The Gratitude Attitude - Personal Development Article

By:Eric Garner

Gratitude is one of the most powerful forces in the Universe. It may not look as good as money, a big car, a palatial house, or the latest makeover – in fact, you can’t see it at all – but, as I’m going to show you, gratitude has more power to change your life than all these material things put together.

The dictionary tells us that gratitude is “the expression of gratefulness and thanks” but this doesn’t begin to convey its real effect. Here are an alternative set of definitions.

Gratitude stops you taking your life for granted and helps you realize how many good things you have in your life.

Gratitude makes others feel better.

Gratitude makes you feel better. In the words of an Arabian proverb, “The hand that gives the roses always keeps some of the scent.”

Gratitude raises your awareness of things around you.

Gratitude is easy, quick, and simple.

Gratitude is an instant blues-breaker and stress-reliever.

Gratitude changes your view of so-called “bad” things.

Gratitude frees you from petty annoyances.

Gratitude inspires you.

Gratitude puts your thoughts and feelings on a high vibration level that in turn attracts back to you more things to be grateful for.

Gratitude nourishes the soul.

Gratitude is like compound interest on money in the bank: the more you put in, the more you get out.

Gratitude is a spiritual act because it acknowledges that the origin of all good things is a source outside ourselves.

Gratitude puts you on a direct line to God.

That’s the “what” of gratitude. To show you the “how”, here are three things you can do to make the Gratitude Attitude a firm fixture in your life.

1. Create a Thank Bank. A Thank Bank is simply a place where you can jot down all the things that you are grateful for in your life. You can split the bank into different accounts such as Family, Surroundings and Work, and then simply start writing out your thanks until you stop. Put your list somewhere safe and pull it out when you’re feeling down and you’ll instantly change your mood.

2. Show Gratitude Quietly. Don’t turn gratitude into a promotional or motivational tool. Too much thanks is as ineffective as too little. Instead, express your thanks in quiet ways: a thought, a prayer, a one-on-one word, a note of appreciation. Give people gifts of thanks that aren’t bought at shops: a bit of your time, a sacrifice, something valuable to you. Remember the story in the Bible of the widow, who gave a small money gift in thanks even though it was worth everything to her.

3. Always Replace the 3 C’s With the 3 A’s. If you work or manage others, and sometimes feel the need to use one of the 3 C’s – complaining, condemning, and criticizing – replace them with the 3 A’s of Accepting, Acknowledging, and Appreciating. Accept people for who they are; acknowledge them for what they do; and appreciate them for just being around. Remember that when you appreciate others, your reputation and respect appreciates too.

There’s nothing complicated about gratitude. It’s something we can all do. We so often don’t do it because we forget, because we focus on the few so-called bad things in our lives, and because we take the wonderful things for granted. So change your life. Put gratitude just below your level of consciousness, and every day will become one of joy and delight.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: gratitude, thanks, gratefulness, thankfulness, appreciation, spiritual thanks, respect, accepting, acknowledging

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

© Eric Garner, ManageTrainLearn.com

For instant solutions to all your management training needs, visit www.managetrainlearn.com and download amazing FREE training software. And while you’re there, make sure you try out our prize quiz, get your surprise bonus gift, and subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter. Go and get the ManageTrainLearn experience now!

Top Personal Development Articles
1). What To Do When Your Fears And Worries Overwhelm You By : Stan Popovich What do you do when your worries and anxieties overwhelm you? Here is a brief list of techniques that a person can use to help manage their worries and anxieties. Sometimes what we fear may happen can be overly exaggerated. A lot of times, our worrying can make the problem even worse. Remember that all the worrying in the world will not change anything.
2). Stuttering And Stammering Speech Impediment By : blueboy Stammering or as it is sometimes known as stuttering is a form of speech impediment. My name is Stephen Hill and I had a stammer for eighteen years. I went to various types of speech therapy which even though was of some use, never really offered me any hope of a "cure". At the age of twenty two, after a lot of hard work I managed to overcome the stammer and I now help other people to achieve fluency.
3). The first 14 dominant laws of the subconscious mind By : Emmanuel Segui Copyright 2006 Emmanuel Segui The subconscious mind is fascinating and intriguing. Yet, it is challenging to understand how it works so you can use its full power solve our problems and enhance every aspect of your life. Here are the difficult principles of the subconscious mind made very easy so you can apply them in your life today and see results tomorrow.
4). Stop Fear Now By : Denton Krypps I'm convinced that fear is one of the worst things in life. Think about all of the negative ways that fear affects your life. Think about all of the decisions you make or do not make because of fear in your life. Or think about the risks that you do not take or the relationships you do not pursue because of fear. You would do well to take a good look at the fears in your life and to attempt to tackle them head first until they are no longer fears.
5). How To Be Assertive Without Getting ANGRY By : Rosella Aranda Sometimes our efforts to show our assertiveness cross the line. We end up coming across as rude, aggressive or downright belligerent.
6). Avoiding Your Persistent Fears Will Not Make Them Go Away By : Stan Popovich Your fears, anxieties, and other problems have the best of you and you don’t know where to turn for help. At some point you feel totally helpless as you struggle each day. What do you do? As a layman and an author of a Managing Fear book, there were times that my fears had the best of me. Through these experiences, there is one thing that I learned.
7). Success After Failure - Even Genghis Khan Lost Some Early Battles By : John Watson Both the worst and the best of the great achievers had the belief in themselves and the resilience to overcome early failures. One of these was none other than Genghis Khan. There are powerful lessons we can learn from him. In 1162 a child, called Temujin, was born in Mongolia clutching a blood clot - a sign that he was destined to be a great warrior.
8). Crisis Management: The Most Basic Of Needs By : Sandy Baker Crisis management is something that every individual needs to consider. Whether you are preparing yourself for a crisis situation or if you are responsible for a school full of children, it is necessary to be prepared. There are excellent resources to help you do this and it also helps to take a good look at your individual situation. There are many types of crisis management situations and we will discuss that here.
9). Being the Mountain By : Judy Ringer As I hiked up the path to the Peaceful Valley Chapel, I relished the quiet of my early morning solitude. After many years as a participant and assistant instructor at Thomas Crum's Journey To Center Program, this beautiful and energizing ten-minute hike had become a personal ritual. Each morning of each Journey to Center week, before our breathing and meditation session at 7, I always hike to the top of this small mountain to be inspired by the view of a much higher mountain range in the distance.
10). What Causes People To Develop A Speech Impediment? By : blueboy I am one of many people who are unfortunate enough to develop a speech impediment in childhood. This article describes why these impediments may occur and how I went about achieving fluency. For the purpose of this article, I concentrate on the speech impediment known as stuttering. There are many reasons why people may develop a stutter, it can be.

New Personal Development Articles
1). Achieve Emotional Freedom By : ian Williamson Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT as it is most commonly known, is probably the most popular of a group of techniques collectively referred to as Energy Psychology (EP)
2). Assertiveness vs Aggression By : Robin Chandler When feelings are bottled up assertiveness can spill over into aggression, leaving the other person feeling attacked rather than reasoned with.
3). Are You Really Making Decisions? By : Garry Zancanaro There is a massive difference between hoping and wishing for success, happiness, self improvement, or that something will change in our lives, and actively deciding to make changes to our lives.
4). Why Self Improvement Is Important - Part 1 By : Garry Zancanaro An alarming percentage of people spend most of what they earn and many also have large debts. They are often no more that a few paydays away from bankruptcy and have little, if anything, put aside for emergencies, much less for a comfortable retirement.
5). Have You Got Your Priorities Right? By : Garry Zancanaro The ability to be able to set priorities and deal with our most important tasks first is an essential skill for making progress towards our goals and achieving results.
6). Dealing With Frustration By : Garry Zancanaro We all suffer from frustration, and being able to effectively deal with frustration is a very important skill to develop. It can be a decisive factor between success and failure.
7). Creative Napping and Other Power Tools - Part 2 By : Angie Dixon Creative Goofing Off, and other power tools, in part 2 of this 3-part series.
8). Quit Smoking with Self Hypnosis By : Gail Metcalf With the help of a self hypnosis program, you can overcome your craving for cigarettes.
9). Creative Napping and Other Power Tools - Part 3 By : Angie Dixon Final article in a series of 3 on creative power tools
10). To Move Forward You Have To Be Able To Bounce Back! By : Garry Zancanaro Successful people are also disappointed and affected by setbacks, and certainly get knocked down more often than most, if only because they try more things. This may happen not once or twice, but dozens or even hundreds of times. But successful people refuse to stay down - because they are resilient and will not be denied their dreams and goals.