The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives
by altering their attitudes of mind.
Shiny New Toys
People often feel discontentment with their lives and their surroundings. It is no small wonder. There is a whole industry devoted to making us feel wholly inadequate. We are not thin enough, rich enough, or not hip enough because we are not buying the latest products or newest shiny toy to hit the market. The message rings loud and clear: We are not good enough!!! .
We have been talking a little about being conscious and intentional, lately. How many times have you caught yourself saying, “If I only had _________ then I could be happy.” The problem is that if we allow ourselves to get caught up in this way of thinking we will never find, achieve or be happy because there will always something more, better, newer, shinier that will make us think we need to get to complete our lives.
Poverty Mindset
Paul Reid said, “Poverty is a state of mind often brought on by the neighbor’s new car.” That would be almost funny, if it weren’t actually true for most of us. In other words, when we see our friends and neighbors acquiring things, we often feel poor or “less-than” because we cannot afford these “luxuries”. But, in reality, most of us are not truly poverty-stricken; we only think we are poor. It is a state of mind that is purely relative to whom you are comparing yourself to. If you were to stop a moment, change your thinking and look around, you would see homelessness and true poverty. Then you would realize how truly rich we all are. You probably have a roof over your head, and food on the table. So maybe it’s not your perfect dream house and perhaps you are eating peanut butter sandwiches and not caviar, but you are sheltered and fed. Believe it or not, the world is full of people who do not even have these basics.
Most people do not realize the benefits of gratitude. When we sit and think about all the things we want but don’t have we set ourselves up for a downward spiral of disappointment and negative thinking which can lead to us overwork, and depression. Gratitude, on the other hand, lifts our spirits and gives us a clearer focus on life as it really is. It is life a self-fulfilling prophecy. We find that we are (or can be) content with what we have and therefore our attitude brings us a spirit of peace and contentment.
Positively Thinking
I already know what you’re thinking. “Well, I don’t really have much.” Well then be thankful for what you do have. Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have someone who cares about you? Do you have someone you love? Do you have food on your table? Do you have most of your health? Do you have a job? Do you have a pillow to sleep on? A blanket to keep warm? Do you have the bulk of your sanity? These may seem like little things to you, but even for the smallest things in life, we should be thankful.
Someone once said, “If you haven’t all the things you want, at least be grateful for the things you don’t have that you wouldn’t want.” There is always, always, always something we can find to be grateful for.
I don’t mean to make this sound simplistic, and I know full well that there will always be things that many of us truly need…but if we start by changing our attitudes and develop an attitude of gratitude then we will be in a better position to allow our positive thoughts to direct us in a way in which we can probably achieve more. If we stop operating out of a sense of lack, need and hopelessness, life has a better look and outlook.
The Way Forward
Gratitude is the first step in achieving the things you want to achieve in life. Viki King wrote, “You won’t be happy with more until you’re happy with what you’ve got.” So here is my recommendation. Make every effort to get rid of those negative thoughts that hinder your life’s journey and learn to develop much more positive thoughts that will help you achieve your goals. Don’t wait for Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas to roll around each year to think about being thankful.
Make it a point to develop an “Attitude of Gratitude” in your daily life!
Thoughts?
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photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/happy_serendipity/4587176938/sizes/z/in/photostream/
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