I’ve never been a very grateful person (I’m ashamed to admit it). This is despite the fact that I am also very privileged. I live in a small beautiful country at the bottom of the world, have enjoyed access to a first class education; and can boast of good health, youth, many friends and a large family. It’s only recently that I have started to fully appreciate the immense power that attitude has over your situation. Being positive or negative is more than just a fleeting thought or feeling. It influences your mental state, emotions, physical body and the situation itself. A few years ago I was introduced to the technique of writing down ten things you are grateful for every day, when you wake up, and before you go to bed. It sounded a little silly at the time, but this is a very powerful habit to cultivate. You will be surprised at how fast you can come up with ten things, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.
It can be as simple as being grateful for that tissue you just used to blow your nose, or the laptop you are using to read this article right now. The bottom line is we all have a choice and we also have power. We can’t always control what happens to us, but we can choose to react negatively or positively. We can choose to be grateful or ungrateful, optimistic or pessimistic. And those choices will have a profound effect on our own life and on the lives of those around us. If you look hard enough you will find the happiest and most content homeless person, or the most miserable and depressed millionaire. Sometimes you won’t want to feel grateful or positive. That’s perfectly fine and natural. It would take a pretty special person to feel positive, grateful and happy all the time. But the point is that you will ultimately gain nothing from being negative. But you have everything to gain from being positive. And they are both free. Which one will you choose? Photo Credit: Bigstock.com
