Publisher'sletter
“When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears.” - Anthony Robbins
I
thought it would be fitting this month in the spirit of Thanksgiving to talk about gratitude. How many opportunities do we have on a daily basis to practice gratitude and how often do we do it? The simplicity of gratitude and the powerful effect it has on our lives is incomparable to any other practice of its kind. There is a special kind of magic in gratitude for it raises our consciousness, boosts our energy, and enhances our self-worth. It’s possible to attain great wealth, the best education,
and an exceptional quality of life and still be unhappy. This commonly occurs when people live with an absence of gratitude. A successful life requires ongoing personal growth and gratitude. Think of all the opportunities you have to show gratitude every day. You could thank your spouse for getting up early with the kids so you can sleep in. You could thank your kids for cleaning up their room. You could show gratitude to your assistant for helping you run a successful business every day. You could thank the server who waits on you for dinner. You could show gratitude to the person who bags your groceries at the market. You could thank the person who held the door for you to go into the post office.
When you think of all the roles that complete strangers play in your daily existence and the connections that happen between people,
you will immediately understand how important a role gratitude plays in the creation of a happy, productive life. We live in a world where we have much to be grateful for if we would just stop and look around. Practicing gratitude is a fundamental component of the law of attraction and learning how to manifest and create your ideal life. The theory is that in order to bring what you want into your life you have to be grateful for what you already have. And you have to give thanks for what you receive in the future. This enables a constant flow of positive energy into and out of your life. If you are not thankful for what you receive, it will block the flow and you will have a difficult time attracting what you want. Whether you believe in the law of attraction or not, the act of practicing gratitude makes us better people. Take a minute to see how
you feel after the next time you thank someone for something. Doesn’t it give you a nice, warm feeling? And check in with how you feel after you should have said thank you for something and didn’t? Not as nice a feeling, right? Practicing the fine art of gratitude is not only among our most important positive emotions, but one that links directly to physical and mental well-being. In health and happiness,
T
hanksgiving is a time to celebrate all of our many blessings with our family and friends. However, the holiday festivi- ties typically involve overindulging in food and drink with little regard for how our traditions may impact the envi- ronment and our communities. It is time to give some thought to how to we can enjoy and appreciate Thanksgiving by embracing a more sustainable approach.
Here are some ideas for how to have a sustainable Thanksgiving:
1. Find a local farmer to purchase a heritage/free-range/pasture raised turkey. The cost of the birds may be a bit higher, but the qual- ity of the product will speak for itself. On top of that, you will be supporting the local economy instead of factory farming. You can also purchase fruit, vegetables and other ingredients for your feast from local shops or farmers markets for an entirely locavore experience. 2. Prepare foods that are in season. Luckily many of the Thanksgiving staples are foods that are in season this time of year. However, certain classics, like green beans are not available locally at the end of November and would be shipped from elsewhere. Swap something like Brussels sprouts for the green beans and fill the rest of the table with potatoes, squash, cranberries and pumpkin. 3. Avoid wasting food by practicing proper portion control. Follow these approximate portion guidelines when purchasing food. Tur- key – 1 pound per person, stuffing – ¼ pound per person, sweet potato casserole – ¼ pound per person, cranberry relish – 3 tablespoons per person, pie – 1/8 of a 9-inch pie per person. 4. Skip the paper plates and napkins. There will be less waste and it will give you an excuse to break out the good china and table
linens. 5. Trade Black Friday shopping for volunteer work. Instead of contributing to the madness, consider spending the day volunteering at a
soup kitchen or homeless shelter with the family – you will be happy you did. In good health,
www.EssentialLivingMaine.com
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