Want a Happier, Healthier Life? Then Be Thankful!

Sharing this blog post by: Mark Roberts, Patheos.com

Now, I know this sounds like pop psychobabble. But, in fact, serious research suggests that expressing gratitude for your blessings will, indeed, help you to be both happier and healthier.

Among the studies that demonstrate this connection, one is described in an article from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. In “Counting Blessings Versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life,” Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, report on their research. I’ll try to summarize their methodology and findings here.

Emmons and McCullough did three separate studies with groups of 201, 166, and 65 people. In all three groups, some participants kept a journal entry of their blessings. Other participants were to keep a record of their “hassles” or of merely “neutral” events. All participants were required to record aspects of their well-being, including “moods, coping behaviors, health behaviors, physical symptoms, and overall life appraisals.” What were Emmons and McCullough seeking to discover?

Here’s their statement of purpose for the study. In the spirit of understanding the link between gratitude and happiness, the purpose of this research is to experimentally investigate the effects of a “grateful outlook” on psychological and physical well being. More specifically, we address whether relative to focusing on complaints or on neutral life events, a focus on “counting one’s blessings” leads to enhanced psychological and physical functioning.

So, what did the researchers find? In their own words. There do appear to exist benefits to regularly focusing on one’s blessings. The advantages are most pronounced when compared with a focus on hassles or complaints, yet are still apparent in comparison with simply reflecting the major events in one’s life, on ways in which one believes one is better off than comparison with others, or with a control group. In Study 1, we found that a weekly benefit listing was associated with more positive and optimistic appraisals of one’s life, more time spent exercising, and fewer reported physical symptoms. In Study 2, self-guided daily gratitude exercises were associated with higher levels of positive affect. People led to focus on their blessings were also more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or offered emotional support to another, suggesting prosocial motivation as a consequence of the gratitude induction . . . . We found that random assignment to the gratitude condition resulted in greater levels of positive affect, more sleep, better sleep quality, and greater optimism and a sense of connectedness to others. In Study 3, we even found that the gratitude intervention led to reductions in negative affect [for those suffering with neuromuscular disease] . . . [emphasis added].

In a nutshell, Emmons and McCullough found that people who considered their blessings and expressed gratitude were happier and healthier. They tended to be more active in helping others. And they also slept better. People suffering from illness experienced a lessening of negative affect.

You may be inclined to say that this study simply confirmed common sense and common experience. I agree. I’m not especially surprised by any of this. But I am impressed that when people take time to think about and record their blessings, their lives improve demonstrably and tangibly.

So here’s a reason to take time to feel thankful and to express your gratitude: you’ll have a better life.

Now, as a Christian, I believe there are other reasons to thank God, beginning with the fact that God deserves our gratitude. Then, of course, there’s the fact that Scripture calls us to be thankful. Then, there’s the positive impact of gratitude upon others. But, if you’re inclined to wonder about whether thanksgiving can make a difference in your own life, now you know. It will make your life better.

“But,” you may want to object, “I’m going through a particularly difficult time right now. How can I be thankful when . . .?” You fill in the blank with whatever ailment or challenge or pain is haunting you right now. Is it possible to thank God when life is hard?http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markdroberts/series/season-of-thanksgiving/ 

From our family to yours on Thanksgiving Day

Giving Thanks for All Things

Ephesians 5:20 “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

                                                                                  Woodland Windows and Doors, Inc.

Installation and Why Our Installers are Woodland Windows and Doors Employees

Posted by: Ken Mariotti

Have you ever heard the term slippery slope? It means an idea or course of action, which will inevitably lead to something unacceptable, wrong or disastrous. At Woodland Windows and Doors, we think window and door installations done improperly are like a slippery slope – once they start heading downhill they keep going downhill. There are some things that as a business, you just have invest in, in order to ensure the job is done right. We at Woodland think that installation is one of those things.

How hard can it be to install windows and doors? Tricky for a professional who's learned the ins and outs - largely because of all the things that can go wrong. Woodland recognized years ago that the surest way to fail was to leave the fate of our customer’s job in the hands of others. We’ve experienced the slippery slope first hand such as, when a few windows arrive defective, but it goes unnoticed until they’re put into the window opening or a second story window requires special equipment to reach it, which wasn’t planned for. We know how quickly a job can go downhill and we know that the surest way to deliver an expert job is to control every aspect of it with trained people who are committed to a perfect outcome.

The stories about botched installations, and even worse service after the problem, are legion among families, friends, neighbors and strangers who post their stories on the Internet. 

The Installers didn’t show up when they were scheduled. I called the store where I bought the windows and the job manager apologized for the delay, but said he couldn’t locate the sub-contracted installers and gave me their cell phone number to keep trying to reach them myself. They arrived six hours later and weren’t able to finish the job in the one day that had been quoted. I had to rearrange my plans to accommodate them to come back the next day. Yep, you guessed it; they arrived an hour and a half later than the scheduled time.

The installers didn’t clean up as promised. They clearly didn't work for the company that we'd bought the windows from and it took two days, and my withholding the signed job completion form, before they returned to remove the old windows and trash – something that had been guaranteed by the salesperson. They didn’t cover the entire work area and it took me two days to clean up after them.

The installers didn't carry extra tools and parts in their truck. Before applying the finishing touches to the last two of our replacement windows, the installer ran out of caulk and touch up paint to cover the nail holes in the frames. When I followed the guy back to his truck to check on his supplies, it was clear that installing windows was a side job and he wasn’t prepared for any contingencies.

The installers rushed through the job. It was as though they’d underpriced their bid that at one point, I joked, that they must have another job to go to after ours. Frankly, judging from the off brand, discount warehouse, house-wrap, tape and tubes of caulk they were responsible for supplying the materials as well.

The installers left without finishing the job to our satisfaction. Before the installers left I noticed on two windows the keepers (locks) were broken. It was a typical Chicago winter and cold air was leaking in and keep in mind, we couldn’t secure the sashes. They suggested that we call the store tomorrow for replacements and left. It was a week before the new parts arrived.

And so it goes, with some horrific customer service nightmares containing every possible combination of things that can go wrong. Did you hear about the house at the bottom of the hill, whose owners had to hire a qualified contractor to remove and re-install every window?

Installation, whether you are replacing your old windows or having new windows added to your home, requires careful planning, flawless execution, and superior response times to address those unforeseen problems. It’s a process that must be owned from the beginning to the end. Did the person who measured your job, check their measurements before the order was placed? Or did that person walk through the job with the installers? The best way, the only way, to achieve a flawless level of performance is to build a professional team of skilled people who don’t just show up, but who own the work down to the last keeper – if it doesn’t lock the job’s not done.

We don’t use sub-contractors for window and door installation and we hope you won’t either.

Lighten Up Your Winter This Year

Posted By: Ken Mariotti

After last year’s winter, the very thought that winter is coming evokes dread in most Illinoisans. Rain, snow and ice are tough, especially in record cold. Did you know that last December the average daily low temperature was 18˚F? For many people, gray skies that deprive them of natural light are the real scrooge.  In December 2013 81% of days were cloudy, including one long spell of cloudy weather lasting 11 consecutive days. Winter’s hard and it is a season when you don’t get enough light, so why not add light to your home and brighten your spirits this winter?

If you’ve dreamed of becoming a snowbird and escaping to Florida, or if you’ve imagined a brighter future for yourself living in the southern hemisphere, then you’re still rational. If you think this winter is going to be different than prior winters – we won’t mention last winter – you are becoming irrational.

If either state describes you, consider the words of the American painter, Walter Andersen, “Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.” It’s November, you’ve got time to quiet your anxiety and take action to make a change before old man winter robs you of your cheery disposition. 

Have you ever heard the term daylighting? Daylighting refers to the practice of placing windows and reflective surfaces so that during the day natural light provides effective internal lighting. If you maximize the amount of light that enters your home, your visual comfort will increase and you’ll also reduce the use of electric lights, saving you money. So what can you do to apply the principles of daylighting in your existing home and do so before winter?  

There are multiple ways to achieve this affect, including adding windows to your home, lowering, raising, or enlarging a window, or adding skylights to light interior spaces.

Skylights or roof windows can be placed into a roof, either sloped or horizontal and are designed to provide daylighting and ventilation. Today’s skylights are made from dual pane, triple-coated with Lo-E3 dual-sealed glass providing you with energy efficiency and comfort. And Velux glass coating is designed to keep the glass clean, giving you a better view. Properly positioned skylights can be installed to avoid admitting direct sun on task surfaces or into your eyes by bouncing the light off white walls or adding appropriate climate controls to balance emitted light throughout the day. Basically, it is transmitting light where there was no light before – emitting natural light – and happiness - during those dark days of winter.

Velux skylights and roof windows can take the darkest room and brighten it while eliminating the harsh color shifts of incandescent and florescent lighting and reduce your winter electric bills. Adding skylights allows the full light spectrum or natural light to enter your room and the effect that has on you physically, emotionally and psychologically is well documented. Available in multiple designs, Velux can accommodate multiple rooflines and the flat design provides a sleek look. Depending on your needs, skylights also come as fixed with a wood frame or vented models with either a manual rod for opening and closing or a solar powered remote option. If you’re interested in factory installed blinds complete with a built in solar panel power source, you’ll be able to control the amount of light you want and may qualify for a 30% Federal tax credit.

What spaces can you improve in your home by adding more natural light, your kitchen, the breakfast nook or maybe, your favorite corner near the fireplace? Can you imagine yourself enjoying natural light brightening up any of these spaces in your home? Last December the average daily low temperature was 18ºF. Winter is just around the corner. If you don’t want to relive the winter of 2013 why not make a change, take action and check out Velux skylights and roof windows before winter arrives at your house?