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Wooden's Wisdom — Volume 3, Issue 146
October 27, 20
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If We Magnified Blessings
As Much As We Magnify Disappointments,
We Would All Be Much Happier
This
famous quote from Abraham Lincoln is one that Coach Wooden often
referred to when discussing the seventh point in the Seven Point
Creed his father gave him: Give thanks for your blessings and
pray for guidance every day.
In his book Wooden, with Steve Jamison, Coach summed it up
this way:
So often, we fail to acknowledge what we have because we're
so concerned about what we want. We fail to give real thanks for
the many blessings for which we did nothing: our life itself,
the flowers, the trees, our family and friends. This moment.
All of our blessings we take for granted so much of the time.
A wise person once observed, "How much more pleasant this
world would be if we magnified our blessings the way we magnify
our disappointments."
And, of course, with that we must also pray for guidance. One
of my players at UCLA once told me he was embarrassed to have
anyone know that he prayed. There's no shame in praying for
guidance. It's a sign of strength.
One way of improving an attitude of gratitude is to keep a
gratitude journal. If you Google gratitude+journal you will
find many suggestions on how to go about this.
Simply put, it is the process of writing down, once a week, (or
an interval you choose), things in your life you're for which you
are grateful.
Robert Emmons, a professor at the University of California,
Davis, arguably the world's leading expert on the science of
gratitude, shared these research-based tips for reaping the greatest
psychological rewards from your gratitude journal.
• Don't just go through the
motions. Research suggests that journaling is more effective
if you first make the conscious decision to become happier and
more grateful.
• Go for depth over breadth.
Elaborating in detail about a particular thing for which you're
grateful carries more benefits than a superficial list of many
things.
• Get personal. Focusing
on people to whom you are grateful has more of an impact than
focusing on things for which you are grateful.
• Try subtraction, not just
addition. One effective way of stimulating gratitude is to
reflect on what your life would be like without certain
blessings, rather than just tallying up all those good things.
• Savor surprises. Try to
record events that were unexpected or surprising, as these tend
to elicit stronger levels of gratitude.
• Don't overdo it.
Writing occasionally, (once or twice per week), is more
beneficial than daily journaling.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to share this with you.
Yours in Coaching,
Craig Impelman
via
www.clinthurdle.com
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