How to Build a Gratitude Attitude

How to Build a Gratitude Attitude and be Free Right Now

If there is one place where we should be completely free, it is in our minds. We all have limitations in terms of what our bodies are capable of doing and in what we’re allowed to do, but our minds should be free to roam wherever we want them to. It’s time for us all to learn How to Build a Gratitude Attitude.

Unfortunately, this is not the reality in which most of us live. Instead, our thoughts tend to be dictated by our circumstances, and those circumstances are either largely out of our control or perceived by us as being largely out our control. This is why we will often find ourselves feeling dissatisfied and constantly wanting to push forward, rather than stopping to enjoy life and appreciate what and who we have in our lives right now!

Ask Yourself…Are You Happy?

Most of us constantly live in a state of some degree of dissatisfaction. We feel as though there’s ‘one thing’ that could make our lives better and help us to be happier. Maybe we wish we had more money, or that we had a bigger house…a more expensive car.  Maybe we want a better job…

I remember and always admired my father for being happy with very basic things.  We weren’t wealthy by any means, although from my point of view, we never wanted for anything; we had food and clothing, but not in excess.  We always had old cars which I loved, and to this day I love old cars (and own two antique MGs).  My two younger sisters did not love them however.  I recall at least one of them demanding on more than one occasion that my dad drop them off a block away from a friend’s house so they could arrive without the family vehicle announcing them.

My dad was not a movie goer, nor was he a lover of TV.  Rather, he would read or listen to the radio.  He was a thinker and would ponder in silence many times.  Once, my husband and I gave him a huge coffee table book for Christmas titled, “The History of the World”.  It was the type of book that no one ever read cover to cover… Several weeks after the holidays, he announced to us he had finished the book!

I try to remember his satisfaction with simple things and to hold that close in my daily life.

Making a Change

Think for a few minutes about the “things” you want.  Will they make you happier? Do you have a less spiffy version of the desired thing already?  Don’t let keeping up with the Joneses make you lose sight of what’s truly important in your life.

So how do you make a change and start to be freer and happier right now? The answer is simple and straightforward:  you change your focus. Instead of fixating on what you don’t have and on what you want, begin to focus on what you have now and on what you’re grateful for. This is called a ‘gratitude attitude’, and it’s the fastest route to having a satisfying and happy life.

If you’d like to read a little more about practicing gratitude, here’s another post I wrote on the subject.

Learn How to Build a Gratitude Attitude, and it will help you on the road of life to:

Be Your Best You!

Cheryl A Major, CNWC

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