Keeping an Attitude of Gratitude

When was the last time you stopped to acknowledge all the
good things in your life? Very often, when we're focused
on a 'big' goal, or just caught up in day-to-day living,
we often forget about the things that bring us joy. And
when we're feeling down, it's very hard to remember that
they exist at all!

Yet there is a definite physiological response when we
acknowledge our gratitude. Try it now. Close your eyes and
think of something (or someone) you're grateful for.
Notice how your breathing changes? How it slows down? That
you start smiling? And just feel better in general?

It is amazing to me how something so simple can change my
perspective. No matter what my attitude was when I started,
I feel better. And the more things I can acknowledge my
gratitude for, the better I feel. Here's a simple way to
incorporate gratitude into your life on a regular basis.

1. Start your day off by remembering what you're grateful
for. List everything you can think of. As you continue
with this exercise on a daily basis, you'll notice that
your list grows.

2. You can write these in a Gratitude Journal. Or, you can
incorporate this exercise into your morning routine. What
do you do regularly in the morning where your mind is
free? Walk, shower, exercise, commute to work? Reap double
benefits from what you're already doing by making that
your 'gratitude time'.

3. Starting your day with gratitude puts you in a pretty
good mood. So, when you get to work, begin with the
hardest thing you have to do that day. I suspect you'll
find it much easier to accomplish.

'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