When I think about all that happens during the week, all of the things that I struggle with, I find life is easier when I remember to be grateful. Not just for the things that go right but for everything. Every experience, every opportunity.
If I am honest with myself, the difficult times in my life resulted in the biggest rewards when I remember to stay centered. In the middle of the turmoil, I have to remember to take the good with the bad. If work is particularly stressful, I have to remind myself to be grateful for my job. Children can be challenging, but they are mine, they are healthy, and we love each other.
The essence of practicing gratitude is to stay focused on the things that really matter in life; what is really important; and to be thankful for it. I am in a space where I remember to thank those who there for me. Drop a note to them and say “I’ve been going through some things but I am so thankful for your help the other day. It really made the difference!” Put love out – get love back.
So how do we go about incorporating this practice into our daily lives? Every morning, as soon as I open my eyes, I say these words: “Thank you”. I notice that small gesture creates the right mind set for my morning. I follow it up with a cup of coffee or tea and begin my day. On a good day, nothing happens before then.
My goal is not to say it, but to feel it. To create the energy around me that attracts life and love; peace and clarity. To develop an awareness that every situation in my life presents some understanding I need to grow. Problems come and go – they are cyclical in nature. Growth is an ongoing process that happens over time if I allow it to happen as it needs to.
When I am in a really tough challenge, it is vital to remember worry solves nothing. I must lean in and see challenge as a necessary contrast to simplicity. Below are a few quotes I believe will remind us all to focus on gratitude. It is my sincere hope that all of us will do what is necessary to remind us to stay on the right side of our own history.
7 Quotes About Gratitude
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and ore. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” – Melody Beattie
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” – Denis Waitley
“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.” – Aesop
“No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” – Alfred North Whitehead
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.” – Alphonse Karr
“Just an observation: it is impossible to be both grateful and depressed. Those with a grateful mindset tend to see the message in the mess. And even though life may knock them down, the grateful find reasons, if even small ones, to get up.” – Steve Maraboli
Originally posted on March 4, 2014 @ 9:00 am
