Superfoods for Success
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Superfoods like royal bee jelly and blue-green algae enhance our physical well-being. In the same way, there are states of being that enhance our emotional and mental well-being, contributing to success in life.
Appreciation and gratitude are two such ‘superfoods.’ Taken in frequent doses, whether large or small, they can radically change our outlook and experience in life for the better. And there’s no possibility of overdose!
At first glance, they are the same thing. Aren’t they? Yes and no. We often use them interchangeably, but if we go back to their roots, we discover that they are close kin, but not identical.
Appreciation comes from the Latin word appretiare or appraise. Mr. Webster defines it as the ability “to recognize the quality, significance or magnitude of.” Appreciation is an internal event involving our senses and sensibilities. We see beauty and are affected by it. We perceive a person’s loving intentions and are warmed by them. We stand in awe and are shaken to our very core. Appreciation requires awareness of the present moment and a perception of just how extraordinary and precious it is.
When we express that appreciation, it is called gratitude. Gratitude, from the Latin root gratus or pleasing, is closely associated with the state of being thankful. Like flip sides of a coin, appreciation is the receptive, inward-moving or yin aspect, while gratitude is the expressive, outward-moving or yang aspect.
Gratitude is hard to keep under wraps. It’s that irrepressible urge to thank others, Mother Earth, God or the unseen forces of all-that-is for what we have received, perceived or are experiencing.
Both appreciation and gratitude are love in action.
They are expansive and life-affirming.
They open our hearts, enhance inner and outer harmony, and just make life more fun!
If we are not in the habit of taking these success superfoods, they are easy to add to our daily emotional and mental diet. No changes in schedule or extra time needed.
During any ordinary day, we do most activities on autopilot: going up stairs, driving a car, writing a quick note, washing hands or eating a meal. If we become aware of what we are doing, appreciate the marvel of these seemingly simple actions and then express gratitude, our brain/body systems love it. They come into balance and, over time, we feel healthier and happier.
Here’s a simple two-part game to cultivate appreciation and gratitude.
The receptive part—Do simple daily tasks with awareness, using all your senses. Tune into the extraordinary miracle of your being able to do them at all.
For instance, when you walk, your elegantly designed feet (26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons in each foot!) are taking steps without any real effort on your part. Or when you put your hand in a pocket or handbag, zillions of sensory neurons in your fingers are able to find your keys in a jumble of coins, lip balm, nail clippers, wallet and cell phone. Wild! Our bodies are unfathomably complex and totally miraculous.
The expressive part—Accompany each action with the affirmation: “I am so happy and so grateful* that I ____________ (can/have the ability to/am able to/know how to) ______________ (run up stairs/drive my car/write a note/wash my hands/eat a meal).”
Your statement might be, “I am so happy and so grateful that I can run up stairs!” Adapt the statement to each new activity.
That’s all there is to it. Gradually expand this game to include more complicated tasks like bookkeeping, answering email or cleaning house — tasks you may tend to avoid!
Partake, regularly and often, of these two super foods and watch with appreciation as your life begins to change for the better.
You will be truly grateful!
Celebrating your success!
Eliza
*Inspirational teacher Bob Proctor uses this phrasing to bring future goals into the present, as if they are already realized. (For example: I am so happy and so grateful to be living in the home of my dreams.)
Creatives’ Coach Eliza Bergeson is the author of The Yes! in Success: How To Be The Star You Are And Live The Life You Love.
She works her magic with creative individuals—entrepreneurs, speakers, writers, visual and performing artists; people who are ready to transform bright vision into gratifying outcomes in their businesses and their lives. If that sounds like you, visit her site, www.elizabergeson.com, for more FREE success-building resources.
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