GRATITUDE

 

 

Did I catch everyone’s attention due to my one-word title? I hope so. We all take everything for granted in our lives and we do not even realize it. We wake up in the morning as we normally do and get ready to go to work or do whatever we normally do on a regular basis. But, I believe, one of the most important attitudes to have as soon as we wake up in the morning is: an attitude of gratitude.

 

Let’s first define the word gratitude: According to the Oxford Languages Dictionary: gratitude means: “the quality of being thankful, readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”

 

I prefer Google’s definition of the word gratitude and for the purposes of this article, this is where the focus is going to be on. According to Google: “Gratitude is when you feel thankful for the good things in your life. This could be stuff people often take for granted, like having a place to live, clean water, friends, and family. Gratitude is taking a moment to reflect on how lucky you are when something good happens, whether it is small or big.”

 

Did you all know that there are three(3) types of gratitude? According to some psychologists, there are three types of gratitude:

 

1. Gratitude is an “effective trait” (one’s overall tendency to have a grateful disposition).

2. A mood (daily fluctuations in overall gratitude).

3. An emotion: A more temporary feeling of gratitude that one may feel, after receiving a gift or a favor from.”

 

According to Wikipedia, the definition of the word gratitude: “gratitude, thankfulness, or gratefulness is a feeling of appreciation by a recipient or another’s kindness. This kindness can be gifts, help, favors, or another form of generosity to another person. The word gratitude comes from the Latin word: gratis, which means: “pleasing” or “thankful”.

 

However, for the purposes of this article, I would like to stress to you all how important it is to have an “attitude of gratitude” first thing in the morning as you wake up and rise out of your bed. Having to just take a few moments to stop and think about why you are grateful for just waking up and being alive is one way to start the process. This will also project positive thoughts into one’s mind first thing in the morning before you even face your busy and hectic day. Just taking a deep breath and gathering one’s thoughts to be grateful to be able to wake up and be alive will trigger how your entire day will turn out in a positive way.

 

I truly believe that in order to have an attitude of gratitude first thing in the morning upon waking up, takes a lot of practice. For me, it really takes a lot of practice. My brain goes 150 mph about all the zillions of things I have to get accomplished in any given day. This type of mentality is wrong and also will set the tone of your day. Practicing having an attitude of gratitude, for me, requires a deep desire to change oneself and to have a strong discipline in order to accomplish it. Nothing is impossible to anyone, as long as the desire takes precedence over his/her current mental state.

 

I did not decide to write on this topic of gratitude just because Thanksgiving Day is right around the corner on November 23, 2023, which is when we celebrate it in USA. However, my intention of writing on this topic is so that all of you including me, can and will practice having an attitude of gratitude first thing in the morning as soon as we wake up. If you all do this and practice this daily until it becomes a natural thing for us and it comes from within our hearts and thinking, only then can we obtain such a mindset of gratitude.

 

Here are just a few tips on how to obtain an attitude of gratitude:

 

1. Start a journal of gratitude. How often in all of my past articles on self-improvement have I mentioned starting a journal? Things need to be written down on paper. Why? So in the future whenever one feel depressed, discouraged, or whatever the reason is that makes us sad in life, open up your gratitude journal to re-read your past entries and to give yourself a spiritual lift to re-gain perspective on how blessed you really are and there is no need for sadness, disappointments, discouragements or depression -- but just absolute pure joy, peace, gratefulness, and happiness.

 

2. In your gratitude journal: you must DAILY write 3 things that you are grateful for. Make this a habit. I like to do mine first thing in the morning before I head out my front door to face the day ahead of me. It does not take very long to do this daily. Make this a habit of yours.

 

3. Show appreciation to others: Find the time to phone, text a message, email, write a letter, or send a card to anyone who comes to your mind. Start with your immediate family members. Then think about others who you know at work, or your friends, relatives, etc. Give them words of praise and good thoughts as you share your appreciation for those who are in your lives. You just can not imagine how this little gesture can and does change other people's lives. It does not cost a lot to this this kind gesture and in the process, it boosts your attitude of gratitude.

 

4. If you are the type of person who requires visual reminders to maintain a mindset of gratitude, I suggest you take photos of everything that catches your eye around you when you embark on your day first thing in the morning. I start out my day on my daily walks and I carry my phone with me which has a camera feature that I believe all modern-day phones have. No need to purchase an expensive professional camera. For example: if you notice a most beautiful sunrise with pink and blue colors in the sky, take the time to stop and enjoy it, take a photo of it with your phone to always remind you how beautiful everything is around you. Or take a photo of the amazing sunsets you see from your home or when you are outdoors. Take a photo of your flower garden or vegetable garden. You all get the idea right?

 

I hope all of the above information helps all of you to practice having an attitude of gratitude daily. If you see me around on Smeet, please do not hesitate to say Hi; and if you have a question(s) on my articles or would like to read on topics that was never covered in any of my past years’ articles, please message me in private.

 

So until we meet again, please keep smiling and focusing on all the good and positive things that have occurred in your life and are still occurring daily. Dwelling on only negative things will only create a very negative attitude which will affect everything you say and do and affect others around you as well. And quite, frankly, all negative thoughts will surely exhaust you and others hearing them out loud. So, instead, try to view everything going on around you as a positive thing every single day and just watch how much greater your life will become. And remember, everything in this world and in your life happens for a reason. Do not try to figure it out or dwell on it or get discouraged, disappointed, upset, or angry, because that is when depression will set into your thoughts and life, but rather view everything as part of being alive and part of Life. Just accept the new things that have changed in your life and move on. This is the best and only way to obtain an attitude of gratitude when everything else around you seems to be falling apart. Practice this until it becomes a natural habit to you and watch how your life changes into something most amazing and beautiful.

 

 

SAYURI, EN JOURNALIST