The Oxford dictionary defines gratitude as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for”. Well, isn’t that just great! How do you handle gratitude when life feels like it spiraling out of control? It’s not as difficult to handle as you may think.
Have you ever noticed how some people always seem to be filled with doom and gloom? And these same people have one negative experience after another? They also always find the dark spot of the silver linings. And then we have the people who are always happy always smiling and kind. These people always find the silver lining in every situation. So why are these people so different?
Quick medical lesson: Our brains contain neurotransmitters. They have electric charges between each other. When we are sad, the number of neurotransmitters increase. This causes us to be sad, feeling depressed and with negative internal dialogue. This also leads us deeper and deeper into negative thinking. When we are happy, the number of neurotransmitters increase. When this happens, we find more and more to be happy about. We then change our internal dialogue to positive thoughts. We all know positive thoughts brings positive results.
We must be on the lookout for false happiness. This is when we make excuses. We’ll say things like “I’ll be happy when such and such happens” or “How can Ibe happy with all the c—p in my life “. We’ve all heard these. Let’s face it, there are millions of reasons not to be happy. Believe it or not, some people arecomfortable being miserable.
We all have situations in our lives that upset us. But even bad situations have a purpose. It’s our job to learn from them, to rise above them. I have a friend of mine who never uses the word problem. He always says he has a situation. I asked him why he says this. He explained that if he has a problem, he has no solution. But, if he has a situation, there is always a way.
So, how do we achieve a state of Gratefulness? I’ll be honest, in the beginning it is not easy. But, as they say, practice makes perfect. Start with a Grateful Journal. Any notebook or pad will do. You may want to have something you can save so that you can always look back through it. It almost becomes like a diary. Every day, write down 5 things that you are grateful for. It does not have to be spectacular. Aim for simple. There’s the best part, there are not right or wrong answers. It’s whatever you feel.
For those of us who are intuitive or practice the healing arts, having a clear mind supports these abilities. The more neurotransmitters we have the greater our abilities become. We may also find our meditations become stronger, or our communications with Spirit and Angels becomes clearer. The buzz word of this decade is mindfulness. This is easier to achieve when we possess clear, positive thinking.
Remember when we were kids our parents or grandparents would always say it’s the little things in life. Or my favorite, be thankful for what you have. I’m not sure if they understood the power of being grateful or they were just trying to shut us up. But being grateful for the little things goes a long way. Your journal can list things like breathing, walking, friendship, your garden, rain, the beach, a great dinner, acompliment you received, a hug, or a conversation the list is endless. We live in anamazing world. Just look around or, look within. It’s all good.
After doing this for a while, you will begin to notice a change in attitude. You will find that silver lining. You will work your way out of difficult situations. You will find that you don’t despair over life. You will keep a positive thought. Honestly, I’m not Mary Poppins feeding you a spoonful of sugar. I’m just saying that the lessons that come our way will be a little easier to deal with. And when it all does hit the fan, the shock and pain won’t last as long. You will remember that there is a way through the muck.
It is always easier to be grateful for the good times when life is great. It’s during those trying times that we need to remain disciplined to continue with our journals. And on those days when your mind goes blank, read your past posts to get those grateful juices flowing again. And don’t forget to eat healthy and keep healthy habits. You would be surprised how healthy eating and habits can change your outlook on life.
So, when you feel like your ship has run aground, step back, look for the good, call your Angels for help, let your intuition be your guide to a beautiful place and breathe. Always remember, I’m wishing you peace and smooth sailing on your way to a grateful life.
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