The Attitude of Gratitude

Each year, throughout the United States, the celebration of Thanksgiving takes place ~ A legal holiday to express gratitude for the things one has at the end of the harvest season. For those who may not be privy to this, but the first Thanksgiving occurred in 1619, more than a year before the pilgrims arrived from Massachusetts, and was deemed a legal religious observance which did not include a feast. But when 38 English settlers arrived to Virginia, they set aside this day to give thanks to God for their safe passage.

For many people, Thanksgiving has become a day to watch football, eat turkey, and watch the Macy’s Day Parade. While these are not entirely bad things, many believe the most important part of Thanksgiving, which is giving thanks to God for our many blessings – is being down-played and even lost.

This is a time for us to count our many blessings, as there are many.

Somewhere along the line we forgot what being, or should I say living, in a state of gratitude means. Many of us have become much more focused on the things that we do NOT have and the things that we still want, placing all those things that we DO have at the waist side and forgotten.

Focusing more on the negatives than the positives, which spiritually speaking, only brings more negatives into our life.

Negative feelings indicate lack ~ which only brings more lack unto us.

By being grateful, every day for everything and everyone in our lives, we begin to fill ourselves up with a sense of peace, healing, & unconditional love. When we allow our attention to be focused on all that is rich and good in our lives, our hearts begin to open to unconditional love, creating healing and light on deeper levels, throughout our bodies.

“When you are Grateful to the Universe, the Universe gives you more to be Grateful for”

 

Affirming Gratitude by..

Not focusing on the things that you do not have….

BUT focusing on the things that you do, so lets start simple:

“I am grateful.”

“I am thankful for all the blessings that I experience, that I have experienced & that I will continue to experience, I am grateful.”

“I am grateful for all that the universe gives me.”

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~ Melody Beattie

As you continue to expand your “attitude of gratitude”, and the more genuine your gratitude is, the greater the healing that will take place within your mind, your heart, & your spirit.

Be grateful for all those in your life who have made life difficult for you at one time or another and think about all the beautiful gifts and lessons that have helped you move forward and grow as a result of those dificuties.

“Every day I give thanks for all that I have in my life.”

“Every day I thank the universe for showing me the way to my dreams.”

“Being grateful for what I have brings more abundance into my life.”

Feeling gratitude every day will improve one’s emotional well being and create general happiness.

Sometimes a quick visual reminder is all you need to bring you back to a place of thankfulness and abundance. Gratitude can make a real difference in your ability to feel positive, both emotionally and physically. I have listed some suggestions below.  Try one or two of these tools for two weeks and feel the benefits yourself. You will be amazed at what you discover.

1. Gratitude Journal:

Each evening list the things for which you are grateful for. Start with just five things. You will soon see that your list will be much longer than you expected.

2. Gratitude Rock:

Find a rock that feels good in your hand. Name it your ‘gratitude rock’, carry it with you along with your keys and wallet. The idea is to remember and say “Thank You” for something in your life, each time you touch or see the rock. For example, when you empty your pocket at night; when you pack up your things in the morning; when you reach for your keys. An actual rock is not necessary; you can use anything small as a figurative representation. Perhaps a special crystal?

3. Gratitude Beads:

Collect a short string of unique beads, and give significance to each one. As you run your fingers through them, with each bead, think of one thing you are grateful for. If you use beads in this way, gratitude can be a bridge to meditation and peace. At bedtime, many times our mind becomes overwhelmed and overtaken with all the things that we have left to do, definitely not a precursor for a restful night’s sleep. Remedy this by running your fingers over your gratitude beads and focus on the many gifts and blessings of the day, week, month, before you go to sleep.

4. Wheel of Gratitude:

Use this tool to make a mental map of who and what you are grateful for in your life. Simon Perkins’ blog offers this technique as part of his mission to help everyday individuals cut through self-imposed limitations and begin enjoying life. Go check it out! This exercise is about creating a picture of all the “things” you are grateful for and appreciative of in life and the best part is that it fits neatly inside the cover of your Gratitude Journal.

I hope you enjoyed this article.

In conclusion, I too, am in much gratitude to those who inspired me to re-create this article. Thank you.

Katherine Mongiello

balanceforlife.us