How Do We Acknowledge?

Dear Friend,

You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.

~Sarah Ban Breathnach

The impact of a "Thank You," honors the intention of the donor and the gratitude of the recipient. "Thank You" acknowledges that we've been helped through the kindness and grace of another. When we show our appreciation we honor the brilliance of another and in so doing unlock some of our own brilliance. Famed professor, researcher, and father of positive psychology Dr. Martin Seligman, who I mentioned last week (last week's article), asks his students to perform the following exercise: Students are asked to think of one person whom they have never properly thanked for the impact they had on their life. Next students are asked to write a short and powerful 300-word letter to this person. This essay is to be well crafted and poignant. Once the letter is in final form, students are to call and schedule some time to visit this person. At this visit the essay is to be read aloud directly to the person. Resoundingly researchers found that the students were happier people for having performed this exercise. Dr. Seligman and his students represent one way that we can acknowledge those who have had significant impact on our lives. Other ways we can acknowledge those who have helped us: Write a Letter with Specific Details - thanking this person specifically for what they've done in your life.

• Make a Donation of time or money in their honor to a charity near and dear to their heart
• Record a video on your computer - thanking them for what they've done for you and e-mail it to them. You could even post it to their social networking site (LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace.)
• Throw a small party in their honor - have everyone write a short note to the honoree
• Give them a plant to grow at their desk or in their yard
• Send them a small gift that you know they would appreciate
• Or simply give a heartfelt face-to-face "Thank You"

Make It Happen

This week use your list from last week to select one person whom you desire to thank. Consider what they've done for you and include the specifics in your thank you. Remember in honoring others we honor ourselves. In thanking others we create an atmosphere of appreciation, gratitude, and abundance. In fact, if you are feeling ambitious this week why don't you select two people to honor?! Blessings to You! Blessings to you, Margaret.

P.S. Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues by sharing this newsletter with them and invite them to subscribe! Direct them to www.MargaretPundmann.com where they can sign up. Margaret Pundmann is a life and business coach, speaker, and author The Emerging Woman.

Please feel free to forward the "Powerful Living, Powerful You" newsletter to friends and colleagues, but please forward in its entirety. The "Powerful Living, Powerful You" newsletter is written and distributed by Emerge Enterprise. Copyright © 2008 Margaret Pundmann. All rights reserved. www.MargaretPundmann.com.

Who Do You Need to Acknowledge?

Dear Friend,

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought,

and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

~ G.K. Chesterton

This week we are going to focus on whom we need to acknowledge. Next week we will discuss various ways to acknowledge those who have made a difference in our lives. We have all been blessed by people in our lives personally and professionally. These are people who have guided us, supported us, nurtured us, comforted us ... People who have helped make our lives what they are today. When we celebrate the role that people have played in our life we show our gratitude and acknowledge that we are the result of others. Dr. Martin Seligman, considered one of the fathers of Positive Psychology, studies happiness. He was written several books, created a master's program in positive psychology, given countless lectures, and led the way for changing how psychology evaluates and examines people. Over the years, he and his team have developed many techniques to help enhance one's happiness. One very significant way is to express our gratitude to people who we have never properly thanked. Next week I'm going to share with you the exercises he has created for his students.

Make It Happen

Take a few moments each day this week and reflect on those to whom you are indebted. Maybe it was your 3rd grade soccer coach or maybe it was your piano teacher or your first boss. This week take time to stroll down memory lane and revisit your life. Ask yourself, "Who has enriched my life?" Search your life for people who have impacted you. Break your life in five year segments start with the last five years. You can begin this process by noting these people in your gratitude journal. Here are some figures that many of us have had in our lives. Use this list as a point of departure.

• Teacher
• Parent
• Friend
• Mentor
• Boss
• Colleague
• Sibling
• Spouse
• Children
• Dog

Blessings to you!

How Do Your Rituals Serve You?

Dear Friend,

"When you always do what you've always done, You always get what you've always gotten."

~Tony Robbins

Our rituals are a reflection of how we live our lives. They reflect what we do day-in and day-out. Our rituals build the fabric of our lives and contribute to the results that we desire. Last week I asked you to reexamine five to 10 rituals in your life and see if they were adding to your life in positive ways. I suggested that you consider replacing those rituals that were not positive. For example, if the ritual of getting to your office every morning, going down to the cafeteria, getting a hearty breakfast and chatting with colleagues is not working - how might you replace it? Here are a couple of suggestions:

• Get to work early to prepare for your day
• Change what you eat at breakfast (not who or when you eat)
• Workout at the company gym with your colleagues rather than eating breakfast
• Schedule a professional development breakfast once each week with different colleagues throughout the company
• Spend your morning working from home rather than wasting precious time in highway traffic
• Have breakfast with clients or potential clients once each week

The reason I list these examples is because I think you need to know what problem you are solving in order to get the right answer. In other words what do you want to change in your life? Without knowing what you want to change it is difficult to reconfigure your rituals in order to bolster your life. So this week let's return to our goals since they represent where we desire to be in 2009 and let's match these goals against our rituals.

Ask yourself three questions:

• How does this ritual serve my goals?
• Is this ritual the best way for me to achieve my goals?
• Is this ritual sustainable?

Make It Happen

Use these three questions to examine each of your rituals in the context of your goals. Remember that this process takes time so it may take some adjustment to find the best sustainable ritual to achieve your goal. Identify and lock in accountability to help to sustain the ritual. Research shows that it can take 21 days to form a habit - so be patient, be diligent, and persevere! Remember we want to make 2009 Your Best Year and that takes appropriate planning and diligence - stay strong! Blessings to you!

What Are Your Rituals?

Dear Friend,

"In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently." ~Tony Robbins

A ritual defined by Merriam Webster's is a something that is done in accordance with a "social custom or normal protocol." When we think of rituals it is easy to be drawn towards the cultural or religious rituals of particular groups such as the Maori, the Native Americans, the Aborigines, or the Celts. In each of these cultures rituals serve to define and unite the culture. There are other rituals that reflect what Webster's defines as "normal protocol." In other words a ritual can also be a habit that is fully adopted into our lives - a process or series of actions we do almost without conscious thought. Of course, at some point we thought about them, but today they flow into our lives seamlessly. Reflect back to when you were little; your parents likely helped you build many rituals such as brushing your teeth before bed, taking a bath, doing homework and so on. As adults we've built rituals into our lives. Consider your morning routine - is it pretty much the same day to day, week to week? I bet it is and that is because we are creatures of habit. Once we figure out a way of being - a ritual - that works, we stick to it. Notice I said a ritual that works versus a ritual that nourishes or fulfills. That is because often we don't take time to consciously choose our actions and habits. We build our lives through little rituals from getting up and working out or getting up and drinking coffee ... and on and on. If we reexamine our rituals and accept the ones that work for us and write down the ones that don't work for us we can take the first step to transform our life.

Make It Happen

This week make a list of five to 10 rituals in your life. (They can be as simple as waking up in the morning, how you follow up with a potential client, or attending weekly worship services.) Examine each of these rituals and consider if they support you in getting the results you desire. A couple of weeks ago I asked you to create your vision for 2009 - will your current rituals sustain the results you desire? Do you need to rethink any of your rituals? Examine your rituals with a creative eye - explore them as if this is the first time and uncover unique ways to replace negative rituals with positive, nourishing rituals that propel you forward to creating Your Best Year!

Blessings to you!