Posts

, , ,

A Holiday Gratitude Story: Meet Christine

Like in the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life,” we often don’t know the impact of our presence. This could be with work, family or friends. Sometimes it’s just small and special.

I missed seeing Christine’s smiling face at the Residence Inn this Thanksgiving morning.  She greeted us multiple times during our annual visit to State College relatives. The first year, she invited guests to write what they were grateful for on cut-outs of autumn leaves and vegetables and posted them in the eating area. I loved this! So much so that I took a photo.

Then she remembered us after that, bringing out the gratitude messages that she saved.

When I didn’t see Christine this Thanksgiving morning, I was going to dig out her photo and ask about her at the front desk. I was a bit worried. To my happy surprise, she was there on Friday morning and greeted me with a hug like family.  She had the holiday off. Good for her!

We reminisced a bit about the past gratitude project, then she disappeared into the kitchen for a bit while I talked to a longer-term resident she befriended.  Christine came back with a photo of the two of us on her phone and shared that the Thanksgiving gratitude messages were still hanging up back in the kitchen. How cool!

I asked how she was doing, and with a bright smile, she said “awesome.” I told her, of course, that is because her attitude is awesome.  Christine went on to say she loves her job, and meeting the people is what makes it special. That reminded me of why I love my work….as a career counselor I get to help others find something they might love…or at least like.

May this little holiday story remind us that we touch everyone we come into contact with. May we remember to share warmth and kindness with our presence and with our actions.  And may this positive energy help spread light during dark times.

“Each man’s life touches another.” It’s a Wonderful Life

/by
, , ,

Gratitude – Book Excerpt

(Click HERE for my post about World Gratitude Day.)

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” ~ Buddha

You may wonder, “How can I be thinking about gratitude when I’m in a cloud of career confusion or buried in rejections?” Gratitude is a coping tool during dark times, helping shift perspective. When we focus on lack, it creates negative energy that can paralyze our actions and repel people who may be able to help us.

Each day look for positive things: a beautiful sunset, a favorite food, an email from a friend, or a special moment with your child or pet. Maybe there are elements about your search process you can be grateful for, such as an email reply, a job prospect, or a networking meeting, even if only five minutes of it was helpful. Perhaps there is even something to be grateful for in the midst of the search itself, whether getting to spend more time with family due to a job loss or recognizing your courage to explore a new direction.

Consider starting a gratitude journal and writing down five short bullets about what you are grateful for each night before you go to bed. If you’re stuck, then write down that you have a bed to sleep in or a roof over your head. Think of one thing you are grateful for before getting out of bed, and that can change the course of your day.

Each day I notice things and people for whom I am grateful.

Copyright 2021, Karen Litzinger, Help Wanted: An A to Z Guide to Cope with the Ups and Downs of the Job Search. Permission is granted to share for non-commercial purposes with this entire notation, https://KarensCareerCoaching.com/help-wanted

For 10 complimentary excerpts of the book arriving daily: https://KarensCareerCoaching.com/help-wanted-free-excerpts

You can order the book through either link above.

/by

Gratitude Meditations and Humor

Perhaps you have some gratitude prayers from your own religious tradition. If not or you are more secular in philosophy, here are a couple to consider for a daily practice from the Robert Emmon book, Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier.

From Garrison Keillor, Prairie Home Companion
Thank you, Lord for giving me the wherewithal not to fix a half-pound cheeseburger right now and to eat a stalk of celery instead. Thank you for the wonderful son and the amazing daughter and the smart sexy wife and grandkids…Thank you for the odd delight of being sixty, part of which is the sheer relief of not being fifty. I could go on and on…List your blessings and you will walk through those gates of thanksgiving and into the fields of joy.

Native American tradition
We thank Great Spirit for the resources that made this food possible;
we thank the Earth Mother for producing it,
and we thank all those who labored to bring it to us.
May the Wholesomeness of the food before us,
bring out the Wholeness of the Spirit within us.

Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist teacher
Waking up this morning, I see the blue sky.
I join my hands in thanks
for the many wonders of life;
for having twenty-four brand-new hours before me.

/by
,

Gratitude Inspiration for Job Seekers and Others

“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” — Buddha

You may wonder “How can I be thinking about gratitude when I’m in a cloud of career confusion or buried in rejections or deafening silence from applications.”  This is when you need gratitude the most as a coping tool and to help give you perspective. When we focus on lack, it creates negative energy that can paralyze our actions and repel people who may be able to help us.

Each day look for things that are positive.  It could be something small like a beautiful sunset, a favorite food, an email from a friend, or a special moment with your child or pet.  Maybe there could be things about your search process you can be grateful for, such as an email reply, a job prospect, or a networking meeting even if only 5 minutes of it was helpful.  Perhaps there is even something to be grateful for about being in the midst of the search itself, whether getting to spend more time with family due to a job loss or recognizing your courage to explore a new direction.

Consider starting a gratitude journal writing down five short bullets about what you are grateful for each night before you go to bed.  If you’re stuck, then write down that you have a bed to sleep in or a roof over your head.  The next morning before getting out of bed think of one thing you are grateful for, and that can change the course of your day.

Each day I notice things and people I am grateful for.

/by