob Ross
“Every day should be a good day. People fool themselves that they’ll be here forever.”
― Stephen A. Schwarzman
“Every day that I wake up has to be a good day!”
― Bret Michaels
“I have learned over the years that the nicest thing I can do is to just say to myself, “Good Morning Darling, I love you; we’re going to have a really great day today.”
― Louise Hay
“I’ve always measured a good day as one where I can read, write, and run.”
― Maggie Rogers
“A broken wing simply means, you have to find another way to fly. Have a wonderful day people.”
― Kerry Katona
“A good day is a good day. A bad day is a good story.”
― Glennon Melton
“Any day above ground is a good day. Before you complain about anything, be thankful for your life and the things that are still going well.”
― Germany Kent
“Don’t count the days, make the days count.”
― Muhammad Ali
“I get up every morning and it’s going to be a great day. You never know when it’s going to be over so I refuse to have a bad day.”
― Paul Henderson
“When you’re wide awake, say it for goodness sake, it’s gonna be a great day.”
― Paul McCartney
“Make each day your masterpiece.”
― John Wooden
“Don’t expect a great day; create one.”
― Bob Proctor“Lovely days don’t come to you, you should walk to them.”
― Rumi
“You have to remember that the hard days are what make you stronger. The bad days make you realize what a good day is. If you never had any bad days, you would never have that sense of accomplishment!”
― Aly Raisman
“It’s a great day to be alive. I know the sun’s still shining when I close my eyes.”
― Travis Tritt
“Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day.”
― H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
“None of us know what will happen. Don’t spend time worrying about it. Make the most beautiful thing you can. Try to do that every day. That’s it.”
― Laurie Anderson
“I am grateful for being alive today. It is my joy and pleasure to live another wonderful day.”
― Louise Hay
“It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined.”
― Henry James
“I hope everyone that is reading this is having a really good day. And if you are not, just know that in every new minute that passes, you have an opportunity to change that.”
― Gillian Anderson
“Today’s a great day to change a life. Starting with yours.”
― Robin Sharma
“A day is a day. It’s just a measurement of time. Whether it’s a good day or a bad day is up to you. It’s all a matter of perception.”
― Donald L. Hicks
“Even the worst days have an ending, and the best days have a beginning.”
― Jennifer Coletta
“Every single day is a good day no matter how bright or dark it is because it always brings an opportunity to start a positive beginning in your life.”
― Edmond Mbiaka
“Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you’ll start to see a big difference in your life.”
― Yoko Ono
“We don’t “have” a great day, we “make it” a great day!”
― Frosty Westering
“Every day is a good day. There is something to learn, care and celebrate.”
― Amit Ray
“Everyone has highs and lows that they have to learn from, but every morning I start off with a good head on my shoulders, saying to myself, ‘It’s going to be a good day!’”
― Lindsay Lohan
“Today is your day, your mountain is waiting. So get on your way.”
― Dr. Seuss
Have a Great Day Wishes
Good morning! Wishing you a day as bright and beautiful as you are.
Rise and shine, dear friend! May your day be filled with happiness and laughter.
Sending you positive vibes and good energy to help you have a great day ahead. You got this!
Hope your day is as lovely as you are. Keep smiling and shining.
Let the sun’s rays warm your face and fill you with joy. May your day be as wonderful as you are.
Wishing you a day full of good surprises, exciting opportunities, and amazing experiences. Enjoy every moment!
May your day be as cheerful and delightful as your presence always is. Have a great day, my dear!
Sending you love, light, and blessings to brighten up your day. Enjoy every moment to the fullest!
Remember that you are loved and appreciated, and that you have the power to make this day amazing. Have a great one!
Start your day with a grateful heart and positive mindset, and watch how the universe aligns to make it a wonderful day. Enjoy!
May your day be filled with all the things that make your heart happy. You deserve nothing but the best!”
Wishing you a day that’s full of sunshine, rainbows, and everything nice. Go out there and make it a great one!
Every new day is a new opportunity to make your dreams come true. Believe in yourself and make it happen. Have a great day!
Sending you a big hug and lots of love to start your day off right. Remember, you are capable of achieving anything you set your mind to!
May your day be as sweet as you are, filled with laughter, love, and all the good things in life. Enjoy!
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Aarushi Tewari
The writer and affirmations speaker at Gratitude, Aarushi believes that one of the most effective ways of feeling inner peace is by being grateful and having a loving self-relationship.15-day New Year Challenge
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Begin the new year with a positive outlook
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Start fresh every day with a new prompt
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Maybe Later
GRATITUDE
Instead of Thinking…Think…
I found an idea on thinking more positively on my Gratitude app. What do you think? https://gratefulness.page.link/a7ew
Dose of Motivation: For Everyday
Here’s a quote from my Gratitude app to inspire you today 💫 https://gratefulness.page.link/ivos
Quote of Today: 4/2/23 Sunday
Here’s a beautiful quote from my Gratitude app to brighten your day 😇 https://gratefulness.page.link/yqbs
Praying In Agony
Sometimes things happen in life that leaves us in agony. We become distant. We look for the answers to the problems we are facing, but we can’t find them. We worry about it, but what good is that? It only brings more sorrow. So, what do we do? The answer is this; we pray.
Let’s look at what Jesus did in Luke Chapter 22. vs. 39-46: The Prayer in the Garden (Holy Bible pg. 729.)
(vs.39.) Coming out. He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.
(vs.40.) When He came to the place, He said to them,” Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
(vs.41.) Abe He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed.
(vs.42.) Saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done”.
(vs.43.) Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.
(vs.44.) And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
(vs.45.) When He rose up from prayer, and come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.
(vs.46) Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation.”

Jesus knew that His hour was coming to complete the work His Father sent Him to do. It was hard for the disciples to understand Jesus had to do this so that the Scriptures may be fulfilled. He knew that He was going to suffer greatly. He knew that He was going to be denied, and betrayed all in one night. He knew who believed what He told them, and He knew who was going to doubt what He said to them about being raised on the third day.
Jesus was in agony, but He prayed. He did not let the situation stop Him from praying to the Father. God knew that His Son was in agony; this is why He sent the angel from heaven to strengthen Him.
Sometimes when we are weak because of things that have happened to us, we try to pray but we don’t have the strength. So, we ask God to give us the strength we need to pray through what we are feeling in spite of the situation we are in. Sorrow comes to everyone everywhere, there’s no escaping it.
I know that when someone you love betrays you, it hurts more than anything. We never expect that to happen to us, just as the other disciples must have been hurt when they knew it was Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. It hurt Jesus when Peter denied Him three times even though He knew He was going to do it, and told Peter that He would. See, Jesus knows everything about us. He knew everything about the disciples He chose; He knew how they were, where they came from, and their occupations, but He still used them to change the world.
We can’t let our circumstances keep us from going to the Father in prayer. We have to overlook that because God knows everything that we will ever go through, everything we will ever face, and every situation that will knock us off balance, but we must remember that He is always there for us. The disciples were with Him in the Garden, but they were sleeping because of the sorrow of the heart. Jesus needed them to watch while He prayed, but temptation came and they went to sleep. Jesus had to wake them up and tell them to pray lest they fell into temptation. He had already told them what was about to happen; He needed them, but for that split second, they slept.
Instead of going to God in prayer when we are angry, we go to sleep. When we go to sleep in agony or anger, that’s when the enemy will invade our thoughts. It’s when He will give us nightmares, and put negative thoughts in our minds. We don’t know what’s going on. We wake up madder than we were before we went to sleep. This is why we shouldn’t go to sleep angry, or when we are in agony.
When we talk to God about our problems it makes us feel better. It helps us to know God has everything in control. We don’t have to worry about anything.
When the disciples finally knew that Jesus had risen when Mary Magdalene told them, and Peter and John ran to the tomb to see. Thomas was the only one who didn’t believe it. How could he not believe it without seeing Jesus? Jesus told them what was going to happen. You know, we can be like that at times; not believing something until we see it. We should use our faith. Faith is knowing that something is going to happen before it does. It is trusting that God will make it happen.
Thomas had a doubting spirit about him. This tells me that he didn’t believe the things that Jesus said, he only believed what he saw. He only believed that Jesus had risen when He appeared in the room when they all were together. We all know what Jesus said to Thomas. What if that same thing happened today? How would you react? Would you be shocked? Would you be speechless, or would you faint? This is something to think about. Let us always be believing instead of doubting like Thomas.
I have enjoyed sharing this message with you today. I hope you are inspired by it. When you are feeling doubtful and unsure of what you believe, go to God in prayer and ask Him to give you wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. Ask Him to make things clear to you. Ask Him to teach you through His Word. He can and will. Seek Him with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. He will teach you everything you need and want to know.
If you have not talked to God today, set aside some time and spend that time with Him pouring your heart out to Him. If you do not know Jesus as your LORD and Savior, go to God in prayer and repent of your sins. Repent means to turn. Tell Him that you are sorry for every wrong thing you have done in your life, every mistake you have made, and He will forgive you. From this day forward accept Jesus as your LORD and Savior and live your life solely for Him. It will be the best decision you will ever make in your life for your eternal life. God loves you. It doesn’t matter where you have been; what matters is where you are going from here. You are not defined by your past. God sees you for who you are in His Son, Jesus Christ. He will give you a new life in Him. He will take you places you have never been. He will open doors that no man can shut. He will make a way for you where there seems to be no way. Trust in Him, believe in Him, Honor Him, and give Him praise! He is worthy of all our praise! Amen!
Thank you for joining me on my journey with Food for the Soul. God bless you.

I found an idea on thinking more positively on my Gratitude app. What do you think?
Here’s a quote from my Gratitude app to inspire you today 💫
Here’s a beautiful quote from my Gratitude app to brighten your day 😇




