Remember weeks ago when I wrote to you about Ann Pogue, masterful woman that she is…

Ann recently sent out this great reminder to us Pinky’s on  facebook about the benefits of GRATITUDE…

She replied to my call for declaring  this month gratitude month everyday…

Here is what Ann shared with us.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~Author Unknown

An Attitude of Gratitude

Evidence exists that supports the positive effects of gratitude on an individual’s overall health and well-being. Research shows that gratefulness is associated with things like:

* increased alertness

* enthusiasm

* determination

* optimism

* high levels of energy

* decreased levels of depression

* reduced stress

* more and better sleep

* increased physical activity

* more goal progress

An attitude of gratitude has also been shown to impact the physical body. Positive feelings initiate a chemical response that ultimately enhances immune function. In general, this translates to less health problems. Those that are ill but who practice gratitude typically exhibit a better healing response and have decreased risk for recurrence.

Steps to Cultivating Gratitude

1. Practice mindfulness. Quite simply, look for good and acknowledge it. No matter how slight, every situation offers us something.

2. Use affirmations. Create a positive statement that reflects your desired outcome and repeat it several times a day. It also helps to write it down and post it in a conspicuous location. Make sure the statement is in the present tense, relevant to you, and very specific.

3. Utilize cues. Small reminders can be helpful in increasing awareness. Try Post-Its or check out the the Mindful Clock.

Each time you come in contact with your cue, do a gratitude check-in and find something to be thankful for at that moment.

4. Act as if. Otherwise known as faking it until you make it. Did you know that just the act of forming your mouth into a smile releases positive emotion enhancing chemicals into your system? Act thankful, joyful, or optimistic and that will be your experience.

5. Make it known. Write down what your thankful for each day in a gratitude journal. It will be a constant resource for you to draw upon. Express your gratitude to others. Everyone thrives on being needed and appreciated. By sharing this, you pass on an invaluable gift. You can do this in person or by writing a heartfelt message of gratefulness.

So, with that, I wish you all a very great-FULL month! GRATITUDE–BRING IT ON!!! I am so very great-FULL for you, Laura, and all you wonderful Pinky’s!

Isn’t this just the best?

Ann, I, we thank you and praise you for being here on the earth spreading your light and love.

I am grateful to you,  Leah, and all of my Pinky’s.

You all Rock!

I love you, XO

Laura

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Happy Birthday Today to Dear Ann Pogue!!!

Super Woman that she is.

My dear friend Jana Stanfield introduced me to Ann some years ago and I knew she was a treasure from our first hello!

Today is Ann’s Birthday, October 28th and in honor of her birthday she wrote this delightful piece for us Pinky’s that I want to share….

Here it goes. And before you even read what she has to say,  don’t you all want to smile with Joy looking at Ann’s face and gorgeous smile!?

What is perfection?

What is perfection? What is normal? These are questions I ask myself regularly, the latter especially! I have long since disliked the word “normal!” It cannot be defined because there are far too many personal and individual definitions for such a word. Normal to me is not normal to the next person and so on. My truths are just that…mine and mine alone.

My definition of perfect as it relates to body image would be being comfortable in that center of knowing who you are, knowing your worth, being comfortable with who you truly are, being comfortable in one’s own skin, exuding self confidence, and that inner knowing that the imperfections one might see on the outside are also perfect because it’s those things that make us special and unique individuals. As cliché as it may sound, I wholeheartedly believe that TRUE beauty shines from within…true beauty emanates from the inside out! That inner light that shines so brightly from within, the Spirit with which a person lives, is just as beautiful to me, if not moreso, than say, the highest paid supermodel on the planet!

To me, what makes a person beautiful is not what they look like on the outside, but their heart and who they truly are on the inside. I’ve heard it said that, “If you know someone’s story, you will love them.” If only we could get past the societal perceptions of beautiful and perfect, and take the TIME to truly get to the HEART of what makes people tick, I think this world would be a much happier place!

I AM Ann Pogue…and here is a little bit about what makes me tick…

Entering into this world with the birth defect Spina Bifida and having FAR surpassed my life expectancy of ONE WEEK (if that!), all the while surviving and THRIVING through more than 65 surgeries (with the next one coming up in a matter of weeks!), I am now gratefully staring in the face my thirty-third year on this Earth (in just two days!) And I say, bring it on!! I’m grateful every single day to have the opportunity to embrace life in this perfectly imperfect world!! That’s not to say that I don’t regularly face challenges, but who doesn’t?! It’s what you do with those challenges, and how you handle them, that makes all the difference! When we can come from a place of embracing this perfectly imperfect world, as well as our own experiences, our lives can become a lesson from which others can learn. All I’ve ever wanted is for my life to make a difference…

I am PROUD to be perfectly imperfect! (Most days! )

“I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, after all, to matter: to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.”–Leo C. Rosten

“Life is no brief candle to me. It is a splendid torch…and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to future generations.”–George Bernard Shaw

Happy Birthday Dear Ann,

You are loved!

Laura and the OnePinky.com community

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