by Carol deLaski | Nov 1, 2017 | Carol deLaski, Gratitude
What do you do when you’re down-in-the-dumps and want to lift your spirits?
A proven way to shift energy from negative to positive is to focus on being grateful. When you do so, you change your perspective from a scarcity mentality to one of abundance. A tried-and- true remedy for the doldrums is to ask yourself, what am I grateful for?
There are other advantages to being grateful, as well. Literature has recognized the benefits of cultivating gratefulness as a virtue for thousands of years. More recently, through the study of positive psychology, mental health professionals are examining how virtues such as gratitude may benefit our health… and what they are finding is promising.
When it comes to health, grateful people (those who consistently incorporate gratitude into their lives) have an edge on those who are not-so-grateful, according to research on gratitude conducted by Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California Davis.
“Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, and regular physical examinations,” says Emmons.
Gratitude can also help us manage stress better. It’s commonly known that stress can make us sick, especially when we have trouble coping with it. Stress has been linked to many illnesses, such as heart disease and cancer. “Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress,” Emmons says.
In addition, grateful people tend to be more optimistic and researchers are seeing how that characteristic boosts the immune system. “There are some very interesting studies linking optimism to better immune function,” says Lisa Aspinwall, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Utah.
How do you become more grateful?
Some suggestions include:
- Keeping a gratitude journal. Regularly list or describe what you are thankful for.
- Offer thanks throughout the day, perhaps as a breath prayer. Expressing appreciation to others, or to God, as you receive anything from a parking space to a beautiful sunset creates a habit of gratitude. In time, this practice may allow you to find the good even in very difficult circumstances.
- Surround yourself with people who are intentionally grateful. Their positive energy will be contagious and support you in your effort to be more appreciative.
As you incorporate any, or all, of these steps to become more grateful, I encourage you to take them beyond November and make it a practice that you do throughout the year. Gratitude is a powerful tool for your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Women who want to expand their focus on gratitude are invited to join the Wholistic Woman Community for our annual Gratitude Dinner on Nov. 15th from 6-9 pm in Frederick, MD. This event is a highlight of the year and is designed to show appreciation for our members.
If you aren’t a member yet, you may join our community now and attend this year’s dinner. Learn details about the dinner and register by 11/13 to reserve your spot for this special occasion.
Today’s author: Carol deLaski, PCC, is an executive coach, speaker, and author of Lost and Found: Discovering Strength in Love and Faith. You may contact her at [email protected].
by Carol deLaski | Jun 23, 2017 | Gratitude, Guest Blogging, Kira Tregoning, Professional Development
This Tuesday was a Tuesday like any other: I got ready for the day, placed my Starbucks coffee order, headed to my BNI meeting and set up the coffee for my group, and began networking. The morning meetings went well and I felt energized and hyped to continue going about my day. After the BNI leadership team meeting, I drove from Frederick over to Mount Airy for another meeting with a new contact.
Again, the meeting went very well. We were even able to sit outside and chat in the cool breeze at a shaded table. It was very pleasant, and I climbed back into my car afterward feeling great about myself and my business.
I decided, since I was in Mount Airy, to stop by the local Jimmie Cone. If you have never heard of Jimmie Cone before, it’s a local ice cream stop with locations in Mount Airy and Damascus, and they’re known for the crunchy “jimmie” sprinkles that go on top of the ice cream. I have many fond childhood memories from when I used to live in Mount Airy of going to Jimmie Cone with my dad and enjoying a cone in the summer evenings. Well, since I had driven up here and had some time, I drove the two minutes over to the Mount Airy location.
I got my ice cream, took the first bite, relaxed into my seat, and took a look around me. Fluffy white clouds floated across a bright blue sky, and despite the busy road being nearby, it was actually pretty quiet in the middle of the day. A breeze tossed my hair away from my face and kept the sunshine from being too oppressive. I put away my phone and took the time to enjoy the beautiful day and my delicious ice cream with the crunchy jimmies (which I rarely allow myself these days). While I had originally only planned on stopping for maybe ten minutes and wolfing down my frozen treat, I ended up stealing half an hour. It was worth every second.
As a relatively new business owner, I struggle with finding the right balance for my days. I’m going into my second year of full-time business, so I’m still working out some of the remaining kinks and striking the right work-play-rest ratio. On advice from multiple seasoned business owners in my circle, I’ve recently begun working hard on my time management and scheduling out my days to make my workload easier to deal with and also to ensure I’m still getting enough time for sleep, exercise, and time with friends and family.
I had attended the Be Balanced event at the end of May with Carol deLaski, and one of the takeaways for me from that event was the reminder to find balance, and if I can’t find it (i.e., if it doesn’t happen naturally), then I need to create it until I do “find” it. And my unexpected Jimmie Cone time was a reminder to build in time for rest and play—or at least, not to feel guilty when those moments pop up.
When I finished my ice cream, I smiled, cleaned up my trash, turned on my car, and drove off to return to my business.
Today’s blog is written by one of our alliance partners, Kira Tregoning. Kira is the owner and founder of Maia Media Management, a local social media management and editing business. She offers social media management, consultations, and trainings, as well as video services, proofreading, editing, and manuscript critiques. Kira is also a published author with two fantasy novels available on Amazon and more on the way. Learn more about her at kiratregoning.com.
by Carol deLaski | Nov 21, 2014 | Gratitude, Laura Hall
“I always believed that one woman’s success can only help another woman’s success“~ Gloria Vanderbilt
Of all the events hosted by Wholistic Woman Retreats I think our Gratitude Dinner is one of my favorites! The evening feels laid back, warm, inviting, and fun. This is the only WWR event that is exclusively for members. Our members are the heart and soul of our community, and this evening is designed to show them how grateful we are for their presence and participation.
Be Grateful has a very simple design. We begin with appetizers and socializing. Then we gather around the tables for a delicious catered dinner. After a leisurely meal, when dessert and coffee have been served, we have an open time of sharing gratitude.
One by one, as they are ready, women express what they are grateful for and I feel my heart swelling with warmth, love and acceptance. Common themes of gratitude include being surrounded by a nurturing community of women, having a place free from judgment and competition to meet new people and develop personal and professional relationships, and being part of a group that is different from anything they’ve ever experienced before.
Our community is made up of a wide range of women. Some of us are in our 30s, some of us are in our 80s, and some of us are in between. Some of us work outside the home and some of us don’t. Some of us are parents and some of us aren’t. Some of us are Republicans, some of us are Democrats and some of us consider ourselves apolitical. I could go on and on about the myriad of ways that we are all different, but the truth is that none of that matters, because when this community gets together, all we see are the ways that we are similar, and that feels amazing!
Our community is unique…not because we have it all figured out, but rather because we know that we are all works-in-progress. We honor one another wherever we are on the journey. We understand the importance of self-care, and although we might struggle with it at times, we know there is no shame in brushing ourselves off and trying again. We practice kindness and compassion, both with ourselves and others. We celebrate each others’ successes. We know that TOGETHER WE ARE WHOLE.
So, to the members of Wholistic Woman Retreats…Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
You are the reason we do what we do. Your willingness to be real, to support one another and to come together as a community means more than you’ll ever know. We couldn’t do it without you!
To those of you who aren’t members yet, but feel drawn to this type of community, we hope that you will consider this your invitation to join us. The world needs more Wholistic women! We have many wonderful events planned for the coming year and we’d love to see you at some (or all) of them, including this year’s Gratitude Dinner on November 18th from 6-9 pm at ThorpeWood.
Become a member today by clicking here and then register for Be Grateful.
Today’s author: Laura Hall is an iPEC certified life coach whose business, Hall Coaching, was established in 2009 with the vision of waking women up from the nightmares of “How did I get here?” and, “Is this as good as it gets?”, so that they can begin creating and living the life of their real dreams, hopes and desires. She offers both one on one as well as group coaching services. She can be reached at [email protected] or check out her website at www.hallcoaching.com
by Carol deLaski | Nov 12, 2014 | Carol deLaski, Gratitude
What do you do when you’re down-in-the-dumps and want to lift your spirits? A proven way to shift energy from the negative to the positive is to focus on being grateful. When you do so, you change your perspective from a scarcity-mentality to one of abundance. Asking yourself, What am I grateful for? is a ‘tried-and-true’ remedy for the doldrums.
There are other advantages to being grateful as well. Literature has recognized the benefits of cultivating gratefulness as a virtue for thousands of years. More recently, through the study of positive psychology, mental health professionals are examining how virtues such as gratitude may benefit our health….and what they are finding is promising.
When it comes to health, grateful people — those who consistently incorporate gratitude into their lives — have an edge on those who are not-so-grateful, according to research on gratitude conducted by Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California Davis.
“Grateful people take better care of themselves and engage in more protective health behaviors like regular exercise, a healthy diet, and regular physical examinations,” says Emmons.
Gratitude can also help us manage stress better.It’s commonly known that stress can make us sick, especially when we have trouble coping with it. Stress has been linked to many illnesses, such as heart disease and cancer. “Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress,” Emmons says.
In addition, grateful people tend to be more optimistic and researchers are seeing how that characteristic boosts the immune system. “There are some very interesting studies linking optimism to better immune function,” says Lisa Aspinwall, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Utah.
So, how do you become more grateful?
- Keep a gratitude journal and daily list 3 things which you are thankful for to focus on the positive.
- Offer thanks throughout the day much like a breath prayer. Expressing appreciation to others, or to God, as you receive anything from a parking space to a beautiful sunset creates a habit of gratitude. In time, this practice may allow you to find the good even in very difficult circumstances.
- Surround yourself with people who make a habit of being grateful. Their positive energy will be contagious and support you in your effort to be more appreciative.
Ladies, consider joining the Wholistic Woman Community for their annual gratitude dinner on Nov. 18th from 6-9 pm. This members-only event is a highlight of the year. If you aren’t a member yet, you may join for 2015 and attend this year’s dinner. Click here for details and to register by 11/14 to reserve your spot to this special occasion.
As you incorporate any or all of these steps to become more grateful, I encourage you to take them beyond Thanksgiving and make it a practice that you do throughout the year. Gratitude is a powerful tool for your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Today’s author: Carol deLaski, PCC, is a professional certified coach, speaker and author of Lost and Found: Discovering Strength in Love and Faith. You may contact her at [email protected].
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by Carol deLaski | Nov 19, 2012 | Gratitude
It is five days after a great event and I am still feeling the glow of having spent a truly special night with special people. Our Gratitude Dinner held last Tuesday night was a member’s and alliance partner’s-only event and 24 women were able to attend and share an evening of wonderful food and drink and great companionship.
What an incredible warm and connected evening! There were women that have attended our retreats that reunited with other retreat participants, alliance partners that enjoyed meeting for the purpose of socializing rather than working on a task, and there were coaches that relished the opportunity to witness the amazing women that choose to work with us.
What a blessing it is to live in a time and place where we can share beauty in the people we are with, the place that we gather, and the food and drink that we enjoy. What a joy to have healthy bodies that support us, enough financial means to support ourselves, and families and friends that want our company. This is truly a week for giving thanks and the Wholistic Woman Community did just that.
Some additional thanks go to Bill and Laura Hall for being the wine sponsors, Lisa Fiedler at TASTE…at Your Table for the delicious food and service, and Michael DiSciullo for rearranging furniture, setting up chairs and tables, and taking the dog out for the evening.
It is a privilege to be connected to clients, members, and friends that are truly committed to living their whole best life.
Thank you for a wonderful evening and if you would like to join us in the future, join our community at www.wholisticwomanretreats.com and like us on Facebook.
Most people think that those who are happy have gratitude, rather it is those who have gratitude are happy! *
The opportunity to speak out loud, what we are grateful for acknowledges and spurs more thoughts on how fortunate we all are. As human beings we focus on what’s not right more often that what is right in our lives. Focusing on the positive helps put the nagging problems and issues in perspective so that we have greater clarity on what to do about those issues. It lifts our moods and creates positive energy. I encourage you to take the time to share your gratitude with your family and friends during the week of Thanksgiving, as well as all year long.
Lisa DiSciullo
Lisa DiSciullo Coaching
[email protected]
*NOTE TO READERS: I saw a quote like this on Facebook and went back to find it and couldn’t, so if you know the real quote and who should get credit, let us know here!!
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