Make Gratitude Your Attitude

How many times have you heard this phrase?

When we focus on what we have instead of what we don’t, our lives take on a different perspective and we find we have quite a few reasons to smile.

Focusing on the negative usually brings us more problems and weighs us down. But focusing on the good in our lives will always make us feel lighter and calmer. Which would you prefer to feel?

If you are finding life really tough at the moment, you may find the initial week or two of shifting your attitude quite hard. But once you get into the swing of it, you’ll find yourself looking forward to sitting down and trying to find a few things to be grateful for each day.

The best way to do this is to set aside a regular time every night and write in a gratitude journal. Buy yourself a small journal, something that speaks to you, something that makes you smile. You can buy these inexpensively from stationary sections of supermarkets and post offices.  Then before going to bed every night, no matter what your day held, good or bad, find at least three things you can be grateful for.

Your children are number 1. Maybe you received a phone call from a friend. That friendship is no. 2. Maybe you found five cents on the ground. Increased wealth is no. 3! Maybe you just missed being hurt in a car accident. Being safe and healthy is no. 4! Get the idea? Some days you may only find a few; others you may write a page! The key is to write no matter how tired, no matter how bad your day is. It’s exactly those types of days when this works best! When you think that the day was a complete and utter waste, finding that in fact it held one or two small, previously unseen good things, makes you smile. It also reminds us to not let the bad overshadow the good that happens in our daily lives.

So sit down tonight and think about what things you can be grateful for. Spare a few minutes every night to recognise those and you’ll find you’ll go to bed in a better frame of mind each time and sleep a lot deeper. Gratitude is a wonderful attitude and the more you are thankful for, the more you’ll see the good in your life!