The Liberating Effect of Being Grateful
Do
you find your life seems to be a constant whirl of activity where you don’t
have time to sit for a minute and just contemplate the good things you have in
your world? Society today seems to have created a cycle for most of us that
necessitates a constant rush from activity to activity with little or no time
to be still and appreciate the good things in our lives.
Many
of us need to stop and take stock of what we have, rather than what we don’t
have, in order to stop this endless cycle that will eventually burn out or some
other physical reaction. Learning to be grateful for the things we have rather
than continuously seeking the things we don’t have, unleashes the power of
optimism in our lives.
Gratitude
is a powerful characteristic to develop. As we focus on gratitude for the
blessings that are ours today, we stop taking them for granted. Cicero once
wrote, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues, it is the parent of
them.” The attitude of never having
enough and never being grateful is such a negative attitude; others don’t want
to be around it. Yet the opposite is true for the person who radiates
gratitude. They usually attract more reasons to be grateful and find more
reasons to be grateful.
This
attitude permeates every part of their life and is the drive that compels them
to undertake the activities scheduled for the day. People who learn to be
genuinely grateful for what they already have, creating a reduction in the need
to be constantly seeking more. They feel genuine appreciation for other’s efforts and contributions and have
energy left over to reach out to others from the perspective of being
appreciative for what they themselves already have.
We
all know people like this. History has recorded many famous names of people who
have learned this important life lesson. We can transform the way we approach
our life by developing this characteristic. Writing down each day at least
three things to be grateful for, is a great way to cultivate this attitude
and taking time during the day to express our gratitude
to friends, family, God or the world, is
a great way to learn to live in an attitude of gratitude even when we are faced
with a hectic schedule.
0 comments