Get Some Gratitude in Your Attitude

Posted by Tisha Tolar on November 3, 2009

It is so easy, especially during these times of economic crunches, to be comfortably pessimistic about a lot of things in life. Struggles, whether physical, emotional, or mental, will often drain the positive thinking right out of a human being and when that happens, it can be tough to get back on your feet again to see the glass half full. Since going out on my own a few years ago, I still have people tell me that they ‘wish they could do it too’. They want to work independently and create a life and career all their own instead of making someone else rich. However, these are the same people that tend to look at their situation as inescapable and only talk of doing such things because they think that they can’t actually achieve it.

Forgetting the Gifts
One of the reasons the glass half-empty people fall into such a trap, rather than finding the courage to accept their own challenge is because some have forgotten the importance of gratitude. They stay so focused on what they don’t have, they often forget to see what is in their lives. Being grateful does everybody a world of good and can often be the turning point in the future direction of one’s life. If we forget what is good in our lives, it is so easy then to just focus on the bad.

Gaining A Gratitude Attitude
Self-confidence is a big part of going into business for yourself. If you are a mother, wife, sister, aunt, ect, it can be difficult to see yourself playing yet another role – one of career woman. (This of course is true of men too!) It can seemingly be a lot easier to take orders from an employer and just go along with the motions of ordinary life than it can be to start a whole new concept of your life. But there is a way to break the cycle and really have the power to strive for achievement. It is the power of gratitude that can turn a life around. Finding a gratitude attitude can not only affect your achievement of goals, it can certainly give you an entirely new perspective on your whole life.

How to Start Being Grateful
When you actually sit down to consider what exactly you are grateful for in your life, you will soon realize just how much you may be taking for granted. It’s like living in a comfort zone and being afraid to jump out of that zone for any reason. When you begin to think about what you do have in your life, your self-confidence can grow immensely and you can begin to see possibilities you never thought were possible.

By making a few simple daily changes in your life, you can easily begin to understand just how important it is to be grateful. Here are a few tips to get you started to a more positive, more confident lifestyle:

Start A Journal. At first, you may find it a chore to take time out for yourself each day or night but understand that as a mother and wife, it is essential you make time for yourself, even if it is just for 15 minutes a day. Purchase a notebook or even a attractive diary-type book that makes you want to pick it up each day. Begin by writing in the book just once a week. Start each entry with “Today, I Am Grateful For…” and then list as many things as you can think of for which you are grateful. Write whatever comes to mind. As you get more comfortable, write in your journal more often but at least 3 times a week to stay in the habit.

Keep Visualizing. After you begin to see your gratitude lists develop, you’ll be more in tune with your own gratitude on a daily basis. You should then remember to keep those thoughts in your mind throughout a busy day and visual what you are grateful for in your life. Good health, a roof over you head, great kids, and personal successes are just some of the things to picture in your mind’s eye.

Encourage Others. Gratitude is a great thing to share, especially with your kids. Help them to create a project, such as a Gratitude Flower – where each day or once a week, the kids can add a new petal, listing what it is they are thankful for in life.

Realization
Once you have begun to truly realize what you have and how far you have already come, it becomes much more realistic that you can begin to visualize even bigger and better goals for yourself. Once you realize that you have already so many blessings in your life, you will more easily be able to strive towards more and in the process, become a much happier, healthier person on the inside and out.

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