Gratitude

Want to know a simple secret to happiness?

Gratitude.

It’s really that simple.

 

It is beneficial to write down the things in your life for which you are grateful.  It can be as simple as a beautiful flower you saw on a walk or as profound as the love you have for your family. It can instantly put you in a new state of happiness and awareness of all your blessings.  When you do this on a day that is particularly trying, it actually has the power to change the direction of your entire day!

There is nothing more powerful to change your perspective than to be grateful.

Life is always presenting challenges and ups and downs. We are constantly living with a challenge, getting past a challenge or starting a challenge.  Our character and strength have continuous opportunities to grow.

 

Sometimes it is hard to understand why we have these challenges. Some examples might be:

Why does my friend have cancer?

Why do small children become sick and suffer?

Why is that customer so difficult to deal with?

Regardless of the scope or size of the challenge, there is always one thing challenges have in common: the opportunity to grow. No matter how bad things are in our lives, there is always a reason to be grateful. By focusing on our purpose and blessings, we are able to put the negativity in its place.  When the negative becomes our sole focus that is what we will find, and we will become self involved and swallowed up by the problems.

By focusing on what is good and right in our life, the bad things recede and become smaller and we experience an opportunity for growth.

A prayer of gratitude:

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
Also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
And they can become your blessings.

~ Author Unknown ~

 

Build your gratitude list for the day

I am grateful for abundance today…

• The sunshine
• Bright ideas
• A loving spouse
• Little hugs and BIG good mornings
• Opportunities
• Friends

I’d love to hear how gratitude shifted a negative or bad day for you? Share with me below.