Do you have an attitude of gratitude?

I hear these words often in books, in conversations and at work. Be in an attitude of gratitude.

What does this really mean and why is it so important? Gratitude is being thankful and appreciative for what we have. But according to Robert Emmons a scientific expert on gratitude, it is made up of two factors. 1)”We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts and benefits we’ve received.”  2)”We recognize that the sources of this goodness are outside of ourselves” …That is that we appreciate and recognize the help we received from people to “help us achieve goodness in our lives.” 

Honestly, I never really thought about number 2 in regards to gratitude. I was always affirming what I have yet taking a moment to recognise the people we received it from just brings gratitude to a whole new level. It means that we are taking the focus away from ourselves. Indeed, we must be grateful for what we have and what we receive. We must appreciate the work it entails to enable us to have possessions that are tangible and experiences and relationships that are intangible.

Gratitude is more than saying thank you it is really about appreciating and acknowledging all the things we have in our life big and small and genuinely being grateful for where we are at this moment.That is the key to being in an attitude of gratitude. Studies have now shown that being in an attitude of gratitude helps create a positive mindset  for we are connecting to something outside of yourself. ” We take the focus off ourselves and onto others and other actions which makes us in a much better frame of mind.” It is human nature to complain and find fault, but being in a conscious state of an attitude of gratitude makes us change that .

As I sit and write this, I am in my bed looking out the window at the ocean and the palm trees swaying listening to the the gentle crash of the waves on the shore. Super grateful to be able to be here in this wonderful place.Let’s face it, holidaying in a tropical island is really lovely, but without sounding stereotypical, so is being healthy and happy. When we stop and think of our lives very often people will find fault and think of all the things they do not have but being in an attitude of gratitude completely changes your perspective on life.

Treating gratitude as a gift teaches us to be compassionate to others.This wonderful article  discusses that to go one step further in gratitude is to “wrap it up and give it away” The article goes on to state that if we are grateful for something, we should be sharing it. I think this is such a great perspective on gratitude.

I go to bed each night and in my mind I make a list of ten things that I am grateful for that day. It can be as simple as the beautiful china mug I have of my Mother’s that I have my daily cuppa in to being healthy to living in the house that you do to having a wonderful family.

At first it will hard as we are creating a new habit, but once we do it frequently like anything new it then becomes a part of who you are . You will find that it is a wonderful new habit to install and a great way to boost you up when you are feeling down, a great way to stop and take stock of your life as it is right now.

So ask yourself next time you hear yourself complain or question, are you in an attitude of gratitude? Drop me a message below or contact me and tell me how you practice gratitude.Would love to hear your story 

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward

gratitude