An Attitude of Gratitude
How do you have an attitude of gratitude? If you’re thinking this sounds pretty lame, I was in the same boat. I consider myself a pretty tough guy. I have an ability to handle tough times mentally and deal with pain physically. Growing up, I had my ass handed to me a few times on the football field and as a business owner, I’ve had the same done to me at different times.
So for a self-considered tough guy, practicing an attitude of gratitude just sounded soft. It took a long time for me to open up to the idea of realizing what I was feeling and dealing with it instead of stewing on it.
Once I finally decided to open up to the idea of self improvement, practicing gratitude just came easy. In a nutshell, it’s the idea of being grateful and a mindset of coming from a positive place. You can pretty much take any situation and pick two paths: Positive or Negative.
I think the greatest example is in religion. In times of strife, a person full of faith will usually turn to God and be grateful for the challenge presented to them. No questions, just one answer: I’ll be better for this challenge. A positive approach to the situation.
The other side is the person not full of faith. In times of strife, they will question God. “Why are you doing this to me? Am I not worthy?” This is coming from a place of negativity.
Practicing gratitude can put you in a position to approach any situation from a positive position. It’s as simple as phrasing the problem statement into a challenge. Here are a couple of examples:
Problem: Children are not listening.
- I’m grateful for the challenge my children present. They’ll make me a more patient person.
Problem: Co-workers, subordinates are not to your standard.
- I’m grateful to train others at work. Giving them knowledge only improves and helps me complete my tasks.
Problem: My wife didn’t empty the dishwasher.
- I’m grateful to help around the household. It’s make me a better husband and our marriage stronger.
Here’s the negative side:
- These children are the worst. I love them, but they make my life difficult.
- My co-workers are holding me back. I don’t have time to deal with their incompentence.
- My wife never does her part. I’ve always got to pick up her slack.
That’s a pretty extreme turn. You know your children are not the worst, your co-workers likely try their best and your wife just forgot. If you work from the negative, then these problems will never improve at a rate you want or at all. If you work from positive and grateful attitude, then you’ll be willing to help and improve the situation rapidly.
Tools For Practicing Gratitude
Gratitude Journal: There are some pretty common tools to help you practice gratitude. The first of which is a gratitude journal. You can find many online. I have an Early To Rise gratitude journal. Listening to Craig Ballentyne got me interested in a gratitude journal, so I tried his version. It’s structured witch is helpful for most. You can use it before bed as a way to close out your day with a recap and preparation for the next day.
Blank Journal: You can also just purchase a blank journal. I have a blank journal for the morning. Before I leave for work, I write down two statements of gratitude. It starts my day from a place of gratitude.
Meditation: Meditation comes in different forms, so you can mold it to focus on gratitude. Many people use power mantras or jingles, but you can also use a statement of gratitude. Focus on the statement while breathing for 3-5 minutes.
Recap
Being grateful is posistive. Positive is good. Giving off a positive energy will in turn attract positive people. This will make your life more fulfilled. When you are grateful for a person, you are giving to them. When you come from a postion of giving, you’ll always receive more than you give. There’s no science behind it, it’s just what happens. So make it happen and practice an Attitude of Gratitude.
Please leave comments on your experiences with gratitude and the opposite. If this blog has helped you, plesae share it with others that you think it can help.
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