TWO OF YOUR MOST VALUABLE ALLIES IN A LONG HEALTHY LIFE PART TWO: Gratitude (and make sure to check out last week's blog for the full picture!)

If you interviewed 100 healthy people in their 90's and asked them to what they attribute such wonderful longevity, I bet a LARGE majority would place an "attitude of gratitude" at the top of the list!

Unfortunately in this culture we tend to focus on the "hard stuff" in life more often than anything else but have you ever noticed how worrying never seems to make anything easier? That’s because first energy and then action always follow intention…focus on stress, therefore, and you’ll always feel stressed.

Try this instead: get a small journal and take a few moments each night before bed to simply write down 3 things you were grateful for that day…you’ll be shocked at how easy this exercise can be! Then get ready for some almost-certain side effects:

• After only a couple of days you'll probably discover it's much easier to fall asleep by simply turning your thoughts to joy for a few minutes before closing your eyes. 
• Soon your ability to coast  through stress with relative ease will expand exponentially as well. 
• And remember the energy-follows-intention rule? The greatest side effect of looking at the world through gratitude-colored glasses is increased things / events to be grateful for (NO LIE...I'm speaking from experience here!!!)

So does sleeping better, not getting flustered during stressful moments, actually CAUSING more "cool stuff" to happen, and probably living a longer healthier life sound good to you? I'm sure you don't even have to think about your answer!

(And I really didn't intend this blog to turn into another shameless plug for T'aI Chi Chih either but increased gratitude is another well-documented side effect of regular TCC practice so click here for info on my next class!)