Here are some highlights from the Research Project on Gratitude and Thankfulness:

In an experimental comparison, those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events.

A related benefit was observed in the realm of personal goal attainment: Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based) over a two-month period compared to subjects in the other experimental conditions.

A daily gratitude intervention (self-guided exercises) with young adults resulted in higher reported levels of the positive states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to a focus on hassles or a downward social comparison (ways in which participants thought they were better off than others).

There was no difference in levels of unpleasant emotions reported in the three groups.

Participants in the daily gratitude condition were more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or having offered emotional support to another, relative to the hassles or social comparison condition.

In a sample of adults with neuromuscular disease, a 21-day gratitude intervention resulted in greater amounts of high energy positive moods, a greater sense of feeling connected to others, more optimistic ratings of one’s life, and better sleep duration and sleep quality, relative to a control group.

Well-Being: Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress. The disposition toward gratitude appears to enhance pleasant feeling states more than it diminishes unpleasant emotions. Grateful people do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life.

Prosociality: People with a strong disposition toward gratitude have the capacity to be empathic and to take the perspective of others. They are rated as more generous and more helpful by people in their social networks.

Spirituality: Those who regularly attend religious services and engage in religious activities such as prayer reading religious material score are more likely to be grateful. Grateful people are more likely to acknowledge a belief in the interconnectedness of all life and a commitment to and responsibility to others.

Materialism: Grateful individuals place less importance on material goods; they are less likely to judge their own and others success in terms of possessions accumulated; they are less envious of wealthy persons; and are more likely to share their possessions with others relative to less grateful persons.

Co-Investigators:
Robert A. Emmons, University of California, Davis
Michael E. McCullough, University of Miami

This project is supported by a grant from
the John Templeton Foundation of Radnor, PA.

In my world today this is what I have been up to:

I posted some beautiful photographs at Way Cool Pictures. Here's one of them:



And then at As Within I posted this awesome healing chant:



On Question of the Day, we have this Question posted.

How do you love Yourself?
What's your answer?

And not only that, I found something really interesting today... and blogged about it at Sell Art Online. Here's a teaser:

"...I found a website called One Thousand Paintings. I stared at it in disbelief for a full 10 minutes while the full impact of the idea sank in..." 

If you are curious, go read the post... I didn't want to put the whole thing here because this post is already way long enough. I would really be interested in your thoughts on it!

But wait... there's more...
And if you are interested, you can check out:

shirleytwofeathers and Mandala Madness and Way Cool Quotes.

Well that's about it...
I think I'll go take a nap now!

I thought it might be interesting and useful to post an overview of the 30 Day Mastermind Project that we just completed over at the Prosperity Project..

The Prosperity Project is an experiment of sorts. Every 30 days or so we test different approaches to prosperity. We share our hopes, dreams, disappointments, encouragements, and basically support each other through the 30 days. At the end of the project we evaluate and talk about what we learned etc.

It has been amazing and powerful to be part of this group. If anyone reading this post is interested in joining in... come on over, take a look around, and then just jump in and start posting and participating. We welcome new members! We love and appreciate them very much!

I will be posting our upcoming project really soon! Maybe even in the next 10 minutes! So if you'd like to jump in.. now is a good time!

As for the Mastermind, if you have ever been interested in the mastermind process, or are curious as to how it could work via the internet, or if you are just curious, you can take a look at our original idea and statement of intent. You can also read about how the mastermind process works, and what the general guidelines are.

If you would like to try this project for yourself, you will need to find at least one other person to actively participate with you. Or you can leave a comment at the Prosperity Project asking if any of our regular readers would be willing to mastermind with you for 30 days. It would be best to start on Day One: Our Mastermind - How To, and then continue on thru Day Thirty: It is done!! posting your thoughts, ideas, results, joys and disappointments as you go.

The Prosperity Project  is an active blog, and if you post, we will notice and reply.. and give you the benefit of our own experience and our support if it seems pertinent or appropriate. You can find complete listing of the day by day links at the bottom of this post.

The basic summary of our results can be found here: Mastermind Review, and individual comments and feedback can be read here.

We do have a recommended reading list if you are interested in expanding your understanding. There is also a collection of our favorite affirmations, prayers, poems, and etc.

As promised, here is the complete listing of the daily posts for the 30 day Mastermind:

Day One: Getting started
Day Two: Money
Day Three: Affirming money for each other.
Day Four: Saying "Thank you"
Day Five: Transportation
Day Six: Visioning Transportation
Day Seven: Saying "Thank you"!
Day Eight: My Home
Day Nine: Visioning Home Sweet Home
Day Ten: The Inner Dad
Day Eleven: I Joyously Accept
Day Twelve: Health
Day Thirteen: Visioning Health
Day Fourteen: Happy to be Healthy
Day Fifteen: Relationships
Day Sixteen: Visioning Relationships
Day Seventeen: Saying "Thank You"!
Day Eighteen: Our Work
Day Nineteen: Visioning Our Work
Day Twenty: Saying "Yes!" to our right jobs.
Day Twenty-One: Travel
Day Twenty-Two: Affirming Our Travel Plans
Day Twenty-Three: Saying "Thanks!"
Day Twenty-Four: Spirituality
Day Twenty-Five: Visioning Spirit
Day Twenty-Six: Thank You!
Day Twenty-Seven: Freedom
Day Twenty-Eight: Affirming Freedom
Day Twenty-Nine: We are free and unlimited!
Day Thirty: It is done!

Today is the first day of a 30 day "Prosperity Game" over at The Prosperity Project. We would love it if any of you would like to join in with us. This game is one of several excercises shared by Esther and Jerry Hicks in their newest book "Ask and It Is Given". Their other books include "The Law of Attraction" and "The Power of Deliberate Intent".

This game works best when:

• You want to expand your ability to imagine.
• You want to add more clarity or specificity to your desire.
• You want to enhance the flow of money into your experience.
• You want to enhance the flow of abundance with respect to a variety of things.
  
  

The Universe makes no distinction between the vibration you offer in response to what you are living and the vibration that you offer in response to what you are imagining, so this Prosperity Game Process is a powerful tool for shifting your vibrational point of attraction.

Come on over to the Prosperity Project, and read about it. I think it's going to be a lot of fun, and it's easy too. If you decide that you want to join in with us, that would be great! We would be delighted to have you!