This is a guest post of my dear friend Carol King. Carol is a talented writer, focused on self-development and law of attraction issues. She is author and webmaster at Inspired Journey.
Those of us who live the law of attraction understand that the quickest way to start leading a happy and fulfilled life is to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Many people make the mistake of thinking that they will become happy when they get… achieve… reach… obtain… feel free to fill in the blanks.
You may believe that happiness will come after you acquire that which you are striving for. It could be that you want a promotion and you go all out to get it believing that when you do you will be happy. Or maybe you want a new partner and you think that this person will complete you and make you happy. It is a common way of living because this is what society teaches you from inception i.e. get a good education then you will be able to get a good job then you will live a great life and be happy.
Unfortunately the simple truth of the matter is rarely told, and that simple truth is you will not be happy with what you get, if you are not happy with what you have and you cannot be happy with what you have until you feel grateful for what you have.
Gratitude is the key to living the law of attraction and creating a happy peaceful life for you. Living a grateful life simply means living in the moment by noticing things around you. No matter what your life may be like, no matter what you are going through, there is always something in your life that you can be grateful for. It may be your family, your home, your job, your partner, your garden, your health, your church, your boss or your best friend.
It is just a matter of taking the time to stop, take a deep breath and look around you. I only have to look out of the window of my home to feel grateful and blessed, as I write this it is around 7pm and the sky in clear and there is a beautiful full moon that looks so large and so near that I feel like I only have to reach out my hand and I will be able to touch it. For me it is often the small things for which I am grateful most.
If you find it difficult to find something in this universe to be grateful for here are a few suggestions that will help you to adopt an attitude of gratitude.
Reflect on the past.
Spend a few moments and cast your mind back to a time when you felt happy, make note of what you were doing or whom you were with, relive that time and be thankful for having enjoyed that time. Also think about how you can have that or a similar experience again in order to feel that joy again.
Think of loved ones
This is probably the easiest one, I am sure that there is someone in your life whether it is a family member, friend or colleague that has made a difference. Be grateful for their existence in your life and thank the universe for them.
Celebrate life.
Each day as I awaken I thank God for another day, it is a sad fact that every day millions of people die, so if you arise to be apart of another glorious day be thankful that you did.
Use visual reminders
If you think that you are going to forget to be grateful or if you need reminders during your day, why not put up pictures or post notes around your home or office that will remind you of the things or people that you are grateful for.
Use a gratitude journal
This is my personal favourite; I use ‘The Secret Gratitude Book’. It is separated into two daily sections, on one page you write the things that you are grateful for now, and on the opposite page you write your gratitude intentions i.e. the things that you want to receive. You do not have to use a special book for this a simple note pad would suffice, the idea is to make a daily habit of it and after a while you will find that you are able to call to mind the things that you are grateful for at any time, whenever you need to.
When you start living a life of gratitude you will begin to realise that your life is a lot better than you thought and you will find more and more things to be grateful for. This is the best possible way to find personal happiness and peace of mind.
Your post is very timely. I have just come out of a very frustrating three days with my broad band connection on the blink with a defective router and only today I was ready to blow a gasket. Everything is alright now and I have come back to my normal self thanking for all the things that did not go wrong during the last three days. Yes, a strong dose of gratitude in our lives is necessary indeed.
@ rummuser
First thanks to Carol for the post. I had big troubles with my host service after 45.000 hit from SU. The server crashed and they have to reset it. Thankfully I had a SQL backup, just lost a few pictures. I am grateful for this:)
I agree that gratitude is necessary to show the universe that we are ready to receive more good things. I also believe that gratitude is proper for everything we receive, even if perceived as being bad or negative, and especially those situations because they are the ones that not only test our strength and courage, but also cause us to grow into something more than we were before.
It took me a some time to be happy and contented with who I am and what I have. It only happened when I realized that all I need is to look at the blessings I already have and be grateful to God who supplies them all to me. Count your blessings in praise to God is what I continually do each day in my life. God wants to hear your gratitude and praise as you ask Him for a favor.