Attitude of gratitude

William James, one of the founders of modern psychology, said this, "The greatest discovery of this generation is that a human being can alter their life by altering their attitude." What most people fail to realize is that our attitude not only impacts our happiness and success, it also can impact the happiness and success of all the people around us, family and friends. Attitudes are truly contagious, and from time to time we need to ask ourselves..."is mine worth catching?"

True gratefulness comes from a conscious decision to recognize our blessings together with a thankful heart. A thankful person can hold their gratitude, count and take joy in their blessings and also influence others with words and deeds by displaying their pleasure and appreciation. Life is full of opportunities for giving thanks. If you live a positive, grateful, successful life, you will attract other positive, grateful, and successful people.

Researches have shown that gratitude is beneficial to your health. In one study, a participant group recorded a diary of daily events, another group wrote down unpleasant experiences, and the third group wrote down a daily record listing things for which they were grateful. The gratitude group was more likely to help others, exercise and complete personal goals, while reporting more determination, optimism, alertness, energy, and enthusiasm. It is interesting to note that this study also found people who take time to deliberately record their gratitude were more likely to feel loved, and found more kindness reciprocated to them as they sent out an increase of kindness from their attitude. Also, grateful people were grateful regardless of whether special events happened in their day or not. In other words, they did not just have moments of gratefulness but grateful attitudes.

I want to thank God for how my life has changed, and for showing me how to live happily, successful and free. “True thanksgiving means that we need to thank God for what He has done for us, and not to tell Him what we have done for Him.”