Gratitude is an Attitude

[puppetmaker]

It amazes me, and perhaps it shouldn't, how many articles I have been reading recently about showing gratitude or expressing gratitude or making lists of things you are grateful for so you will love longer. It seems the new buzzword is gratitude which apparently, if expressed correctly, can change your life, fix your hair, and many other amazing things.

I think some of this comes out of some of the other current self-help trends. I have been told I should read "The Secret" to which I say no thank you. I have read enough reviews and short bits to know what the book is about. If it changed your life for the better, I am glad but it is not for me. Not all self-help tomes are for everyone no matter what they say on the cover.

I have been signing off my web log with the phrase "I am grateful" for a number of years now. Some mornings are harder than others to come up something to be grateful for but I always manage to find something. Which is a good thing. It gives me a moment to reflect on my life as it is and find something that I appreciate and am thankful for. It may be something small or it may be a universal truth but there is always something there even in the worst of times. I've tried to avoid repeats but I am betting I have some, which is fine. It means that I am super-grateful for that.

A number of people over the years have told me that they read this web log for my moment of gratitude that makes them stop and reflect on their own lives and find something that they are grateful for. I feel good about that. If I can make people happy or at least feel better about life then I think I have accomplished something to humanity as a whole. And maybe those people will past it onto other people who will feel a little better too.

It is such a simple thing to do. Just sit for a moment and reflect on what has been happening to you or the world around you and I bet you too can find something to be grateful for because there is so much in our lives that is good and sometimes the signal to noise ratio of our daily lives makes it hard to remember that.

I am grateful for the ability to read and write.

Comments

[cielamara.livejournal.com]

I am grateful to count you as my friend, because your posts are always beautiful and thought-provoking. You are a wonderful woman. :)

[wolfsavard.livejournal.com]

I agree. Your moment of gratitude also makes me stop and think, gee what do I have to be thankful for today. It spreads some positive vibes.

[jendaby.livejournal.com]

Whenever I am overwhelmed by freelance deadlines and willful children, I remind myself that I am not the only person I know who is working from home while raising a young'un...and I remember that you always have something to be grateful for and think of something for which I am grateful. :) You're an inspiration.

[popfiend.livejournal.com]

Thanks for sharing, I am grateful that you have included me in your circle and allowed me to share in your life and your gratitude of same.

But I do have to say a few words about "The Secret."

The company I work for publishes "The Secret." And I love it. Not because I have read it, but because it has sold so many copies that I might get a bonus.

So everyone, keep buying "The Secret" and make me money.

Thanks.

:)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I have been told I should read "The Secret" to which I say no thank you.

And quite right, too. It's not about being grateful really, it's about blaming people for anything that goes wrong.

[jeff-morris.livejournal.com]

The only great "secret" I've known is a rule that I've tried to follow for years now: "No one ever died from saying 'I'm sorry, I was wrong' first."

I've also tried to always be sure and thank people when they've assisted me with something, no matter how small. A little gratitude goes a long way and keeps the good karma flowing.

So thank you for your posts. :)

[lupagreenwolf.livejournal.com]

This is why I like Thankful Thursday/Conscious Commitment--it's a good reminder of what I do have going for me, and that I can bring about what I want if I put myself to it.