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Empowerment is what ideally punctuates every rags-to-riches story. These stories sound cliché but the purpose of sharing this one here is different than what is usually shared. I have seen life at worst in my growing years. There was a time when my family did not have enough to make ends meet. I often remember when we did not have enough to eat. Yet each day that I survived, despite all the hardships, and trudged my way toward success – I was thankful for every new sun that rose through my window. A new day meant a new start. As I look back today, I remember there was a kind of empowering gratitude that would nudge me awake, get me through the day of endless struggles (and failures), and fetch me back to my home for another sleepless night. But for every day that kept alive my conjecture of a bigger, prosperous picture, I was grateful. Again, that can be cliché and tough to believe, but I promise you it is true. There's Empowerment in Gratitude The word "gratitude" means grace, graciousness, and gratefulness. New research in positive psychology zeroes in on one activity that can help people derive the greatest possible benefit from treatment in the shortest time possible in their quest of strengthening mental health, and that is simply being grateful. That is true, indeed. Based on my experience and science combined, it is unreal to think how being genuinely thankful and appreciative of anything or everything you have can help you live a longer life, one that is successful as well. How Gratitude and Positive Thinking May Prolong Your Life Dr. Shaurice Muins Did you know scientists have concluded that people who tend to maintain close bonds with friends and family tend to live longer? In extensive research by a group of researchers from Brigham Young University, 148 studies spanning back to the early 1900s were reviewed. These studies collectively encompassed 308,849 participants and monitored their well- being over an average period of 7.5 years. The findings of this comprehensive analysis were striking; individuals with robust social connections boasted a 50 percent higher likelihood of still being alive at the end of this period compared to their isolated and lonely counterparts. And that is not the best part yet. The research suggested a fulfilling social life meant long-term survival on par with quitting smoking, even as far as exercising and overcoming obesity. There is a term called "stress buffering." Hundreds of studies in the past years have documented the social, physical, and psychological benefits of gratitude, even for groups of people amidst seemingly irrevocable adversities. These include people on death beds, women with breast cancer, and those coping with chronic muscular diseases. The empowerment in gratitude goes beyond imaginable results. When you are feeling appreciative of the life you have built, or the people around you, or the opportunities you have cashed in on, you get this rush of dopamine and feel-good hormones that effectively eliminate free radicals in your body – the main culprit to aging faster. A good social life, a positive approach to thinking, and self- talk that focuses on the aspects you are proud of empower you with a spiritual energy that sets everything else correct by default. How to cultivate gratitude when you are not feeling too gratel… Here is how I kept myself sane for all those years, and here is how this tried and tested list of activities can help you feel better and importantly, more grateful than you are feeling now… I call them the three A's of gratitude. 52 VUENJ.COM

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