Gratitude

Being Grateful is a great way to look at your life in a positive manner.  Everyone has many things to be grateful for.  When you find yourself feeling down you are focusing on the negative.  You are generating negative thoughts which are causing you to feel badly. This is your trigger to focus on something different.

Many times we enter a room and immediately scan for all the negative things around.  It’s something what has been with us since the beginning of time – when we needed to scan our surroundings for danger. It was something that was necessary but in today’s world we live in an environment that we no longer need to be so diligent in our search.  We can afford to relax and just be instead of worrying that some lion will jump out of the bushes and hunt us down.  🙂

Unfortunately we still conduct this negative scanning and processing.  There will always be something that you are not happy with in your surroundings and just like there will always be something that you like about your surroundings.  It’s your choice what you want to focus on!  Here are some ways to change your focus.

Optimistic Scanning and Acknowledgment

In this exercise you are consciously and deliberately scanning for good as you perform a task.  If for example you drive to work then say to yourself “While I am in the car and driving to work I will only look for things that please me and things that I like.”  Look that the different colors of the cars and acknowledge the ones you like.  Notice the trees and acknowledge the ones you like.  Look at the other drivers and acknowledge the ones that have a smile on their face.  Acknowledge what you like about your car.  etc…

Appreciation Writing

Take a moment in the morning or evening or anytime throughout your day and start writing down the positive aspects of your day.  Write down 10 things and for each feel the good feelings focusing on them generates. You can even write these appreciations over and over again on a sheet of paper as the repetition helps infuse them into our minds.

Morning or Evening Exercise

Many people find it helpful to think of 5 things that they are grateful for every evening prior to going to bed. This helps focus on the positive aspects of your day and relaxes them for a good night sleep.

Others like to recite appreciations when they first get up in the morning to set an Optimistic intention for the rest of the day.

Focus on Learning and Growing

Sometimes it may be helpful to focus your attention on the things that you are learning – especially if you are in the midst of an uncomfortable situation.  Remember that this too shall pass and that there is a lesson to learn.

ALWAYS remember that no matter what situation you are in there ARE positive aspects that you can be grateful for.  Conduction conscious and deliberate gratitude exercises will help you shift your automatic negative thinking to a more Optimistic mindset.  Be gentle and be patient.