Remember to be grateful
Two fellow masterclass students have written on the subject of gratitude recently. Kelly Bradley writes about how having an attitude of gratitude can help people to feel much happier in their lives. You can read her post here. Nicolas Baron also recently wrote a great post covering a multitude of attitudes, including gratitude. You can read the whole post here.
My life seems to have become so complicated in recent years, I know that sometimes I can forget to be grateful for what I have. It is easy to focus on the things that don’t go right instead of the things that do. It is easy to focus on what I haven’t got, rather than what I have.
When I consider where I am in my life right now I realise how very rich and full it is, and how very lucky I am to have had my life and all its complexities. There are so many things I might not have experienced. So despite me feeling that my life has become ‘complicated’ it has also become full and rich and I would miss out on so much if any part of it was lost to me.
So I have plenty to be grateful for, and the ability to feel gratitude makes me a happier, more rounded person who can and does consider the feelings of others.
Hello Mandy,
Enjoyed both your posts, and glad your Aunt has had a good common sense consultant instead of a Doctor obssessed with rules and poor judgement. I think these days there is so little common sense being shown by so many in government and public posts (health, police etc) and it is a great shame as it has such a detrimental effect on so many people, particularly older people who are often sidelined or treat poorly. So glad your Aunt has at last found one of the good ones.
I liked you post on gratitude too. I have travelled abroad a lot in my engineering job and seen so many people who have little but still pride themselves on behaving well and turning themselves out as smartly as they can, and even in their hardships they have been friendly and considerate to others. When things get me down, I do try to put things in perspective and think about all the hardships in the world which make many of our problems seem small in comparison, and being grateful for so much that, as you so rightly say, we often take for granted.
Great post. Should make everyone think.
Regards
Dave
Hi Dave, thanks for your kind comments. I recently came across this quote that I could have included had I discovered it sooner!
‘The simplicity of gratitude inspires and transforms in the purest form. Gratitude is a discipline in which we choose to make a conscious effort to recognize the gifts in our lives.
-Deanna Collins, Founder—The Gratitude Collection’
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Oh Mandy,
What a great post! Yes, the more gratitude we feel, the more things to be grateful for will appear at our doorsteps!
Great idea to link to other blogs
As always .. you are an inspiration!
Svenja
Thanks for stopping by, Svenja. Glad you liked the post.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Hi Mandy,
I think gratitude makes you feel appreciated , and when you feel like that it can only spur you on to spread more of the same!
Great post Mandy!
TTFN….Ed.
Exactly, John, very good comment. There is a great spiritualists hymn called ‘If You’re Shown a Kindness Pass it on’. Very good advice, spread it around.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Perfect post Mandy,
Our gift and potential problem as humans is consciousness. we can make the mistake of living inside our own head too much. If we simply lived in the here and now, it’s hard not to appreciate how wonderful the world is on a beautiful sunny day.
John
I so agree with you, John. Very good point.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Mandy,
The idea of gratitude is so essential to our well being and I think you have hit on this idea in an enlightening way. We do forget to be grateful and it is sometimes difficult to get back to where we need to be. I have been reading an old book recently called The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles. (The author died in 1911 so this is really old) I had a difficult time getting through the first parts and was kind of thinking this guy was a crackpot but the more I read the more I am convinced that he is correct. He is making sure that you have a picture in your mind of health and wealth where you yourself are concerned. One of his chief ideas is that you have to give gratitude to God or the universe for making you healty and wealthy even before it is evident that you are. Gratitude is a key part of the process and he also stresses to work in a non competitive way. There is enough to go around for everyone. I like the way you think and I like this post.
Regards,
Gary R Turner
Hi Gary, you are so right. Sometimes it takes some effort to think of all the good things but we need to appreciate them and be grateful for them.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Very true! It’s easy to think others have a better life than you do, that the grass is greener on the other side and that if it’s too much like hard work it’s time to get out. Is my life perfect? No. Am I where I want to be? Not yet. Would I swap with anyone I know? Definitely not. I think there’s noone better qualified than me to mess my life up… and definitely noone better qualified than I am to get it right! And that means I take responsibility for every mistake and full credit for every success. I’ve got a lot to celebrate! Sx
Keep celebrating, Susan, and remember Svenja’s comment that more will appear at our doors. Thank you for visiting.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
Re John’s comment – I told you “perfect” was catching! LOL Sx
Mandy,
This is a great post. Each night before I retire to be, I write 5 to 10 things that I am grateful for that I expereinced that it.
Namaste,
Reginald
http://www.reginaldcuffee.com
Excellent, Reginald, and Svenja Sattler has a great story about her grandfather along the same lines as this.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy