Attitude of Gratitude

As I write this, I am having “one of those days”.  I will spare you the details, but suffice it to say that today has been a trial.   

When I sat down with my bad attitude, I started to think about everything that hasn’t gone well today.  All the gloom, despair, and agony that I have crossed paths with.  As I let those thoughts fill my head, it dawned on me: Gratitude is so much more fulfilling, so much more peaceful and fun, than any other alternative.

That thought is a no-brainer, I realize, but I still think it is important.  I think it is important because it can be so easy to lose sight of what we do have. Especially when we are feeling blue, when we are facing hard times, or when it seems like we just can’t find a way to get what we want, whatever that may be. 

…There is always going to be something going on in life that tempts us to feel sorry for ourselves.  To remind us that things aren’t quite perfect.  There are even going to be some things that shake up life as we know it, and make it hard to stay positive at all.  But it is so very important to bear in mind the beauty of what we do have.  To keep in the forefront of our minds the treasures in life that make our lives unique, blessed, and fulfilling.  We need to cherish these things, holding them near to our hearts and feel grateful that we have been graced with their presence. 

And don’t you think that no matter who you are or what position in life you are in that you have something to be grateful for?  It might be the people you love, something you feel passionate about, good health, safety and security, hard lessons learned.  Whatever it is, if you have it, have also gratitude, for nothing is to be taken for granted.

To have gratitude for our good fortune is such an imperative perspective to adopt.  It is crucial to remember that nothing in this life is guaranteed.  That anything, at any given moment, may slip through our fingers.  That what we do have, what is so good about our lives, is far more important that what is missing, or what is “wrong”.  Not only is it an important outlook to have, but it also much more rewarding to journey through life with an attitude of gratitude.   

-El