Bask in the Glory of Being Thanked!

on my mantle

Yesterday, a friend showed me a thank you note I had given him almost a year ago. It was posted on the wall above his desk along with other affirmations. It made me think of the thank you notes I keep on my living room mantle: cards and letters from clients, non-profit orgs, friends, family, and my sponsor child.

Recently, I wrote about the benefits of acknowledging gratitude for the gifts we receive. Today I am championing about the benefits of being acknowledged. Lots of people will tell you that doing good is its own reward. While that might be true a few words of gratitude always sweeten the deal for me. They are truly icing on the cake!

I feel motivated when I look at the thank you cards I've received. They remind me the work I do is important whether that work is cleaning an apartment, organizing a book swap fundraiser, attending a birthday party, or just sending along some pocket change so a child can eat and be educated. At the heart of that varied work is love and thank you notes encourage and empower me to love in more expansive ways.

Goddesses, I want to encourage all of you to bask in the glory of being thanked. Instead of  dismissing what you have done by blurting "no problem" or "it wasn't anything," honor the person acknowledging you by recognizing the difference you have made from that person's perspective. I promise it will not only make you happier and more motivated, it will also give you something to be thankful for.

Sisters, do you save thank you notes? Was there a time you were acknowledged for your gifts or contributions and enjoyed it? Please leave a comment!

This blog post is part of a series called, That's So Goddess, which I am contributing to La Dea Vita, "a silk-road of Goddess inter-exchange of love, support, sisterhood, ideas, products, art, lifework & passion" founded by Mishel Herrera, Entrepreneur Empress.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Gratitude

My life is kinda awesome!
(Correction: The name of the restaurant with the super sweet server is Chuko, not Chuelo. I suspected the ramen bar did not have a Latin-inspired name, but their neon sign with cursive writing is pretty hard to read.)

Sunday and Monday gratitude

I come from too far in the past for blogging from bed to feel okay. However blogging from jury duty feels just fine.

Check out my gratitude lists!

(Almost) every evening I list the things I'm grateful for in a little book. I started in 2010 after reading a Wall Street Journal article about the benefits of counting your blessings. It reports:

Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. They're also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly and have greater resistance to viral infections.

Thank you to whoever left this newspaper on the Q train! <3

Since I'm having a little trouble posting in this blog everyday I figured I should share photos of my lists. This way I'll at least have one post a day and you can get an idea of what's going on in the world of Olivia. It's a task I can do from my bed on my iPhone with the Blogger App! Thanks Blogger! 

Here are my lists from April (via public Facebook album). Please let me know if this link doesn't work for you.

Let me know your thoughts on keeping a gratitude journal. I would absolutely love to see your gratitude lists too! Maybe leave a list in the comments.

Mom: Please ignore any mention of my sex life. It's just a joke cause I'm funny like that.