“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward
I came across this quote today and fell in love with it! It was like this light bulb moment, that aha, yes – this is it. I have been working on my attitude of gratitude and shifting my focus so that my thoughts are grounded in the abundant blessings that I experience daily in my life. If I am being totally honest, this does take work. It is easy to slip into negative thinking and focus on areas of lack and need, especially because there is this level of conditioning that we need to focus on those areas in order to move through them. What I am learning is that energy flows where attention goes and by developing an attitude of gratitude, we grow the positive parts of our lives and in turn the areas of lack start to fade away.
What exactly is an attitude of gratitude? An attitude of gratitude is a conscientious focus on all that you have in life, an acknowledgement of your blessings. Some days this comes easier than others. I know for myself when it’s warm and sunny I am more positive and grateful in my thinking…those cloudy gloomy days can get me feeling a little negative and down.
So what do I do on those cloudy and gloomy days? I bring it back to the basics. I express gratitude for my eyes that allow me to see, my heart that never skips a beat, my lungs that breathe, my cells that regenerate, my ears and nose and mouth, and just about every miraculous part of me that is working exactly as it is meant to be. By bringing it back to the basics I allow myself to focus on the miracle of life, the amazing synchronicity of our bodies. Oftentimes I feel overwhelmed with gratitude and in absolute awe of life – now that is a serious perspective shift.
This time of year we see more and more about being thankful. I have noticed a lot of Facebook posts filled with thanks. I encourage you all to hop on the bandwagon and strengthen your attitude of gratitude. Express thanks, be grateful, start now and carry it on throughout the year. One great way to kick start your attitude of gratitude is by taking time each day to write down at least 3 things for which you are grateful. Keep a running list, look at it and add to it daily. Enjoy the perspective shift!