I found this on the internet today and thought it was very worthwhile for me. Maybe it will be helpful to someone else.
Attitude of Gratitude
By Fiona Adams
What is the quickest way to change your life for the better - permanently?
And what is the quickest way to change your mood - instantly?
The answer to both questions is the same: The practice of gratitude!
Gratitude is the 'Grand Pooh-bah' of all positive emotional states. Where there is gratitude, there is also love, joy, inner peace, forgiveness, compassion, possibilities and all goodness. These qualities follow gratitude everywhere it goes!
I have personally found that 'practicing' an attitude of gratitude allows me to:
- Make peace with myself.
- Immediately shift my attention to the positive.
- Be open to opportunities. (Opportunities are all around us all the time!)
To welcome new things into our lives, we must first make peace with where we are. What we resist will persist. Creating true change starts with acceptance. Gratitude is the gateway to this acceptance. Gratitude shifts our attention to living in the moment. We move out of wishful thinking and assume responsibility for where we are. If we can express gratitude no matter what is happening in our lives, we soften and become more open to expressing love, joy, peace, forgiveness and goodness.
When our attention is on gratitude, we start feeling more positive and energized. This is because when we acknowledge the good in our lives, we begin to notice and experience more good. This 'goodness' is all around us. All we need to do is give our attention to it. In this sense, gratitude shifts our focus from the negative to the positive. Maintaining positive thinking becomes easier when our attention is on what is working in our lives.
This does not mean that we are ignoring the negative things in our lives. We are actually working through the negativity by constructively using positive thought.
When our attention is focused on what is good in our life, we are able to see more possibilities. Gratitude opens us up and makes us more available. We can find the solutions to our problems more easily. Gratitude lifts us up and removes the blinders so we can see our world more clearly.
Lastly, practicing an attitude of gratitude leads to more happiness. I've found that this works for me and it will work for you too! Try taking a few minutes every morning to review all that you have to be grateful for. (You could even do this while brushing your teeth.) Really feel your thankfulness. When you can make this little 'gratitude practice session' an emotional experience, you will carry these feelings throughout your day. Your day will be better because you'll be seeing your world in a better light.
Even though some might find it trite, it's absolutely true: The more we are grateful, the more we have to be grateful for!
Any suggestion I offer is intended as friendly advice based solely on my own experience. Please consult your doctor for professional guidance.
"Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference." anonymous
"A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails. "
~ Donna Roberts
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