Attitude of Gratitude Series - What Should I be Grateful for?
We have said already that there are many things that you can be grateful for. In this guide we will provide you with the knowledge and the methods that will help you to develop a true attitude of gratitude. It will help you to develop the mindset that you should take nothing for granted and that you should value everything that you have in your life.
It is going to take practice to truly adopt an attitude of gratitude. We all lead busy lives these days but you need to make room for gratitude. After reading this guide you will know when you need to be grateful and you should take action to express it.
Too many people take everything that they have for granted. Think about what your life would be like if you lost some of these things. Are you grateful for your health? Where would you be if you had significant health problems?
So if you suddenly had your health taken away, or have your car taken away or you are even denied access to the people in your social circle how would these things make you feel? Pretty bad is the answer. Now imagine slowly receiving all of these things back. Would you be grateful? You bet you would be!
Start by finding happiness in what you have
One of the best ways to find things to be grateful for is to look for happiness in the things in your life that you have right now. Most people reserve their gratitude for receiving the bigger things in life such as meeting the partner of your dreams, getting a promotion at work or having a baby.
If you are thinking this way then you need to change. Here are some things you can try that are very easy to do:
As soon as you awaken each day be grateful that you have another day of life. That way that you view life will determine your happiness and it will help you to appreciate how you see your life right now.
When you think about it there are so many things in your life that you can be grateful for. Just thinking about this can give you a real lift and make you feel a lot happier. So make a commitment to identify the smaller things in life that you tend to take for granted and be grateful for these things.
Look at the small things around you
Life is full of small things that you can easily take for granted. When you start to look at these small things it can really help you to appreciate your life a lot more. Become more aware of nature for example. When you see a beautiful butterfly be grateful that nature can bring you these beautiful things.
What about the food that appears on your table every day? What about the fact that you have air to breath and the energy to do the things that you need and want to do? Yes these things are simple but when you start to really acknowledge them and appreciate them then you will be even happier with your life.
Put things in Perspective with Gratitude
When you develop your attitude of gratitude it will really help you to put things into perspective. Sometimes you will have days when everything seems to be going wrong for you. When you experience these kinds of days use your power of gratitude to remind yourself that every problem is an opportunity for you to grow.
We all have challenges that we need to overcome in our lives. When you have an attitude of gratitude you will be able to see good things in any form of adversity. Focus on this and be grateful for what you can gain from the situation. Maybe you will learn something new or develop a new skill to tackle a similar problem in the future.
Start Writing down things to be Grateful for
To develop your attitude of gratitude we encourage you to write down the things that you can be grateful for when they come to mind. This will help you to keep identifying the small things in your life that require your gratitude.
As you continue to appreciate the smaller things in life it will lead to greater happiness, contentment, harmony and bliss. When you find yourself in a difficult situation never see this as some form of punishment or a burden in your life that you have to bear.
Learn to Appreciate Problems
Change your thinking to believe that you should be grateful for all of the problems that you face in your life. See all of these as making you a stronger and wiser person. It is all part of your journey to become a better person.
You should never be in a position where you do not have anything to be grateful for. There are so many things that you can be grateful for and when you practice this gratitude then you will feel a lot happier in your life.
Stop taking everything for granted. If you are ever feeling down for whatever reason then think about something that you can be grateful for to change your state and make you feel better. Once you get into the habit of doing this then you will find it really easy to identify something that deserves your gratitude.