Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Gratitude Abundance: Why & How to Get It

By Deanna Collins

When life gets rough, it's hard to concentrate on the good things in life. But, that is when the power of gratitude is most important. Learning to focus on what you have instead of what you don't have will change your life. Learn how to keep that gracious attitude even when it's not easy.

Why is a Gracious Attitude Important?

When you look at life in a grateful manner, your perspective on a lot of things begins to change. For instance, you:

Look at faults as potential blessings. It's easy to lay blame at someone else's feet and leave it there. It is a lot harder to look past someone's mistakes and see their potential. That goes for your mistakes too.

Look at people with new eyes. People are seen for whom they are and not the sum total of their possessions or their character traits. Living in harmony with others fosters a happy fulfilled life.

Don't pass judgment on yourself or others. See people for who they are and have the potential to be. Praise them and be grateful for their strengths.

Show mercy. Everyone has not learned to be gracious and live a better life yet. From your place of gratitude, be merciful and encourage it in others.

See good things multiply in your life as you concentrate on them and not the bad times. Concentrating on bad circumstances lets them loom larger than life and bring you down. On the other hand, looking to the good times attracts more good times in your life because that is what you choose to expect.

Attaining Gratitude Abundance in your Life

Always know what you are grateful for in life. If you want, make a list. Each day, read the list and add more to it as you feel the need. Some of your blessings that you may easily overlook: breathing each day, having food at every meal, and the good people in your life. Blessings are all around us if we choose to see them. Learning to recognize your blessings renews your hope in life and your role in it.

Practice. No one becomes grateful overnight. It takes time and consistency to develop an attitude of gratitude. Instead of falling asleep worrying about your challenges, concentrate on the people and situations in your life that you are grateful for so you can get a good night's rest and wake refreshed and without a care in the world.

Incorporate it into your daily life. There are many rituals you can incorporate into your life and your daily routine to bring gratitude abundance into your life. Gratitude jewelry, journals, rituals like taking a bath every night or having a massage weekly, meditation and good food and friends also help us recognize and celebrate the positive.

Find ways to help others. Paying it forward puts the focus on others and not us. Give to charity, volunteer at a shelter, or show support on a case by case basis. Change the world one person at a time.

Clear away those things which are not important to you. Finally, to invite more gratitude into your life consider removing those things which do not make you feel good. Eliminate those things which make you feel negative about life and which detract from your life.

Will you accept abundance in your life? Begin by being grateful for what you have and letting it change your life.

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