GRATITUDE
– ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISIONS YOU WILL EVER MAKE
by Dr.
Lawrence Wilson
© November 2019, LD Wilson Consultants, Inc.
DEFINITIONS
1. An attitude of gratitude is an appreciative state of mind. One appreciates what one has, rather
than focus on or even being aware of what may be lacking.
2. Another word for grateful is thankful. Be thankful for what you have, no matter how little it
appears to be.
3. Gratitude
leads to a desire to help, to assist, to be of service, to be part of the
solution to problems, rather than be a spectator, a complainer, or a loafer.
4. Gratitude
is even more than this. Gratitude
has to do with your approach to life.
Are you grateful for life, or are you trying to Òmake it on your ownÓ,
competing with others, fighting to maintain your job, your turf, your friends
and your little place in the world.
In other words, gratitude is about getting out of the self and becoming
part of something bigger.
In
this sense, gratitude is about loving and caring about others, rather than
focusing only on yourself.
5. Gratitude
is ultimately a decision about how you will look at and think about events, people
and all situations. In other
words, it is a decision, first.
Later, you will feel
grateful, but at first it must be a decision, like a path that you set out upon
and decide you will follow, and just keep on it, no matter what.
It
is the path that leads to deep joy and happiness.
6.
The word gratitude is related to the
words grace, graceful, gracious and great. Something that is great
means it is worth being grateful for.
GRATITUDE IS ABOUT OUR CONNECTION WITH EACH OTHER
Gratitude
has something to do with realizing that we are all one, at some level, and the
connection is so deep that if we will just focus on our connection, rather than
how we are different, separate and alone, we will feel and do better.
Gratitude
is difficult, in fact, if you feel disconnected from others, alienated, and not
connected.
PRAYER CAN HELP YOU REALIZE YOU ARE ALWAYS CONNECTED AND SHOULD
THEREFORE ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL
Many
prayers begin with the words ÒWe thank youÓ. This is the best expression of gratitude. It is said that the angels continuously
praise God, and we should do the same.
This, too, is an expression of gratitude, as all of life is really a
gift, even the hardships, the illnesses, the accidents, the broken marriages
and all the rest.
MAKE A GRATEFUL LIST EVERY SINGLE DAY
The
way to practice gratitude is to make lists of all the things you are grateful
for, then read it and add to it each day.
Think about it when you wake up in the morning, for example, and when
you are going to bed, or at night if you cannot sleep. Any time of the day, think about it and
think of more things for which you are grateful. It may seem strange, but it works if you do it.
Realize
that, at first, the mind is not used to thinking this way. Instead, it has focused on its lacks,
its anger, its unhappiness, and often its loneliness and lack of appreciation. So this will be new and different, and
perhaps uncomfortable for your mind.
Just persist. If you
do, making your gratitude list will become a new habit that will serve you more
than you can ever imagine.
The
list can include almost anything.
You can be grateful for your shoes, your ideas, that you
are not being eaten by a tiger, that you do not live somewhere freezing
cold or boiling hot, and so forth.
Try to have as much fun with it as you can, and you will think of
literally hundreds of things to be grateful for each day.
GRATITUDE AND GRACE
Gratitude
is appreciation, in general. Grace
is the unearned and undeserved love of the Creator for you. You can learn to be thankful for this in
every moment, and to be a gracious or grace-filled and gratitude-filled
person. This can carry you far in
your journey toward peace and health.
ULTIMATELY, GRATITUDE IS A DECISION
This
means that in the end, an attitude of gratitude about all things in life is a
way of looking at life upon which you must decide and insist upon. It is a choice, in other words.
One
can be angry, unhappy or upset much of the time, as there is always someone or
something about which to be upset.
However,
one can also choose for gratitude, as there is always something for which you
can be grateful. This is very
important to understand. So what
do you choose? Which sounds like
more fun and a more enjoyable way to live?
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