Attitudes of Gratitude

(This blog was originally posted on November 23, 2017)

Image courtesy of Microsoft

In today’s blog, I share some sentiments and philosophies that specifically address gratitude. I hope you all had a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday!

• “The struggle ends when the gratitude begins.” – Neale Donald Walsch

• “Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.” – Jacques Maritain

• “Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.” – Native American Wisdom

• “I give thanks for this perfect day. Miracle will follow miracle, and wonders will never cease.” – Unknown

• “Act with kindness, but do not expect gratitude.” – Confucius

• “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” – Cynthia Ozick

• “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

• “If you think you are enlightened, go home for Thanksgiving.” – Ram Dass

• “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Unknown

• “You cannot exercise much power without gratitude; for it is gratitude that keeps you connected with power.” – Bruce Van Horn

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Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. In July 2019 she was voted the Best Hypnotherapist in Santa Clarita, California. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2019

Attitudes of Gratitude for Thanksgiving 2017

Image courtesy of Microsoft

As many people celebrate Thanksgiving, I decided to share some sentiments and philosophies that specifically address gratitude in today’s blog. I hope you have a beautiful holiday!

• “The struggle ends when the gratitude begins.” – Neale Donald Walsch

• “Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy.” – Jacques Maritain

• “Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.” – Native American Wisdom

• “I give thanks for this perfect day. Miracle will follow miracle, and wonders will never cease.” – Unknown

• “Act with kindness, but do not expect gratitude.” – Confucius

• “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” – Cynthia Ozick

• “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

• “If you think you are enlightened, go home for Thanksgiving.” – Ram Dass

• “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Unknown

• “You cannot exercise much power without gratitude; for it is gratitude that keeps you connected with power.” – Bruce Van Horn

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2016     

Attitudes of Gratitude: Thanksgiving 2016

Image courtesy of Microsoft

As many people prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow, I decided to share some sentiments and philosophies that specifically address gratitude in this evening’s blog. I hope you have a beautiful day tomorrow!

• “Gratitude is the heart’s memory.” – French proverb
• “The more you practice gratitude, the more you see how much there is to be grateful for, and your life becomes a celebration of joy and happiness.” – Don Miguel Ruiz
• “Shift to an attitude of gratitude and shift your mindset to happiness.” – Dr. Romie Mushtaq
• “It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude. It’s gratitude that brings us happiness.” – Unknown
• "Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos—the trees, the clouds, everything." – Thich Nhat Hanh
• “Attitude of gratitude is best because it makes [the] Heart humble. A humble heart is always open, receptive to the higher expressions of Truth.” – Mooji
• “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
• “A man is very apt to complain of the ingratitude of those who have risen far above him.” – Oscar Wilde
• “Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayers.” – Maya Angelou
•  “Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos—the trees, the clouds, everything.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2016     

Pack It Away

Photo by Rick Hustead

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it is increasingly difficult for a lot of us to focus on work and other responsibilities without our minds drifting to the celebration—and preparation for the celebration—ahead. Fortunately, I have an imagery suggestion that should help you concentrate on what you need to do until you have time and resources to address holiday preparations when you aren’t at work. 

In my blog titled The Red Box, I described how Great Britain’s Queen Victoria liked to place important documents in a red box on her desk. This box served as a “to-do” box/in-tray; anything that made it into this container was considered urgent and needed the monarch’s attention right away. Of course, at the beginning of her reign all sorts of papers and petitions found their way in, which overloaded and frustrated the queen and her husband, Prince Albert. It turned out that comparatively few of the items in the box were truly urgent or even deserved her attention, at all. However, until the documents were sorted and prioritized, she had to treat them as if they were.

A similar process happens to most of us at some time or another, when stray thoughts, memories, daydreams/fantasies or worries drift into the conscious mind when we are—or should be—busy handling something else. Suddenly, the mind is filled with these distracting ideas that prevent us from focusing on the task at hand. Of course, the more we tell ourselves to focus and ignore that pesky idea that is starting to blossom in our imagination, the more difficult it is to do just that: Did I buy enough cranberry sauce? I need to rent more chairs from the party-supply store. Should there be a separate kids’ table, or do the children get to hang out with the grown-ups this year?

In cases like this, I like to suggest that the intrusive image or thought is being moved into a metaphoric version of Queen Victoria’s red box, in the subconscious mind. This suggestion will be literal and direct or metaphoric, depending on the person’s suggestibility. I remind the individual that this box is only for temporary storage to allow him or her to continue to work (or play) without interruption. The information can be easily accessed and retrieved whenever the time is right to address this issue. Meanwhile, it is being stored safely out of the way until the client can and wants to deal with it. 

The great thing about this kind of imagery is that even the concept of a red box can easily be replaced with an object or even an element the person likes better. If you do a lot of work with computers and on the Internet, perhaps the idea of storing this information on a cloud or even invisible strands of energy around your head is more effective. If a memory of a previous family celebration or a fantasy about who you want to sit beside is particularly distracting, it may feel more comfortable and safer to metaphorically lock that thought in a metaphoric iron box. To strengthen this concept, you can even make a motion with your hand to turn a key in that lock to keep it out of your conscious mind until you want or are ready to address it.

Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute in 2005. For more information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.

© 2016