Nothing To Express Your Gratitude About? I Doubt that!
Once again, I was talking to someone about this gratitude, this website, and my blog. It was a similar discussion I have had with others in the past, so I thought I would dig up an old post and share it again.
You see, I was really surprised at the response I received from him. ” I wish I were like you, but I really do not have much gratitude for anything. I’m feeling sick. I hate my job. I owe a lot of money, and creditors are calling me. My girlfriend moved out. I gotta tell you… My life is the pits. What do I possibly have to be grateful for?”
My first thought was, “Wow – keep focusing on the negativity and you will get more of it! It is a vicious cycle!” Regardless of how bad you think you have it, you can still be full of gratitude! That is right, FULL of gratitude! One of my favorite quotes is by Buddha –
“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.”
(this is also my friend Marie’s favorite quote as well!)
If you are stuck and cannot think of anything to list in your Gratitude Journal, start with the small things in your life. These are really what matters and will continue along with you. When someone can appreciate and show their gratitude for the “unnoticeable things,” you will see the abundance you actually do have in your life. For starters:
- What is the weather like by you? Is it sunny? Do you enjoy the sunshine? Do you smile when you feel the morning sunshine fall across your face and warm it up? Is it raining? Are you happy that you do not have to set up the sprinkler system to water the grass? Do you like how the rain cleans the air and makes everything smell fresh? Even if the “weather is not cooperating with your plans”, you can still find a lot for which to be grateful!
- Do you have shelter? Do you own your own home? Are you renting? Are you homeless and staying at a local shelter? You can be grateful for any of these.
- Do you have a car? Is it running? Is it a clunker? Does it get you from Point A to Point B? Is it better than having to walk? Can you save time using it? No car? How do you get from place to place? Public transportation? Do you enjoy the fact that you have someone else driving you around? Are you walking? Do you enjoy the fact that you are getting some exercise as you go to your destination? You can express your gratitude for a variety of options that may be available to you!
- Are you reading this? Can you see? Do you have your vision? Is this being read via a Text-To-Speech machine? Do you have glasses? Again, here is a lot for which you can express your gratitude.
You see, even if you are unhappy, you can still be grateful for many, many, many things in your life. If you start to appreciate all of these things, you will not be focusing on the negativity and all the bad things which you see.
I have written about a gratitude journal in prior posts. I highly suggest you take this opportunity to start if you do not have one. Try it for a week. List out those things for which you are grateful, and I am sure that you will feel much better at the end of the week than you do now.
As always, your comments are welcomed. Please let me know what you think about this gratitude mindset.
Be Well.
Paul.
The Gratitude Guru
I love that quote from Buddha. And you’re so right, there is always, always, always something to be grateful for even if it’s just the fact that you’re alive. 🙂
I have a gratitude journal that I write in every day. I also have an accountability partner for my business and one of the things we do every morning is exchange an email saying what we are grateful for. It really works great to start the day off in the right frame of mind.
.The largest obstacles standing in our way when we begin attempting to utilize the are our current habitual thought processes. Whether we realize it or not most of us focus solely on our lacks our wants also translated as things we don t have or lack and on the things that irritate us or stand in our way. This is largely counterproductive as what we are magnetizing is more lack and more irritation..There is a fantastic trick to altering our mode of thought in a more positive abundant direction. This is the process of gratitude..Take a moment and stop worrying about the things you need. Stop worrying about the things you want. Stop worrying about what s going wrong and what you can t do anything about. Instead focus on what it is in your own life that you already have that you are grateful for. Do you have a significant other? A child? A great car? A great computer? Great friends? A job you enjoy? Even a book that you are reading right now that just tickles you pink is a good point of focus..Become aware of the effect these things have on your life. What would life be like without them? Aren t you grateful to have these things? Focus on your gratitude for what you have. Spend a little time every morning and every night feeling gratitude for the things you already have acquired or accomplished that have made your life better..Now here s the fun part. When you focus on the things that you love and already have you create a magnet to attract more things you will love and have. When you are constantly grateful for your family your house your pets or whatever you are placing these positive emotions and thoughts out in front of your negative worries. Now the stronger of these thoughts the positive ones will begin to have the most effect on your manifestations..Because you are now in a mindset of enjoying the things you have you are in a present positive state of mind which allows fast and easy attraction of more wonderful things and people into your life. The irony is that most of us completely ignore and neglect that which we already have and therefore we are creating even more lack in our lives we are creating an energetic lack of that which we ve already attracted! That form of magnetizing will only continue to bring you things and experiences you do not desire. Focusing on and developing gratitude causes your energy to focus on manifesting more reasons to be grateful..And so it is that the simplest most effective trick for manifesting things that you want is to stop and take the time to appreciate and enjoy the things that you already have..