by:  George Tannous, PhD

Become a Certified Life Coach

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Appreciation lesson at lifecoachbootcamp.com

Important: Before you study this lesson please watch this video, “Why?“.  Example:  If you or your client are in a relationship and the other person displayed an attitude of not being “Truthful”, you’ll need to master, and you’ll need to educate your client the following: “Confront and Level!”,  “Assertive Communications!”, as well as “I Feel Good, PST!”.

 

Make sure to answer the questions at the bottom of this page and write your essay before moving on to the next lesson.

 

There comes a time in everyone’s life when people hit their lowest point. Simply put, they hit rock bottom. They lose everything and they fail to see any good in their lives. When this happens, it becomes convenient to focus on the bad, rather than good. But does it help? The answer is no, it doesn’t.

 

So, if focusing on how bad the situation is doesn’t help, what does? How can we get out of the situation, be happy, and thrive in our lives?  The answer is “Appreciation.”

In 2003, two scientists, Robert A. Emmons and Michael E. McCullough, conducted an experiment. The purpose of the experiment was to examine the power of gratitude. One group of participants was instructed to list things they were grateful for every day. The second group was instructed to record everything wrong in their lives. And the third group was instructed to record neutral events.

At the end of the experiment, it was found that the people in the group that practiced gratitude every day were happier, more optimistic, slept better, improved their relationships, and had developed an uplifting attitude.

All these positive transformations happened by cultivating one good habit: the habit of practicing appreciation.

There are many positive changes associated with being appreciative. Practicing appreciation on a daily basis helps you recognize the good things in your life. It’s all about acknowledging what you have instead of highlighting what you don’t. It’s about being absolutely fine with your current state of life because you are too busy admiring other aspects of life and too busy being grateful.

Benefits of Practicing Appreciation

 

Appreciation is not only a great habit to cultivate, but its also an antidote. An antidote to pain and greed. When we are in pain, we often focus on all the bad things around us or how life is unfair to us. Instead of acknowledging the situation for what it is, we often overthink it and make it even worse.

But when we are appreciative for all the good things in life, when we are grateful to all the people who support us in the difficult times, and when we are grateful to demanding situations that render us the opportunities to learn and grow, appreciation acts as a medicine.

When we acknowledge what we have is enough, and when we are grateful for it, we defeat greed. Instead
of focusing on the missing pieces, we start admiring the bigger picture and less is more becomes the motto of life.

Imagine a world where everyone believes whatever they have is more than enough and what they have can be shared with others.

Gratitude also teaches us patience. When you develop a habit of being grateful you can become less impulsive and more patient. How? Consider this simple question, would you spend $12,000 on a car right now or would you rather spend $9,500 on the same car in three months?

An impulsive and impatient person might choose to spend today. But when you practice appreciation, the wait does not bother you because the missing piece is not the center of your attention anymore. Its just an aspect of a bigger picture. When you are satisfied with your current state of life, when you are appreciative to small things that bring you peace and happiness, you make more informed decisions. Instead of rushing, you take your time to analyze the situation from a different perspective.

Being appreciative also improves your relationships. When was the last time you appreciated an employee or coworker’s hard work? 

When was the last time you were grateful to have a wonderful family? 

When was the last time you acknowledged the value of your friends?
When you express gratitude, you let people know that they matter. You tell them that whatever they’ve done for you, you are grateful for it all. You tell them that their presence is appreciated, their efforts matter, and you want them to stay in your life.

 Being appreciative also helps you shift your focus from yourself to others. In short, gratitude makes you less self-centered and makes you humbler. Cultivating this habit not only improves your psychological health and

mental strength, but it also helps improve your physical health. How?

When you are grateful for waking up in the morning, you take your body and your health seriously. Being grateful also improves your sleep cycle.

When you are happy from the inside and you go to bed after writing in your gratitude journal, it helps you sleep better.

So, if gratitude has the power of transforming lives, perspectives, and health, what is the best way to develop this healthy habit?

How to cultivate the habit of appreciation

 

The easiest way of cultivating the habit of appreciation is to create a gratitude journal and to make at least three entries in it every day.

These entries can be one single sentence, few lines, or even a paragraph. They can be as simple as “I am grateful for the delicious food my wife prepared forme,” to “I am grateful to my manager for nominating my name for the promotion.”

It’s all up to you. If you are not a dear-diary person, you can keep a jar and drop at least three notes in it. By the end of the month, you can open that jar and read all the notes just to remind yourself how grateful you’ve been.

While cultivating a habit, many people give up too soon. Why?

Because they overthink it, overdo it and chase perfection in the early stages. We would advise you to be easy on yourself. Most importantly, keep it fun. Use your favorite scented pens, doodle in your journal, keep the notes colorful and use fancy bookmarks. The goal here is not to achieve perfection but to make positive changes in life step by step.

If you are unable to come up with three entries or notes, it’s OK. Good things take time. As long as you are making at least one entry every day, you’re doing good. You are taking steps in a positive direction and you are not stopping. And that’s what matters. Keep going!

The essay

Please write an essay, up to two pages, about a past experience you or someone you know were not being appreciative of something. Tell us in detail, who, what, when, where, why, to whom, the time, the place of what you did. The outcome! And tell us in detail how you could have changed that use from what you learned today so the outcome would have been good. Internalize this lesson. Make it become a part of you.  Share your story in the Forum

Our advice is for you to practice “Being Appreciative” for at least a week. Tell others around you to point out any event in which you didn’t. Have them hold you accountable. Visit the “Forum” and do a “CONFESSION”.

What is a “CONFESSION”? A CONFESSION IS WHEN YOU’VE DISPLAYED A WRONG BEHAVIOR AND WERE HELD ACCOUNTABLE BY ONE OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS, PEERS, OR EVEN BY YOU. VISIT THE “FORUM” AND TELL US ABOUT IT.  WE WILL GIVE YOU FEEDBACK! MAKE SURE TO WATCH THE VIDEO ABOUT “CONFESSION” FOR MORE DETAILS! FURTHERMORE, BECOME A MEMBER OF THE FORUM AND GIVE FEEDBACK TO OTHERS.  “That’s how you gain practice in becoming a CERTIFIED LIFE COACH!

Read the article? Time for introspection!

Please answer the following:

  1. Do you practice gratitude regularly? What positive changes has it brought in your life?
  2. What differences have you observed in your relationships after picking up the habit of practicing gratitude?
  3. What are those 3 things that you are grateful for and have made a difference in your life?
  4. Has gratitude helped you change your perspective? If yes, how?
  5. Has practicing gratitude helped you cultivate patience?

Sources

https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-gratitude-research-questions/

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/ten_ways_to_become_more_grateful1

 

This module includes the following:

Jump to Module:  Module 1: “Attitudes.  Followed by, “Your Logical Thoughts”.  Then, “Your Unlawful Thoughts”.  Then, “How Well Do You Communicate”.  Then, “Drugs, Alcohol, and You”.  Then, “Your Uncontrolled Anger”.  Followed by, “Is Your Life in Balance”.  Finally, “Your Relationships”.
 

There is no way any relationship will survive without having the qualities mentioned above.

Make sure to read each article carefully at least three time. Answer all questions and write your essay!  Once done, submit your answers and essay on Print Your Work Book, PDF  Or, Word

Once you have completed this entire journey, you will be issued a Life Coach Certificate.

I am thankful that you have given me this opportunity to share all of this with you. May God bless you and bring prosperity and peace into your life.

Respectfully yours,

George Tannous, PhD

Please Join The Forums. Watch Video

This is Where Confessions, Attitude Checks, Accountability, Give and Receive Feedback Comes in. Practice for Your Own Practice!
Once you have completed this entire journey, you will be issued a Life Coach Certificate.  Must participate in our Forums to get certified!  You’ll achieve your internship by joining and partcipating in our “Forums”.

Well, you might be asking yourself “How am I going to get practice for my practice?”  Great question and I thought you’ll never ask!  

#1 You are part of a group with the same interests.

#2  You have a question in regards to one of your clients and we are here to help you.

#3  Others have questions and you can give feedback and help them.

#4  You need to do a confession.

#5  And much more.

You Are Never Alone!  Join the Forums!