How To Have Gratitude
Yes, it might feel great to win the lottery. Money, houses,
travel - these are wonderful, but not enough by themselves. You
need the right frame of mind to fully enjoy life. You need the
attitude of gratitude.
Be Grateful
Life is better when you feel blessed, when you can look around
and say "Thank you, God." Religious or not, when you see life as
a wonderful gift, your experience is a richer one than any
amount of money can provide. Imagine going through life like
you're a child, and every morning is Christmas.
It's tempting to think gatitude comes from having what you want.
You see yourself giving thanks if you had money, a loving
family, and maybe a house on the beach. Still, you know there
are ungrateful, unhappy people with these things, and poor
people full of gratitude for what little they have. Where does
this feeling come from?
Creating Gratitude
Gratitude arises from how you look at things. It is the natural
feeling that comes from truly appreciating the people and things
in your life. It is also something you can learn.
First, you have to stop and smell the roses. You can't be
thankful for something you don't notice or enjoy. Roses really
do smell great, by the way.
Then, you need to make this appreciative approach to roses and
life a habit. There's no need to ignore the ugliness in the
world, but you have to habitually see the beautiful things.
Start writing down every positive thing that happens to you, and
all the things you like. Do this until you start automatically
seeing the good things in life. If you've ever bought a white
car, and started seeing white cars all over, you know how
awareness can alter your perception of reality. To see wonderful
things all over, train yourself to look for them.
Wnen you are in the habit of "counting your blessings,"
gratitude, and a much richer experience of life is the natural
result.