Looking for a creative gift for someone you love?

In this holiday season, with the Spirit of gratitude and generosity, I want to offer a unique and heartfelt way to gift someone you love.  A gift that keeps on giving…not only to them but also to yourself…

People grow so much better from praise, appreciation and gratitude. If you see the best in them and share it, it inspires them to continue living their best. How many times have you nagged your partner to do something and it doesn’t happen? What a gift you offer the people in your life when you shift your perspective to noticing what you appreciate in them. 

I call this gift, the appreciation box.  This is how it works, you write down things you appreciate about this person (your partner, mom, best friend, etc.) each on a separate piece of paper.  You can make a habit of writing one thing every night in a journal, something you love about them, admire in them or just feel grateful for in them and why. It’s nice to be specific by giving an example or you can share with them how they have touched you / your life in some way. 

What we focus on grows, so as you highlight things you appreciate in them, you nurture this pattern in your own consciousness and it builds a more heartfelt relationship with them but also within yourself.  It can be as simple as:

-       I love the way you hold me when we sleep or

-       I love how thoughtful you are by picking out my favorite peanut butter at the store, or even

-       I admire what a supportive person you are, like how you truly listen to me without an agenda

Soon enough you’ll have a box full of these and this is where you put your creative flavor on it. It can be a sacred box, something you painted, a treasure chest, whatever you want. The pieces of paper can be on simple small white strips, decorative paper or you can put personalized kisses from you as the background; have fun wit it! 

Celebrating your relationships, cultivates a consciousness of appreciation and in the process it’s fun and deepens your love. If you feel inspired, commit to trying it for 1 week and see what happens.

In-Joy,

Alyssa