NEW IDEAS ABOUT GRATITUDE

Gratitude makes everyone it touches feel more beautiful. From the person who expresses it to the one who receives it, gratitude lifts us as it draws us a bit deeper inside each other. This week, because it is our first Thanksgiving together, we are exploring new ideas about Gratitude, as it can touch any part of our lives.

 

Photo: Alex Kelly. “Great profesh shoot for film with MX newspaper.” Alex Kelly with Starlady for film, “Queen of the Desert.”

 

How long does gratitude last? It depends, not so much on the object of your gratitude as much as it depends on your values and perspectives. From the tiniest act to the grandest gift, you can feel gratitude for a passing moment, or you can feel it for a lifetime.

Photo: Lauren Tober. “Watermelon anyone?”

But what if you could capture that feeling -- and keep it for a lifetime? You can, with Capturing Gratitude a collective project, initiated by Australian clinical psychologist, Lauren Tober. Simply take a photograph of something for which you are grateful, upload it to your Capturing Gratitude account, and you create a photographic memoir, documenting your thankfulness. It’s free.

Photo: Lauren Tober.

Tober, who is also an accomplished mindful yoga teacher, photographer, and cartwheeler, considers gratitude as one of the key components of her consciousness.

 

 

Film maker and social change activist, Alex Kelly, finds Capturing Gratitude to be not only a repository but also a useful tool. She’s busy with directing, producing, traveling, promoting, and trying to manage too many personal and professional projects, and so, like for many people, she just doesn’t have time…

Photo: Alex Kelly. Alex and Star.

“I noticed when looking back at the photos that people feature most heavily in my focus of gratitude,” Kelly explained, in an interview with Tober. While she acknowledged being grateful for beautiful things, like flowers and the weather, she noticed that her gratitude photos mainly featured her friends and family. She also noticed how strongly diversity and creativity played as a thankfulness theme.

Photo: Alex Kelly. Capturing Gratitude, Dappled Sunlight and Fab Housie.

“It was great to have the daily practice and the reminder of the practice through social media,” reports Kelly. “I tend to be more disciplined at these kind of things if I am participating collectively rather than relying on just myself to stay on track!”

 

“The stories we tell and share change the way we see ourselves and each other, as witnessed by capturing gratitude!” --- Alex Kelly.

Photo: Lauren Tober. Capturing Gratitude.

As a photo-journal, Capturing Gratitude becomes a valuable aid to facilitate reflection as well.

 

The next chapter of Capturing Gratitude opens for entry this coming February (2014). If you want to dive deep, when you join the community, you'll receive a free and inspiring Gratitude Interviews book and access to a month long e-course.

Photo: Louie Schwartzberg. Hummingbird.

Film maker Louie Schwartzberg is a member of the Capturing Gratitude community. He has been connecting with the concept and practice of gratitude for some time now.

 

Schwartzberg found an ever-deeper connection to gratitude as he immersed in what became his greatest creative love -- his achingly beautiful and thrilling time-lapse photography of nature. See more about Schwartzberg in our post “Naked Beauty Out Loud.”

Photo: Louie Schwartzberg. “21 Days of Gratitude.”

Schwartzberg began a meditative journey, two weeks ago, in a program he created, called “21 Days of Gratitude,” a unique meditation series that weaves together relaxing music, his lush visuals, and inspirational thoughts from 21 renowned thought leaders.

 

The innovative mediation program is in collaboration with Mentors Channel. It began with lessons on finding your purpose from mentor Tim Kelley. Next, the focus moved to gratitude for family and relationships. The last week is an exploration of gratitude and nature.

 

You can show your gratitude by sharing this unique opportunity with others and follow the journey on twitter:  #Gratitude21Days

 

You can watch Schwartzberg’s TED Talk about Gratitude here:

 

Video: Courtesy of TEDxTalks.

 

In addition to these works, Schwartzberg is co-founder of Blacklight Films, with a large body of powerful solo works. And you’ll see his collaborative artistry in films such as “American Beauty”, “The Bourne Ultimatum”, “Crash”, “E.T.”, “Independence Day”, “Koyaanisqatsi”, “Men in Black”, and countless others.

Cover Photo: Louie Schwartzberg. A Good Day.

Schwartzberg collaborated with Brother David Steindle-Rast on a beautiful new book, A Good Day: A Gift of Gratitude. Steindl-Rast, trained as a Benedictine monk as well as a Zen master, provides the words in a beautiful poem, entitled “A Good Day.” He is co-founder of the Center for Spiritual Studies, as well as gratefulness.org.

 

"Gratefulness is more than giving thanks,” says Steindle-Rast “Thanking comes with thinking. Gratefulness happens before thinking.”

Photo: Louie Schwartzberg. 21 Days of Gratitude.

Brother David’s poem is dimensionalized by Schwartzberg’s lush rapturous images to render pure joy. The kind of joy that both lifts and humbles you at the same time.

 

“You think this is just another day in your life,” Brother David’s inspirational poem begins. “It’s not just another day. It’s the one day that is given to you today…. It’s the only gift that you have right now. And the only appropriate response is gratefulness.”

Photo: Louie Schwartzberg.

The book also includes a DVD featuring two of Schwartzberg’s magnificent short films: Gratitude and Origins. Get a sneak peek of both films here.

 

You can create your own gratitude video and can use the A Good Day soundtrack as a bed. And you can share your gratitude videos by using the hashtag: #AGoodDay

Image: Courtesy of Track and Share Apps LLC.

 

Are you sure you know what makes you really happy? Why not check in with Gratitude & Happiness, now the #1 Wellness app on the App Store?

 

Image: Courtesy of Track and Share Apps LLC.

 

You can track four items to see what rates on your happiness Richter, which, of course is closely related to your healthiness meter.

 

Gratitude & Happiness measures how well you Express Gratitude. How often do  you keep in touch with friends? How often are you kind? Are you getting better or worse as you move through your life? The app can show you, with graphs by days, weeks, and months.

 

Open iTunes to buy and download apps.

 

 

Read more about new ideas about Gratitude, as they relate to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact in our posts throughout this week.