Reblog: Grateful teens

from CSMonitor.com

It’s not about the money.

A recent study focused on the effect of gratitude on teenagers. There are a lot of reasons teens are grateful. And being rich isn’t necessarily one of them. Similarly, there are plenty of reasons teens might act as if they had a gratitude deficit. Being poor doesn’t necessarily seem to be one of them.

The study suggests that regardless of a teenager’s socioeconomic background, he or she can experience the benefits of a grateful heart, including the benefit of better mental health. Through a few changes in outlook, attitude, and behavior, he or she can make big gains on the gratitude front. Teens who are the most grateful find a number of benefits multiplying. Such as? Things like improved academic performance, a sense of purpose, more hope, and more happiness. As these take root, they grow more common to a teen’s outlook and more natural to his or her life. On the flip side, things like hopelessness or depression – which are at times linked to suicide in teens – grow less prevalent. Read more

Ever worry about what people will think?

 

Ever worry about what others will think?

 

This is something that I’ve dealt with for some time, but lately I feel I’m making progress with it.

 

In my high school years, I adopted the attitude “I don’t care what people think”.  This human attitude is not necessarily loving or spiritual.

 

Instead, I’ve begun to realize God (Spirit, Life, and Truth) is the only seer, thinker, doer, and be-er.

 

God is Love 24/7.  God is knowing love, thinking love, being love – all the time!

 

Spirit is the only cause and creator, and we reflect Him/Her.  This reflection of Spirit is called man (and woman and child).  So, we only have to think, feel and see what Spirit, Love, God is thinking, feeling, and seeing.  Just like an image in a mirror.

 

We don’t need to worry about human opinions.

 

For me, this really zaps the fear or worry about what others might be thinking.  Because if it’s not happening with God and His creation then it’s not happening in reality.

 

And who wants to be involved in unreality?

 

Spending time worrying or thinking about what others might be thinking is kind of like deciding to live in a dream instead of living awake.

 

Now when I’m in conversation with others or thinking about someone, I see what Love is seeing and knowing about them.  Focusing on the higher self in everyone frees me.  It denies that I, or anyone, has a “self” separate from God.

 

We get to see our real identity – in ourselves and everyone.  Though it may take some mental discipline at first, it gets easier with practice!

 

Have fun with it!  ❤