The power of gratitude
Written by Michael Weaver | Follow me on Twitter | Free updates via Email.
Giving gratitude and reflecting on the fruits of your life is always important, and what better time to do it than the end of November.
“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.” – Buddha
Initial Thoughts
This is something I always heard as a kid growing up. “If you think you have things bad, just look around the world at how the less fortunate have it. Then come back to me and complain!” This quote touches on a mentality that is good to maintain, where you are, in a way, dancing on both sides of positive and negative thinking. In the end, it’s important to give gratitude and remind yourself of all the great things you have in your life – but what else can we derive from this quote?.
Digging Deeper
Having the mentality that “it could always be worse” doesn’t exactly seem like a good one, because your mental state is essentially negative as you think of what is worse. It’s common, when something goes bad, for many people to fix their mind on when and how it can get worse. This is where this mentality can backfire on you and only serve as a negative. On the other hand, if you practice giving gratitude, then this is actually a good thought process. It’s a stabilizer – keeps you at neutral instead of propelling you into a downward spiral. Remember, at any point in time, you have the mind power to make a situation better by leveraging such techniques as giving gratitude – being thankful.
What to Walk Away With
Giving gratitude to what you have in life is a great practice to get in to – and it can work wonders for your focus and state of mind. I gave this a shot not too long ago, and it completely energized me each morning. It refreshed my mind and got me excited for the day that was ahead of me. You can do this for a few minutes on your way to work, in the shower, anywhere. Just think of the people in your life, your health, your relative youth, your god-given talents, etc. Be thankful for what you have – and life gets brighter and a clearer focus opens up opportunity.
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I try to maintain a focus of constant gratitude and to find 100 things daily that I appreciate. In addition, right before I go to bed each evening I choose to identify 5 things throughout the day that I appreciate. Then I set an intention for the next day right before I go to sleep. This practice reinforces the goals I have set for myself and tapping into my subconscious with a positive intention.
Loren,
What you do definitely takes some discipline – and that’s great. It’s amazing how my day is different when I set aside some time each morning to think about the things I am grateful for. It’s something everybody should at least try – I thought it sounded silly at first, but after trying it I am hooked! Thanks for the comment Loren!
Mike
I never used to actually set apart time to do something like this because I would have figured it was a waste, but someone turned me on to it and it’s really an awesome little technique to realize the happiness in your life. nice post!