Laura K Spencer, Ed.D.

Tag: gratitude

  • Gratitude Reimagined: Spotlighting Authentic Appreciation

    Gratitude Reimagined: Spotlighting Authentic Appreciation

    We all love a good thank-you moment. But have you ever noticed how often our gratitude is actually about… us?

    “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
    “You saved me.”
    “You made my life easier.”

    It sounds generous, but if you peel back the words, the spotlight’s still on our experience — our needs, our story, our outcome.

    Let’s flip that script. What if gratitude wasn’t about what someone did for you, but about who they are? Instead of “I couldn’t do this without you,” try: “I see what you did, and it’s awesome” (or as I like to say, RAD!)

    It’s a subtle shift, but it changes everything. You stop measuring people by what they did for you and start honoring them for who they are. That’s where genuine connection lives.

    Gratitude isn’t about proving you’re polite. It’s about paying attention. If your thank-you centers you, it’s not gratitude. It’s PR. Flip the script. See them, not you.

  • Forgotten Dreams and Quiet Reminders

    Forgotten Dreams and Quiet Reminders

    I have a 1973 Land Rover Series. It’s not on the road. Honestly, it probably won’t be for a while. It was one of those spontaneous “sure, why not?” projects that came home on a trailer and hasn’t moved since. It’s a hot mess. A beautiful one, maybe. But still, a mess.

    I forget it’s even there most of the time. Tucked into a corner of our property, collecting dust and memories of what could be. The only time I really notice it is when I’m out walking and the dog stops there, nose to the metal, tail wagging like it found something new.

    Yesterday, I posted a photo of it on Instagram. No real reason except to have something to post.

    A few minutes later, someone commented, “OMG. That is one of my dreams!”

    And maybe because it’s a high anxiety day for me, but that note literally made me stop what I was doing (or avoiding doing, perhaps…) and reflect.

    Because here I am, forgetting it exists. And for someone else, it’s the dream. The goal. The thing they hope to one day have.

    It made me think about how much I take for granted. The job I love. The husband who makes me laugh every day. The hobbies that keep my mind and heart full. Things that have become so familiar to me that I forget how special they are.

    And maybe you do that too.

    We get caught up in the day-to-day and forget to pause. Forget to look around and see the life we’ve built with clear eyes and open hearts. Forget that what we pass by without a second thought might be someone else’s wish.

    So today, I’m reminding myself to slow down. To feel the joy that’s already here. To treat the ordinary as something worth noticing. Because sometimes the most beautiful things in our lives are the ones we’ve let gather dust.