Gratitude Works

Gratitude has the power to heal, energize and change lives. I recently heard a presentation by Dr. Robert Emmons of UC Davis, who researches the impact of gratitude on people's life. I was taken aback by the impact of gratitude. Did you know that based on Dr. Emmons findings people who regularly practice an attitude of gratitude have on average a 7% higher income then those people who don't?

To develop gratitude in your life, Dr. Emmons recommended starting a gratitude journal. He gave three simple steps to increasing the effectiveness of your gratitude journaling.

1. Specificity, be specific about what you are grateful for.
2. Surprise, write about something you received unexpectedly. (Anything from a compliment to a large gift.)
3. Scarcity, wanting now what you may not have later. (Imagine having no money, now how grateful are you for the money that you have?)

My guess is that we can all increase our level of gratitude and decrease our frustrations with our spouses and financial situations, when we start to focus more of our energy on gratitude.

I am grateful for a lot of things, but one of my favorites right now is my son's laughter at the simple things in life. He is two and half, and finds the simplest things so delightful. Just the prospect of going swimming will have him jumping up and down for joy. His simple pleasures, remind me not to take life to seriously and to have fun.

What are you grateful for? Please leave a comment.

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What Will I Learn?

I am excited to announce that I will be attending the American Association of Christian Counselors conference in Nashville, TN next week (Sept 11 - 14, 2013). I am excited for three reasons. First, I love to travel. Second, I love to meet new people, and third and most important of all, I love to learn.

I plan to get new and exciting information to better help YOU achieve your personal and relational goals. Here is a sample of some of the classes I will be taking.

1. Catherine Hart Weber, PhD. - Flourish in Life and Relationships: Best Practices for Thriving in Health and Wellbeing.

2. Robert Emmons, PhD. - Gratitude Works: How Gratitude Heals, Energizes and Transforms

3. Margaret Nagib, Psy.D. - How to Hope Instead of Cope: A New Paradigm for Therapeutic Intervention

4. Donald Harvey, PhD. - Sometimes I Get in the Way: Discovering Your Therapy Blind Spots

5. Gary Rosberg, Ed.D. & Barb Rosberg, B.F.A. - Coaching UP! Secrets to a Lasting Love and Marriage

6. David Hawkins, Ph.D. - When Marriage Counseling Fails: Getting Better at What We Do

Well, there you have it - six amazing classes. I know I will be able to share some great nuggets from them.

What would you like me to learn while at the conference? Post a comment below.

Feel free to give me a call to talk more at 980-275-1627.

Ed Coambs

Edited by Reena Arora of Arora Media, connect on Facebook

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