GI Categories | Genuine Insights

Have Some Gratitude…It’s Good for You!

Everyone loves a heaping helping of gratitude in his or her life. Whether it’s a thank you received after making a great meal for dear friends, or receiving the seemingly awkward hug from a coworker for a job well done, or just the simple murmur of a thank you from a child, all forms of gratitude—big or small, given or received—make us all a tad bit happier and—surprisingly—healthier. So how does that work?

As multisensory creatures obsessed with brightening our states of mind, it’s astonishing how many of us look outside of ourselves for mood enhancement instead of leveraging gratitude as the best, most viable, most abundantly available and free natural resource. The “happiness high” we all search for can be experienced 24/7 by constantly (not sporadically) operating from an active state of gratitude.

Here’s a quick test for you. The next time you are feeling down, depressed, upset, or just plain old out of sorts, start a gratitude journal and make a list of everything you are grateful for in your life, in your work, and in your relationships and watch how your heart and mind positively respond to the gratitude you are expressing by instantly enhancing your mood.

Every time you thank someone, send a thank you note or share an act of kindness from the heart without expecting anything in return you are fueling your own emotional well being. These small moments are what I think of self-induced “happy pills” of gratitude.

So when you need a “hit” of happiness, try showing someone else even just a little squib of gratitude, or take a moment to note to yourself some small thing for which you are grateful. Every time, I promise, you will feel happier, calmer, and a bit more positive about your day. Over time, with daily practice, this conscious approach will improve your overall sense of well being. And the best part of it all is gratitude and the mood enhancement doesn’t only impact you but spreads instantly to those around you. In effect, a chain reaction occurs and in time every ones mood improves a bit, right alongside yours. Happily, gratitude is one of the world’s most contagious conditions!

One thing to remember: There are no short cuts when it comes to the good that comes out of gratitude. In order to sustain a happy mood and improved mental and physical health, gratitude needs to be practiced as a daily ritual.

This Thanksgiving—as you celebrate that one big day of gratitude—try to carry it into the day after Thanksgiving and then the day after that, heading straight into 2013 in a blissful state of gratitude. Watch how your well being and worldview naturally improves and gratitude becomes the best habit you ever developed.

Posted Nov 21, 2012 Tagged under: balance, celebration, inspiration, reflection, self-awareness

What Happens When We Gather

Real life—translated: work, family, school, house, more work—can fill up every waking minute and then some if you let it. In the face of all the things we have to do, it’s easy to neglect to do the things we want to do, the things that bring us joy and actually sustain us for the long haul. Sound familiar?

I made a big cross-country move this summer, got my family settled, wrapped a two-week visit from my mom, and just got my son started in school. In other words, I’ve been running at full-tilt since June and now I am furiously focused on business development and the other high-priority projects I have ahead of me. I might easily have decided to just break into a sprint and not look back until catching my breath several months from now, probably around New Year’s. But how dumb would that be?

As a people collector, now living in a new part of the country, I knew that there would never be a better time than right now to refresh my spirit with the conversation, laughter, and deeply rewarding connection that happens best when I pull together a group of interesting people and sit them down at my table. So I recently hosted my first dinner party and reminded myself once again of the power and long-lasting impact of gathering people together in my home.

Dinner parties create instant community. Ideas flourish and spill over glasses of wine. Relationships are seeded over hors d’oeuvres. Debates arise over dessert, and problems are solved while washing dishes. Most importantly, our stories encircle us and our shared humanity shines through.

In hopes of inspiring you to gather a great crew for a dinner party or two this fall, here are a few things to think about when setting out to spark an evening of genius in your home.

Toss your usual guest list. Instead of inviting everyone you already spend a great deal of time with, invite some folks you rarely get to see, or someone you admire but don’t know very well. Make sure the group of invited guest is eclectic, diverse, and multi-generational and remember the more you mix it up the better the evening is for everyone.

Give them a reason to come. People will always show up for a purpose, so give them a reason to say yes. Yes, I will attend your solstice party. Yes, I will attend your spoken word celebration. Yes, I will attend your seasonal-foods dinner party. Whatever the theme, area of shared interest, or personal excuse you offer to gather genius, do it with a snazzy splash of focus.

Stay home. Sure, it would be easier to get a bunch of people to meet up at a restaurant so someone else can cook and clean up. But there is something very intimate about personally serving others in your own home. Let’s face it—people are curious to see how others live, to see the books on their shelves and the anthropological evidence of the lives they lead. It’s also nice for everyone to enjoy a break from eating out for work or when traveling. Get over the insecurity of “my house isn’t big enough” or “my stuff isn’t nice enough.” Open your doors and see your relationships subtly deepen when you nurture them from your personal sanctuary.

*Smaller is better.*Twelve guests is the perfect number—fifteen tops—in order to ensure that you can manage the logistics and that no one will miss out on the great conversations. Just three interesting people around a table can make for a pretty wonderful dinner party, too.

They don’t call it “entertaining” for nothing. One of my golden rules: every gathering must provide a creative experience for your guests. Dancing almost always happens at my house because a little bit of this kind of creative expression goes a long way. Invite musical guests to jam together or toss the idea of a drumming circle out there and see what happens. Convince your partner to DJ for a few hours, as I did, or ask each guest to come with a new song to share with the group. Believe me, I’ve seen some awesome playlists produced by the parties at my house.

Above all, enjoy yourself. To ensure that you have as good a time as your guests do, don’t be afraid to hire some help. I called an amazing non-profit organization called The Bread Project to come to my house and cook for my party and it was fantastic to have two women from challenging backgrounds add to the experience, sharing their stories and amazing dishes. Don’t forget that the party is about pleasure, play, and fueling the tribe—for yourself especially. You should be drying the last dish and turning out the lights with a big, fat smile on your face.

Posted Sep 3, 2012 Tagged under: celebration, relationships

Geniuses! Spread the word and win an iPad 2!

Win an iPad2 for sharing the word about Practical Genius the book

As a huge THANK YOU for your support, I am giving away an iPad 2 to one of my readers.

My upcoming book Practical Genius: The Real Smarts you Need to Get Your Passions and Talents Working for You is now available for presale on Amazon.

Every one of us has a capacity for genius. You are capable of achieving something so extraordinary that it could change the game for you, your business, and every aspect of your life. In Practical Genius, I show you how.

To help get the word out about the book, I’m asking you to share news of its release. Every time you spread the word about the book, you receive an entry into a drawing for a brand new iPad 2.

There are four ways to enter to win:

Read the rest of "Geniuses! Spread the word and win an iPad 2!"

Posted Sep 6, 2011 Tagged under: celebration, genius, practical genius, publishing, social media and technology

The 40 greatest lessons of my life

Ok, so today is the day I turn the BIG 4-0 and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than by sharing the 40 greatest lessons of my life with you. Have a laugh, get inspired, and, most importantly, know that GENIUS does 40 well.