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2006: Issue 11 CONGRATULATIONS! Congratulations is a common refrain this time of year as schools hold their graduation ceremonies; recent graduates find new jobs, beginning their career; children receiving their final report cards, hopefully capturing their year’s successes; parents and teachers surviving yet another school year; not to mention it being the peak of the season for weddings, and thus, anniversaries. We are hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t have a milestone date during the months of May and June at which time we extend congratulations. I was intrigued by a recent article titled Finding JOY. The Art and Science of Savoring by Fred Bryant, Ph.D. proposing that one of the keys to having joy, which does improve our physical health, is savoring the positive moments, regardless of the magnitude. As you and I know, in the “hectivity” (combination of hectic and activity) of our lives, we tend to diminish the myriad of positive moments which regularly occur, almost looking over them, or at best, giving them a second or two of thought, and then moving on for who has the time…… In researching the origin of the word congratulations, I was sent to the word grace, Latin word gratia, or Sanskrit, gratus meaning celebrated, pleasing, dear. Putting “con” to the front adds the meaning thoroughly. And in Latin, congratulari means “to wish joy.” Observation: Our society embraces opportunities to extend congratulations at what we have determined to be life milestones. Yet there are so many more opportunities, at bare minimum, one a day, where extending congratulations is fitting, if we would only take a second or two to step out of the “hectivity” of our daily lives. Assessment: Imagine what your day would be like if there were more joy infused into it. Take responsibility for doing so by merely extending congratulations to yourself, to your staff, to your spouse or other loved one, while truly savoring the meaning of the word. Prescription:
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Copyright 2006, Extra Ordinary Living, Inc. All rights reserved. |