How Gratitude Can Change Your Whole Outlook

Car issues, escalating bills, lack of time, fatigue, constantly juggling stuff, and on and on down the list. Multiple problems confront us all everyday. Here is a radical proposition:

What if we stopped bemoaning those difficulties and instead, considered our blessings?

Challenging? Yes. Well worth it? Definitely!

Gratitude revolutionizes our way of seeing the world and ourselves.

Years ago as a teenager I discovered the writing of Dr. Maya Angelou, her words captivated me; I devoured whole books in quick spurts.

One passage still resonates (although I cannot recall the book’s title). As a very young woman, Dr. Angelou felt sorry for herself, overcome by single motherhood and poverty. With a friend’s encouragement, she closed herself off in a room for a few hours, and wrote down all of her blessings – family, friends, etc. One after the other, those problems dwarfed, her spirit renewed. She felt able to tackle what just hours ago seemed insurmountable.

Remaining open and grateful for it all is a life-changing lesson, it liberates us. In those moments of quiet despair and frustration, step back and begin to search for the blessings – your child’s contagious laughter, random daily joys, like finding enough change to buy that cup of coffee or tea, shelter at a time when so many are without.

Begin to count your blessings, friends, they are innumerable.

Try This Exercise:

Mediate (for however long you need to do so).

And then begin writing down your all of blessings.

Choose three to focus on when you feel depressed or frustrated; carry these in your wallet or store them in your phone or computer for frequent reference.

Be aware of how your mood shifts when gratitude becomes your focus.

Live In Color,

E

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Celebrating Beauty in Every Moment:

http://liveincolor.org

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."

- Albert Einstein