Gratefulness

How often do you think just how fortunate you are? How much energy do you invest into acknowledging the goodness in your life? How grateful are you?

It can be hard, sometimes, to be thankful. We all have negatives in our life. If you look hard enough, I'm sure you could find twenty things that aren't the way you want them to be. Standing around, chatting with friends, most of us are in the habit of complaining about what isn't right in our world.

But is that really a good thing to do?

I believe it is one of the most destructive behaviors most people have. When you are complaining, you are putting your attention on the perceived bad in your life. And we know that what you pay attention to matters; each thought influences and often even determines the next. If you are paying attention to bad things, you find more bad things. If you are paying attention to what's wrong, you discover more and more wrongs in your day, in your life. Next thing you know, you are feeling down, demotivated, depressed, or cynical about everything.

However, if you focus on something positive, an amazing thing happens: you find other positives in your day. Just like a negative thought brings more negative thoughts, a positive thought brings a chain of more positive thoughts. If you find something good about your life, it's a little easier to find something else that is good.

It might be hard when you first try. Most of us have years and years of habitual complaining to overcome. One attempt to think about the positives is not going to radically change that momentum. However, if you spend a few minutes a day thinking about the goodness you've experienced, you will notice that each day it's easier to find those uplifting moments.

This is where spending time being grateful is so powerful. You see, in order to feel gratitude, you have to focus your attention on the good. You must remember a personal success, someone that shared a positive experience with you, some moment that you enjoyed. By giving thanks to the Universe (or God, or Allah, or the Great Spirit, or Mother Earth; the identity will be based on your beliefs), you open yourself to more of those moments and experiences.

Some people seem to have nothing good happen in their life. This is not because some people are unlucky, it's because they make themselves a magnet for negativity. Harboring negative thoughts brings negative results. Negative people have positive things happening to them, but they don't recognize those good things because they are too busy investing their energy in the bad.

If, instead, you harbor a positive mindset, an optimistic viewpoint, you become a magnet for wonderful experiences, rich opportunities, and fantastic coincidences. Choosing to see the positives in your life brings more positives. Optimistic, enthusiastic people do have negative things happen, but they see the good in those negative moments, they learn from them, they find the silver lining, and they continue to be positive.

Having a wonderful life is easy: spend some time every day (or several times through the day) and reflect on and feel gratitude for the goodness you experience. It's an easy choice to make. With a little practice, you'll see greatness in more and more aspects of your life.

Give thanks for every moment you have. Find something good about each instant, and acknowledge just how wonderful it is. Live from a place of gratefulness.

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From the editor

In just a few days I head off into the wilderness for several weeks. I will be completely unreachable. I am participating in an eco-friendly wilderness survival program. Basically, I'll be living off the land for the next month. We will have no electronics (not even a digital watch) and no conveniences... can you imagine? I'm slightly overwhelmed myself, but I'm filled with excitement and anticipation.

I have made arrangements so that the issues should post and the website should update normally. However, I will not be able to respond to feedback at all until I return. I appreciate your patience while I am away.

Healthy thoughts,
Jeff