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B Grateful for a Better U!

07/21/2012

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There is no doubt that if you act with gratitude, you positively influence other people.  Currently, I am engrossed in a book called "The Happiness Project".  I am sure many of you have heard of it.  This book encourages me to go out and create a happiness project for myself and my students.  I'm not sure how that would look in the classroom, so I'll get back to you on that!  In the meantime, I currently keep a gratitude journal for myself.  My belief is that being grateful will make me a better person, a better teacher, and a better student of life. 

There is no doubt this is a challenging prospect, especially if you've lived in a negative household.  At times, it seems that the more I try to be positive, people become more negative.  I may just be more sensitive, noticing how much we all complain about things.  We never talk about great things, do we?  Look at the television.  All I see are horrible things that are happening in the world.  We talk about all car accidents, for instance.  Do you realize how many people survive each day without a car accident?  I'm a survivor all the time!

When I write in my gratitude journal, I sometimes struggle with writing things down.  My life is not grand, and things could be going a lot better, but I have a lot to be thankful about.  I encourage my students to keep one, and as a recent exercise, we did one in class.  Boy, was I inspired!  I have A LOT to be grateful for.  And here are a few...

1.  I can teach.
2.  I have great, interactive students that are respectful.
3.  I got to pick blueberries for the foodbank.
4.  I have a wonderful family that cares about me.
5.  I have enough money to pay my bills each month.
6.  I have two healthy dogs.
7.  I was able to find some really good deals at garage sales.
8.  I have a car.
9.  I have enough food to eat.
10. I get to write a blog freely :0)

What about you?

 


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    Dr. Sass

    Margaret Sass, Assistant Director of Service-Learning at Purdue University, is a service learning professional who has been teaching in higher education since 2004.  Community service and education are her passions, and she hopes to share her insights with you.

    New Blog Guest!

    MacKenzie is joining as a new guest blogger on community engagement here at Purdue University and beyond! 

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