Gratitude..seems like a simple concept...easily understood...hardly worth mentioning, right?? Well, Gratitude is a truly powerful force, and a
motivating factor in my own life, so I feel it needs mentioning...and mentioning often...'cuz if
you're like me, and the trials of life sometime get you down, it really REALLY helps to
think of all the things you have to be grateful for instead.
I tried to
impart that bit of wisdom to a couple of people lately, with differing results:
one just kind of snorted, kept adding things to the long list of "Life
Grievances" he was compiling, and became even more miserable; the other
paused to think about what I'd said, then her attitude changed, she started
focusing on the good in her life rather than the bad, and we were soon swapping
jokes rather than sharing a "gripe session". See? It DOES work to focus on the positive rather than the negative.
Has this ever happened to you: something goes wrong, you start thinking, "So, it's
going to be one of THOSE days, is it?", you start fretting about all the
negatives in life (current problems...perhaps past concerns...maybe even future worries), then "wham!",
"Wham!!", "WHAM!!!", now everything seems to be going wrong
and it turns into a really bad day? I've been there myself...but I find it happens less and
less when I stop and take the time to focus on the good, rather than the bad.
Not that life is perfect, or ever will be...for anyone...but I truly
believe that you attract what you project, and if you're giving the majority of
your attention to the negatives in your life by focusing on and fretting about
them, then life often seems to respond by throwing more of the same negativity at you. Does
that mean that good, positive, happy people don't have bad things happen in their lives? No, of course not. We'll all have challenges to deal with,
it's a part of life that we simply cannot change, but I think it's how we
respond to the difficulties that makes the difference.
If something
happens that you can't control, (like having a chronic illness, for instance)
will being depressed or angry make it go away? Nope. In fact, all
that stress might make the condition even worse. So do what you can to
deal with it, and be grateful for all that you do have; it won't make the
difficulties go away, but it will make dealing with them more pleasant for you
and everyone around you.
Just my little thought for the day...thanks for listening...
~ Leesa
