The Attitude of Gratitude

“Let’s choose today to quench our thirst for the ‘good life’ we think others lead by acknowledging the good that already exists in our lives. We can then offer the universe the gift of our grateful hearts.” Sarah Ban Breathnach

Have you ever given something to someone who refused to say thank you, or worse who complained, or who always asked for more without any gratitude from their side?

 How did that make you feel? Or how do you think it would feel? I am sure we all know the answer to that question, it doesn’t feel so good and you might even regret giving that person anything in the first place.  So think of God, Jehovah, Allah or Universe whichever name you prefer to call it for a moment. He has blessed you with food, shelter, family, friends, job, education and gazillions of other things. And most importantly He has given you Life. But how often do you give gratitude for these things. In fact how often do you even notice that these things are blessings given unto you and that they could easily be taken away from you and the only reason that they are not is because of His infinite kindness towards you. Sure you may not have that car you want today but what about your healthy legs that you can walk with. Don’t you think you should be thankful for those? What if you couldn't be able to walk one day?

Learn to appreciate the small things in life. Remember that the oak tree was once a tiny seed. When you learn to appreciate the small things in your life then you start the gratitude snowball effect. The more you are thankful, the more things you will be given to be thankful for. Even when you face disappointments thank your way through them. As you start seeing the positive in every situation and practicing gratitude you will begin to find that even adverse conditions cannot keep their grip on you. Your habit of gratitude will cause them to lose their power over you.

Like any habit, the habit of gratitude takes time till it becomes a permanent part of your life and becomes a lifestyle. Start with the small things in your life ‘I am thankful for my food. Thank you for the air I breathe. Thank you for keeping me alive and well.” Eventually, you will become accustomed to it and will begin to see more and more good things to be thankful for in your life.

Set aside each day a time to be thankful. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a long prayer time, or hours of meditation. You can incorporate it into something you are doing during the day. Perhaps each time you sit to eat or maybe when you take a shower or assign an object as a gratitude object so that every time you see it you will be reminded to be grateful. Get creative and think of more ways to make thankfulness your daily habit.

Have an awesome day!

Lidia

Who said we have to wait for Thanks Giving Day every year to be thankful? Today, what are you grateful for? J