Develop An Attitude Of Gratitude And Watch Your Life Expand
We are living in an age where
depression is rife. Every year in Australia 800,000 adults experience a depressive illness. Even
young children are now being diagnosed with depression.
One in four women and one in
six men will suffer depression sometime in their lives.
Depression is the leading
cause of disability in Australia.
The World Health Organisation
has predicted that by 2020 depression will be the second biggest health problem
world-wide behind heart disease. So What’s The Answer?
How would things change if we
began to focus on the positive in our lives?
What might happen if we
developed an attitude of gratitude?
What if we focused on
everything in our lives that we can be thankful for?
Brian Tracy says:
"Develop
an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you,
knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and
better than your current situation."
Write in a Gratitude Book.
I
have a gratitude book. It is an up-market A4 notebook. I paid $12.00 for it at
Officeworks. I wanted it to be attractive because I wanted what was inside it
to be seen as valuable. I have been writing in this book now for a number of
years. In fact this is my 4th gratitude book.
I
used to write in it every day at the beginning. Now it might be 3 times a week
or whenever something really good happens for me.
I
date each entry and write about what I am grateful for in my life that day or
over the previous days. There’s something about writing it in my hand-writing
as distinct from doing it on a computer. It is reflective and seems to be more
connected to my inner self.
Sometimes
it just flows out of me. Other times I am quite stuck. When things don’t go as
I would like them to, when I am stressed or when someone has let me down, it is
difficult to write. Those are the times I force myself to find the good in my
situation. It’s amazing how you can find it when you dig deep and get into the
right frame of mind.
I
write in the early morning because I find it is a great way to start the day.
It creates a very positive and constructive mindset.
Tim Sanders in his
latest book Today We Are Rich made some inspiring comments about gratitude
"The difference between
a grateful person and an ungrateful person lies in perception: One sees a life
of beauty; the other sees a life of lack."
"You can be glad in the
same pants you got mad in."
"Feeling gratitude and
not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. Your words of
appreciation can reward others and inspire onlookers."
"If you feel fortunate,
let it change you as a person. Turn this newfound energy into generosity.
Gratitude will give you a desire to give back."
So this week I want to motivate you to get a
Gratitude Book and begin to start saying thank you to your life and your world
for what it has given you.
Watch your life take on new meaning. Watch it become positive and proactive. Watch it become successful and happy.
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