Being Grateful About LIfe's Little Blessings

The secret to happiness is acting on what needs to be done so you can lengthen your list of things to be thankful for.

Studies reveal that being grateful benefits your health, with effects lasting for months at a time. Spiritual gurus, psychologists, and inspirational speakers are all in agreement with the belief that gratitude is the main ingredient for a lifetime’s worth of success and happiness.

The question now is, do you know how to adopt an attitude of gratitude? It's much easier to focus on what you don’t have, on what you can never achieve, and how many limitations are inhibiting you. In fact, it’s much easier to complain about life’s downfalls than seeing the silver lining behind every dark cloud.

If you believe in fate, you have an idea of the number of opportunities you have if you just take a moment to look for and recognize them. To learn more about gratitude, you should simply look at the following things you can be thankful for:

1.    Clothes to wear
2.    Food to eat
3.    A house to go home to
4.    Loving friends and family to lean on
5.    Life

Of all these, life is your biggest gift. As long as you are still able to wake up each day to stand up and start your work, you have the power to change all the negative aspects within your life sphere. A good exercise would be to name all the things you still have before you go to bed at night.

Of course, you should never beat yourself up on taking things for granted. Growing up, you might have heard your parents tell you to think of the homeless children that are out there in the streets, wishing that they were in your place. Thinking about them didn’t change anything. In fact, your thoughts never did any good for those suffering. Ironically, many people grew up with the notion that they must have everything just because they are able to.

Appreciation, though hard as it may seem, brings more pleasure than it does pain. Start with the small stuff and work your way from there. It does take practice, but like all efforts, the result will outweigh everything else.

The first step to make a better you, a better life, and a happier disposition is to start right now. This is no time to procrastinate. Life is just too short, and good things will pass you by if you let yourself get pulled down by its weight. Let happy emotions flood your body and mind with optimism.

By knowing what you have and what you can achieve, you can give yourself a pat on the back because you have learned one of life’s most valuable lessons, and that is gratitude.
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Read more on Optimism and Positive Thinking

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