I Love Life: An Atttitude Of Gratitude

If you can't change your circumstances in life, change your attitude---and make it an Attitude of Gratitude!

I can totally relate to that statement.  While in the grips of unemployment, a devastating divorce and a serious health condition, my focus was totally on the negative instead of the many blessings I was taking for granted.  Motivational author and speaker Brian Tracy put it this way:  "Develop an Attitude of Gratitude and---most of all---give thanks!

Author William A. Ward put it this way:  "God gave you a gift of 86 thousand 400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say 'thank you?'"

When I began to thank God for the positives in my life---my mental and emotional outlook underwent a complete transformation.  The positive mindset had an immediate impact on my relationships!  No doubt about it: positive people attract each others.  If you are a complainer, you can easily find others to validate your misery.  But, if you display a positive outlook, you will attract positive people.

It's been proven---research shows gratitude is beneficial to your health.  The Bible says it best: "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God."

So, what does it take to develop and nurture and Attitude of Gratitude?

Number one:  Count your blessings!  Name them, list them, draw them, but count them.  To feel gratitude, you must acknowledge your blessings!

Number two:  Give thanks---show your attitude in word and deed.  Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.

The bottom line is this:  Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to charity.  It was turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a sense for tomorrow!