dcharlton1594Are you choosing gratefulness everyday?
How you feel – how happy you are, how stressed you are, even how well you sleep – may seem out of your control, but it is actually a choice you make. You can choose to be grateful for what you have, and happiness follows. Or you can choose to focus on what you’re lacking, who has wronged you, and what’s not going your way. And guess what? You’ll feel miserable. Happiness is a personal choice. Plenty of people like you who have blamed life for their personal unhappiness when in the end, it comes down to your choices.
We can all do our best to make the right choices, but sometimes it takes a little help. One of my favorite ways to build gratitude is by writing a gratitude list. That way, if I get upset because I had something bad happen (like someone standing me up), I can remind myself that there are also good things in my life that are worth being thankful for! It is up to you what to do in the future. You can dwell on the slight your friend gave you or move forward and do something productive instead. It is you who decides what to do in the future. Now that we’ve covered this topic, let’s take a look at another one.
Your friend stood you up and now you’re disappointed and a little mad. What you need to do is take a deep breath, let go of those negative thoughts, and focus on what you have to be grateful for. Some people focus on the negatives and what they can’t have. I, for one, am very grateful for this situation because it gives me some quiet time to focus on myself. This is a great time to indulge in your favorite pastime. Maybe there’s something you’ve wanted to buy or have been meaning to see in the theaters for a while and now is the perfect time. to do so. Wouldn’t it be nice to visit an old friend or enjoy a meal for yourself and takeaway for your spouse as well?
Instead of heading home angry, you’re going home grateful for these few special hours you carved out for yourself. Perhaps you could reach out to your friend and find that she had a family emergency so was unable to meet. You can then reorganize and spend the evening with your friends, rather than feeling guilty about the anger you let yourself feel and the sadness you let yourself feel. How guilty would she be if she knows that she ruined your day? While it would be easy to focus on the negatives, instead of being pessimistic you elected to focus on what made you happy. If you ask me, that’s the makings of a super hero!
Gratitude is a choice that we make everyday.
It is up to us to choose to be grateful for the simple things in life and recognize the abundance that we have.
I choose to be grateful for my family, friends, and the opportunity that I have to do what I love.
Did you enjoy this post? Please take a moment to share it!
