There is a saying that gratitude changes our attitude. I’ve found this to be true as by being in the moment and finding joy around you can lift your spirits. The way you see things can change in an instant, just with appreciating the things around you.
Some days I go about my day and find beauty and joy every step I take. Yet, naturally there I also days I feel down and need time to work out the reason behind this. On the down days, I dig deep and turn my thoughts from negative to positive. On those days I feel down, I go for a walk. This generally cheers me up. I look at the beautiful nature around me, the trees, the beach where I listen to the waves and the lake where I listen to the birds. I find that as I’m appreciating the beauty around me, my spirits lift and my mood changes. Just being among nature and appreciating everything around me can change my mood.
Live in the now with gratitude.
A lot of us waste most of our time thinking that life will be better when we have a good paying job when we buy a big home. Maybe life will be more positive when we move into a spacious house, when we start a profitable business, when we clear our debts or when we recover from an illness. We all have that thing that we perceive to be very important and when we achieve it, we believe we will feel contented but is this so. Does ‘when we’ even arrive?
The poem ‘The Station’ is a beautiful poem on embracing life’s journey.
The different situations in each and everyone’s life, whether positive or negative, can have a significant impact on us. However, what matters most is how we react and deal with such circumstances. Life is all about choices, choosing happiness in no different. We get to choose happiness at any specific moment. You can express gratitude for areas of your life whether the circumstance is ideal or not. In other words you and I, we get to choose to be grateful or not. We get to decide to be happy with what we have today while working towards tomorrow.
Learn to love the little things in life.
To create a true feeling of success in life we need to create grateful habits for happiness. For example, we need to learn how to appreciate the little things in life and be grateful for what we already have.
Finding happiness and joy in small or simple things in life does not depend on our ability to acquire all the things that money can buy. For, it is not financial wealth that brings happiness. It’s gratitude that brings wealth.
Being happy and joyful for every good thing that happens in your life is an example of how gratitude changes your attitude. Enthusiasm, happiness and achievement do not necessarily come from life itself. Rather, it comes from our ability to accept, appreciate and simply enjoy what we already possess. By appreciating what you have, you learn the path to creating more value for you, for others and for life.
Gratitude teaches us to pay more attention and appreciate what we have and avoid worrying about what we do not have. This way we create a sense of calmness and joy in our lives, our families, our workplaces and also in our relationships.
Tips to change your attitude with gratitude.
1. Write something every day that you’re grateful for.
It is never too late to start cultivating gratitude in your life. All you need to do is appreciate the things around you each day. Take notice of the little things that bring you joy and write them down. Create a daily gratitude list. On your list include a wide variety of things like; what you see, your relationships, the beauty you see in people, the taste of the food you eat, the sounds you enjoy and … This list could go on and on.
I once read about how relationships grow with gratitude. Darren Hardy shares in The Compound Effect about keeping a gratitude diary for thanksgiving and how it improved his relationship and appreciation for his wife.
It is amazing the good you see when you look for it. I kept a gratitude diary about Carsten, writing something I was grateful for each day, like grateful for his sense of humour, grateful for his smile, grateful for his support.
Naturally, there will be days when you think ‘What is there to be grateful about?’ Yet, there is always something to be grateful for. There are many things in life we take for granted that we can give thanks for. On the days you feel ungrateful, dig deep and write in your gratitude diary for each day you write you are developing a grateful heart.
The gratitude list can help you with ideas to write in your journal.
Related post: 5 Ways To Start A Personal Journal
2, Read your gratitude list.
Your list, it is an important tool to use when you’re feeling down or overwhelmed.
If life is stressing you out. Look at the positive moments of life and draw on calming and successful events.
If your business is overwhelming you, look how far you’ve come, the skills you’ve developed and the experiences you’ve had.
Should someone be upsetting you draw strength from the positive relationships you have or have had in the past.
Every day is a new day.
This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.
Maya Angelou
3. Plan a time to be grateful each day.
Some people say write at night so that you have a more restful sleep. Yet, others say look in the mirror in the morning and smile, grateful and happy first thing in the morning so you are happy and grateful all day. See what works for you, morning, night or even both.
Research shows that living with gratitude influences positivity in life. This can accelerate personal growth and thankfulness.
Related post: Positive ways to start the day that will transform your life.
4. Share your gratitude.
Sharing your gratitude can be by having a gratitude buddy or expressing gratitude to others. A simple statement or conversation can go a long way in improving happiness and gratefulness. Why not jump into Lifestyle Anytime facebook page and express gratitude on the daily posts.
It takes time to see all things with a grateful heart and it can be a challenge. One of the big challenges is also showing yourself self-love, being grateful for you.
As you set goals to cultivate more gratitude think of the many of your life, yourself, your family, your friends, the place you live, nature. Refer to these journal prompts to help you.
Remembering to express gratitude may be hard at first, but in time you will find yourself showing appreciation and gratefulness every day, to yourself, to others, to nature to the world. You will see and express the beauty in all things that surround you. Be grateful for the simple daily experiences and you will how an attitude of gratitude changes your life.
If you have found this blog to be helpful in getting you started in showing gratitude, share it with a friend.
Very interesting points you have mentioned, thankyou for posting. “I never said most of the things I said.” by Lawrence Peter Berra.
Yogi’s quote. Thanks.
Amazing read and I agree with you 100%! It’s definitely all about the little things.
Thank you Amanda, keep on enjoying life’s moments.
I really like the mindfulness of this post. I have talked about gratitude before and always try to practice it. I think gratitude is a muscle we have to strengthen. Thanks for the great tips!
Thank you, Amanda, gratitude definitely gets easier the more you practice it.