How to Develop An Attitude of Gratitude

Do you wish to be much happier, have more abundance and achieve financial security? The answer is yes. We all wish we could achieve all these things. If that so, than you must start develop an attitude of gratitude.

Gratitude is possibly the most powerful way to change our life. The power of gratitude is this; the more things we are grateful for, the more things we will experience to be grateful for. This is the law of attraction at work, and is superbly expressed in gratitude. Here are some ideas to develop an attitude of gratitude:
1. Be appreciative for the seemingly ordinary things in life.
Be appreciative to things like a cup of hot coffee on a cold day, sunshine peeping through the trees, an idle chit chat with a friend, and so much more! You have to 'open your eyes' to what is around you. You have to focus on what's good in your life, not what's bad. There is a saying - "The man complained he had no shoes until he met the man that had no feet." Look for in every situation that aspect of the situation that you can be grateful about.

There will always be something you lack for the simple reason that you cannot have two opposing things at once. Expressing gratitude brings about enjoyment and appreciation for what you have now. . . in this moment. There are so many things that we take for granted. Many times we don’t realize how much we actually take for granted until tragedy strikes.

Be grateful of whatever things that you have and the person that is around you. You can be grateful to the basic things that you have around your life like food, water, electricity etc. When you start to think of that, you will be more appreciative of the things around you and you will have a feeling of gratitude.

Who gets the gratitude is not as important as your own feeling of gratitude. Try to look for things that you can be grateful for so that you can always feel the joy of gratitude. It can even be someone that you are close to or person that has really influence you. This will in turn slowly changes and trains your mind to have a positive attitude as you will have. When you have the joy of gratitude, the negative thinking will instantly be gone.

2. Look for the good in every situation
Now the first thing that you can do is to be grateful to the terrible things that has happen to you before. Why should you do so? The first reason will be when we meet terrible things with the feeling of gratitude; we will feel better as the feeling of gratitude always feels good. The second reason is that we will always face problems in life. When you know that there must be some reason why you are in these problems, you will be more open to it. Sometimes, it is just a change in our perception that will allow us to see what there is to be grateful about in a situation. When you are grateful for being able to find the reason, you will start to have a positive attitude towards problem.

Even in times when it seems that nothing could be worse, there is always a reason to be grateful. And when you feel a sense of gratitude, you feel a sense of happiness and content.

3. Think about the whole process.
When you receive anything, like a child’s drawing or an expensive gift, focus on how much time, effort, and thought went into the gift. Taking the time to realize how much work, caring, and thought a person has given you, is a wonderful way to deepen your appreciation of both the giver and the gift

4. Remember to say thank you.
Give praise and tell people what you appreciate about them - you'll make their day. Show your gratitude by giving a card or small gift.

Gratitude is more than simply saying ‘thank you’, it is also about not complaining about your current situation. When we complain about things going wrong all the time, this creates a negative vibration and creates more of these situations for us. So how do we turn things around? We start by complaining less, we accept things for how they are in this moment, knowing that good times are on their way.

5. Reach beyond yourself and do something good to other people.
Spend time helping people who are worse off than you. It makes our problems seems “smaller” when we help someone who experiencing a greater problem than us. Sometimes, it even gave us an insight that comes with a solution to our problems.

6. Lower your expectation
Sometimes we get so busy and caught up in daily life that we forget to be grateful. We expect everyone to do their share without being asked. This attitude, over the long haul, will develop very resentful and uncooperative environment. When we quit expecting the world (or people) to give us things, we can become more focused on enjoying the gifts that do come our way.

7. Concentrate on solutions rather than problems
What you focus on expands. When you focus on what you have, you will end up having more. If you focus on what you lack, you will never have enough. So, it makes sense that expressing gratitude will expand that for which you are grateful.

Gratitude does not mean blindly accepting your circumstances or limiting your chances for a better tomorrow. It does, however, nurture positive feelings and contribute to bringing about good energy vibrations. This in turn will pull similar to you. Remember, energy attracts like energy

You are the director of your energy and of your focus. If you let it be attracted to things, events, and people that are upsetting to you, then you will attract more of the same into your life. It is when you take charge and focus on those things to be grateful for that you change the flow of your energy to one that will bring into your life more things to be in gratitude about.

Gratitude is the highest frequency of energy for it is a combination of thankfulness, appreciation, and love. When you enter into and maintain this vibration of gratitude, you will feel more joyful and everything will appear clearer and more vibrant.

Decide where to give your attention. Choose to be in gratitude and look for those things that you can be grateful about no matter how small it may seem. That will be your starting point for moving into the vibration of gratitude

8. Make a gratitude journal
Sarah Ban Breathnach in her best-selling book, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy, advocates the use of a gratitude journal. She cites this as “a tool that could change the quality of your life beyond belief.” The premise of the gratitude journal is to record five things that you are grateful for each day. Some days you might have to be creative to find five. Other days you might have ten or twenty! Value the little things. Value the person who sincerely smiled and asked how you were at the grocery store checkout. Value the soft touch of a child’s hand on your shoulder. Value a new song that you hear on the radio.

Create your own gratitude journal and list five things that you are grateful for each evening. Notice how this deepens your appreciation for life and helps to maintain a positive outlook. You may also want to start a “Family Gratitude Journal” where each night you think of five things that you are grateful for as a family.

Start your day with gratitude and end your day with gratitude too. You will then find your life change in wonderful and amazing ways.

To Your Happiness And Success,
Kingson Suryaatmaja

Inspirational Quotes - Gratitude

"The exercise of gratitude will never fail to strengthen your faith and renew your purpose.” - Wallace D.Wattles

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." - Epictetus

“Gratitude 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

"Gratitude is the best attitude." - Unknown

"Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more.” - Brother David
Steindl-Rast

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” - Cicero

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.” - Denis Waitley

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings” - Eric Hoffer

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” - John F. Kennedy

"Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines.” - Leroy Paige

"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?” - William A. Ward

"He who does not thank for little will not thank for much." - Estonian Proverb
"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." - William A. Ward

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily." - Gerald Good

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” - Brian Tracy

“When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears.” - Anthony Robbins
"Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.” - Eileen Caddy

"If the only prayer you say in your life is "thank you," that would suffice.” - Meister Eckhart

"Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot." - The Hausa of Nigeria

“They are not poor that have little, but they that desire much. The richest man, whatever his lot, is the one who's content with his lot” - Dutch Proverb

"Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart." - Seneca

"Gratitude is our most direct line to God and the angels. If we take the time, no matter how crazy and troubled we feel, we can find something to be thankful for. The more we seek gratitude, the more reason the angels will give us for gratitude and joy to exist in our lives.” - Terry Lynn Taylor

"What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it--would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.” - Ralph Marston

"A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.” - Henry Ward Beecher

"Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.” - Christiane Northrup

" Act with kindness, but do not expect gratitude” - Confucius

"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Real life isn't always going to be perfect or go our way, but the recurring acknowledgement of what is working in our lives can help us not only to survive but surmount our difficulties.” - Sara Ban Breathnach

"A thankful person is thankful under all circumstances. A complaining soul complains even if he lives in paradise." - Estonia Proverb

"Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an antiseptic" - John Henry Jowett

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful." - Buddha

“I thank God for my handicaps for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God.” - Hellen Keller

“In our daily lives, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but the gratefulness that makes us happy.” - Albert Clarke

"There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.” - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Little Things In Live

Little stones make big mountains
Little steps can cover miles
Little acts of loving-kindness
Give the world its biggest smiles

Little words can soothe big troubles
Little hugs can dry big tears
Little candles light the darkness
Little memories last for years

Little dreams can lead to greatness
Little victories to success
It's the little things in life
That brings the greatest happiness

Author: Unknown, Source: Unknown

Review - The Secret Gratitude Book

The Secret Gratitude Book is a journal created to act as the perfect companion to The Secret. Each page shows a wise blessing or aphorisms of gratitude that condenses the essence and wisdom of Rhonda Byrne's original book, helping you to continue your journey of transformation. This timeless journal - which avoids the dates and restrictions of a diary - is ideal to use as a personal record of your soul's journey as you continue to enhance and enrich your life. Return to it time after time to guide and bear witness to your personal path of attunement with the Universal Law of Attraction.

Get the book by simply click on the link below:

Free Ebook - Seven Keys To Success

"Seven Keys To Success" was writeen by Will Edwards, a writer and founder of White Dove Books.

This humble little book contains an important message - your wake-up call to start living the life you were born to live. To really achieve success in life, you must be bold enough to consider what Maslow called. Self Actualisation. This means becoming the person you were meant to be; and living the life you were meant to live.

Feel free to download this ebook as one of your golden inspiring collection. Find another ebooks to add to your collection at the right side bar of this blog.

Inspirational Quotes - Success

"Running from your problems only increases the distance to the Solution.” - Devin Peltier-Robson

"Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this.” - Henry Ford

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." – Winston Churchill

"It does not matter how slowly you go. So long as you do not stop" – Confucius

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." – Mark Twain

"Some people Succeed because they are Destined to, but most people Succeed because they are Determined to!" – Author Unknown

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life, as by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed." – Booker T. Washington

"Don't waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

"When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there." – Zig Ziglar

"Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future." – John F. Kennedy

"People do not lack strength; they lack will." – Victor Hugo

"If you don't get everything you want, think of the things you don't get that you don't want." – Oscar Wilde

“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” – Duke Ellington

“Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadow tomorrow's dreams.” – Author Unknown

“The winners in life think constantly in terms of I can, I will, and I am. Losers, on
the other hand, concentrate their waking thoughts on what they should have or would have done, or what they can't do.” - Dennis Waitley

Be A Better Person

A Young student approached the famous French scientist and philosopher, Blaise Pascal, and declared, "If I had your brains, I would be a better person."

Pondering the depth of that statement, Pascal paused momentarily before replyng, "Be a better person, and you will have my brains."

(Author: Unknown, The Sower's Seeds)

Inspirational Quotes - Positive Emotion

"Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world." - George Bernard Shaw

"Toughness gives you the resilience to keep pressing on, even if your determination and optimism are lagging." - Denis Waitley

"The two great words of antiquity are behold and beware. Behold the possibilities and beware the temptations." - Jim Rohn

"If you spend five minutes complaining, you have just wasted five minutes. If you continue complaining, it won’t be long before they haul you out to a financial desert and there let you choke on the dust of your own regret." - Jim Rohn

"What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself." - Abraham Lincoln

"I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward." - Thomas A. Edison

"There are two kinds of people in the world: those who make excuses and those who get results. An excuse person will find any excuse for why a job was not done, and a results person will find any reason why it can be done. Be a creator, not a reactor." - Alan Cohen

"You can't have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time." - Charles F. Kettering

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt
"When we blame, we give away our power." - Greg Anderson

"If you want to be successful, it's just this simple: Know what you're doing. Love what you're doing. And believe in what you're doing." - Will Rogers

"Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day." - Author Unknown

God, Forgive Me When I Whine

Today, upon a bus,
I saw a girl with golden hair.
I envied her, she seemed so gay,
And I wished I was as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle.
She had one leg and used a crutch.
But as she passed, she gave a smile.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 legs, the world is mine.

I stopped to buy some candy.
The lad who sold it had such charm.
I talked with him, he seemed so glad.
If I were late, it'd do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me,
"I thank you, you've been so kind.
It's nice to talk with folks like you.
You see," he said, "I'm blind."

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 eyes, the world is mine.

Later while walking down the street,
I saw a child with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play.
He seemed not to know what to do.
I stopped a moment and then I said,
"Why don't you join the others dear?"
He looked ahead without a word.
And then I knew he couldn't hear.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 ears, the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I'd go.
With eyes to see the sunset's glow.
With ears to hear what I'd know.
Oh, God, forgive me when I whine
I've been blessed indeed, the world is mine.

by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

Free Ebook - Within You Is The Power

"Within You Is The Power" was written by Henry Thomas Hamblin. Henry Thomas Hamblin (1873 – 1958) was born at Walworth, London in a poor family. After a difficult start working in various jobs and being in debt, he decided to become an optician. This made him a successful business man.

This book is one of his most popular books. It has been sold for over 200,000 copies.
“There is a power lying hidden in man, by the use of which he can rise to higher and better things...” writes Hamblin. The work serves to help bring the inner power of mind and depression in harmony with Universal Law.

Feel free to download this ebook as one of your golden inspiring collection. Find another ebooks to add to your collection at the right bar of this blog.

Steps To Happiness

Everybody Knows:
You can't be all things to all people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.

So:
You have to find out who you are, and be that.
You have to decide what comes first, and do that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn not to compete with others,
Because no one else is in the contest of *being you*.

Then:
You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due.
And you'll be a most vital mortal.

Dare To Believe:
That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a once-in-all-history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are.
That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.
And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.

Author: Unknown; Source: www.inspirationalstories.com

Winner And Looser

The Winner is always part of the answer;
The Loser is always part of the problem.

The Winner is always has a program;
The Loser always has an excuse.

The Winner says,"Let me do it for you;
The Loser says;" That is not my job."

The Winner sees an answer for every problem;
The Loser sees a problem for every answer.

The Winner says," It may be difficult but it is possible";
The Loser says,"It may be possible but it is too difficult."

When a Winner makes a mistake, he says," I was wrong";
When a Loser makes a mistake, he says," It wasn't my fault."

A Winner makes commitments;
A Loser makes promises.

Winners have dreams;
Loser have schemes.

Winners say," I must do something";
Losers say,"Something must be done."

Winners are a part of the team;
Losers are apart from the team.

Winners see the gain;
Losers see the pain.

Winners see possibilities;
Losers see problems.

Winners believe in win/win;
Losers believe for them to win someone has to lose.

Winners see the potential;
Losers see the past.

Winners are like a thermostat;
Losers are like thermometers.

Winners choose what they say;
Losers say what they choose.

Winners use hard arguments but soft words;
Losers use soft arguments but hard words.

Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things;
Losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on values.

Winners follow the philosophy of empathy: "Don't do to others what you would not want them to do to you";
Losers follow the philosophy, "Do it to others before they do it to you."

Winners make it happen;
Losers let it happen.

Author: Unknown ; Source: Unknown

The Mountain Story

A son and his father were walking on the mountains.
Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer: "Who are you?"
And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"
The voice answers: "I admire you!"
Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer: "Coward!"

He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."
Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"
The voice answers: "You are a champion!"
The boy is surprised, but does not understand.

Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.

This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;
Life will give you back everything you have given to it."
YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION OF YOU!"

Author: Unknown; Source: www.indianchild.com

Inspirational Quotes - Positive Thinking

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” - Winston Churchill

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results.” - Willie Nelson

"A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.” - Mahatma Gandhi

“When you put faith, hope and love together, you can raise positive kids in a negative world.” - Zig Ziglar

"The difference between can and cannot are only three letters. Three letters that determine your life's direction." - Ramez Sasson

“Persons are judged to be great because of the positive qualities they possess, not because of the absence of faults” - Anonymous

"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it." - Mary Engelbreit

"I have not failed. I've just found 10, 000 ways that won't work." - Thomas A. Edison.

"Words do two major things: They provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness." Jim Rohn

"Well chosen words mixed with measured emotions is the basis of affecting people." Jim Rohn

"We don't see things as they are. We see them as we are." - Anais Nin

"Words are potent weapons for all causes, good or bad". -Manly Hall

"When I read great literature, great drama, speeches, or sermons, I feel that the human mind has not achieved anything greater than the ability to share feelings and thoughts through language." - James Earl Jones

"How often misused words generate misleading thoughts." - Herbert Spencer

"One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter." - James Earl Jones

"I will persist until I succeed. Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult.... I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking." - Og Mandino

"It takes time to build a corporate work of art. It takes time to build a life. And it takes time to develop and grow. So give yourself, your enterprise, and your family the time they deserve and the time they require." - Jim Rohn

"What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. Your answers lie inside of you." - Denis Waitley

"The true road to personal improvement is not miraculous; it is slow and calls for a great deal of perseverance, but it is indeed possible to progress along this road, and your effort will be amply repaid." - David Fischman

Commitment: Your Key To Success

In order to reach your goal, the first thing you need to have is Commitment. Without it, you progress from where you are today. Without commitment, there will be no success.

A true commitment is a heart felt promise to yourself, from which you will NOT give up, no matter what the circumstances may be! Once you start, there is no stopping until you get there.

Yes, there maybe some turns in the road, but keeping yourself committed to your goals will get you there. Someone who is not committed to their own success will see challenges as roadblocks, stopping them from reaching new levels in their lives. But people with commitment will see things differently.

They do not accept failure as an option. They see challenges as signs that their efforts need to be modified or redirected to get them to their goal.

They willingly look for new and better ways to do something and then do it. They focus on eliminating the problem and confronting head on what is not working. There are no roadblocks in the mind of a committed person; they are merely suggestions for detours that will still take them where they ultimately want to go.

Each of us have the same opportunity to make such a commitment to success, and it requires some work and determination on our part. The reward for doing so is attaining the success that you've always dreamed of.

Many people have good intentions and dreams, but only a few are willing to commit to what is necessary to achieve them. Do a review on your commitment level, ask yourself these questions and be honest with the answers.
• How badly do I want to achieve my dreams?
• What will achieving my dreams mean to me?
• What price am I willing to pay to make this happen?
• Do I believe I can?

The ability to achieve your goals and dreams will be determined by the level to which YOU are willing to commit. NOTHING is as important as this fact!

Think of athletes or performers in any field. The endless hours of practice and learning, the lack of a social life, the defeats, the huge amount of sacrifices and challenges these people have to meet so they can fulfill their dreams. Only YOU can decide whether the rewards you strive for are worth the effort.

A serious commitment to a goal does not mean you have to take all the joy and fun out of life. Laughter and humor are an integral part of the human make up. Integrate fun into your daily goals.

Take each day as it comes and take your commitments in daily bite-sized pieces. You can do without mental indigestion! A house is built one brick at a time. An artist paints one stroke at a time! As Confucius said, “It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop”

Why Should We Be Greatful?

How many times a day do you find yourself wanting something you don't have? Or having something that you don’t want? If you're like most people, it's more often than you think.

There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting something which you don't have, or having something which you don’t want. It's human nature. You may want more money, or a bigger home, maybe? How about a leaner more muscular body? Or better health?

Your well being is at the very core of your existence. Being happy with who you are and what you have right now while at the same time wanting more is essential to your well being. However, you must remove all doubt, unworthiness and impatience from your thoughts. Learn to accept and appreciate that which you have now by living with an attitude of gratitude.

When life is good, gratitude is easy. It becomes more challenging to be grateful when we experience hard times. Financial hardship, long-term illness, the death of a loved one and marital strife can all be trying and difficult. It is hard to find anything to be grateful for.

But we have a choice in how we view our circumstances. We can turn our hearts to God and trust that he has a plan for us. We can be thankful for the lessons we learn and the opportunities for personal growth and transformation. Look at all the people in this world who share the gifts they received during especially difficult times of their life. It is the painful times of our life that will make us stronger, wiser, and more loving.

We are who we are, loaded with possibilities, because of everything that has happened to us – not just the events that look positive on the surface. Losing your job could free you up for a better one. The despair of crushing debt forced us to learn how to handle wealth, which must happen before we are entrusted with it.

Life works in mysterious ways. Time and time again there have been stories of people who are in a dire straits yet they are found helping others who are experiencing greater turmoil. This is because once you have helped someone in greater need than yourself, you always feel better. You feel better because you have helped another human being, and this forces you to change your mindset from focusing on your problems to focusing on their solutions.

All of these things help make us who we are, and teach us what we needed to know to move forward. We didn’t learn to multiply before we learnt to add. We don’t reach the next step untill we’ve understood the last one. We must be grateful that we’ve had the chance to gain that understanding.

The Institute of Heartmath has actually monitored how the heart reacts to both frustration and gratitude. During frustration the heart rhythm is erratic and jumpy. During gratitude the heart rhythm is even and regular. What does that tell you? We need to focus on what is good in our lives.

Some of the findings from the Research Project on Gratitude and Thankfulness included:

• Those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events.

• Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based) over a two-month period compared to subjects in the other experimental conditions.

• A daily gratitude practice with young adults resulted in higher reported levels of the positive states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy.

• In a 21-day gratitude process involving adults with neuromuscular disease, results included greater amounts of high energy positive moods, a greater sense of feeling connected to others, more optimistic ratings of one’s life, and better sleep duration and sleep quality, relative to a control group.

• Grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, vitality, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress. They do not deny or ignore the negative aspects of life. They tend to place less importance on material goods and are more likely to be generous.

Everything on our earthly plane is temporary. Acknowledge this, and be grateful for your gift of life and all the beauty and abundance within it now. Decide to see things to be grateful about and truly feel the gratefulness within you. You will then find your life change in wonderful and amazing ways.