Lesson 28-Gratitude and Appreciation
– I understand the concept of gratitude as being thankful for the small things. Finding things in life that we can be thankful for, looking for small opportunities and appreciating that we were given those opportunities to grow.
-Cultivating gratitude is important for personal development, particularly during imprisonment, because if we find things to be thankful for in the worst times of our lives, we can always grow. Being thankful only when things are good does not give us motivation. If we can shift our perspective from what we do not have to what we do have it changes our way of thinking.
-An example of a situation while incarcerated that helped me maintain a positive mindset and enhance my personal growth was one day while walking instead of focusing on where I was, and how I did not want to be here, I instead shifted my thoughts to the beauty around me. I could look at the mountains, the trees, the birds, all of the little things that I failed to look at before. The beauty in the little things and being able to slow down for a moment to just reflect on the beauty around us.
-Embracing gratitude can help prepare you for a successful life upon release, because when you can find things to be thankful for it changes your mindset as a whole. You are able to shift your perspective; teaching you the silver lining is always there, you just need to look for it. By maintaining positivity the worlds begins to be positive for you. With positivity you are able to not only uplift yourself, but also uplift your connections with all of those around you.
– strategies I can employ to cultivate gratitude during my time here are appreciation, mindfulness, perspective shift, expressing appreciation to others, simple acts of kindness and reflecting on positive moments. By doing these strategies I am teaching myself to view things from a different perspective.
