#7 Attitude of Gratitude

How much time do you spend thinking about what you are grateful for? Do you tell anyone? Do you write it down?

I think I was like a vast majority of people and was going through the motions, not really celebrating the things that went well, moving from one thing to the next and not acknowledging some of the great things I achieve on a daily basis.

Our mind is a powerful thing, when we only dwell on the things that aren’t working in our day and our world, that is all we see. We can fabricate whatever world we want within our own minds, both positive and negative.

If we don’t acknowledge the small wins, the triumphs or the times we have pushed ourselves a little further than we normally would. We see the world as a place where we are always on the back foot, we are never getting ahead and it’s just Groundhog Day.

Dwelling on the negatives, creates a negative world for us to live in. I have been here and I have created a negative world through my own mind.

When I moved to Australia, I suffered with depression. Despite the excitement of moving to a new country and the abundance of opportunities around me, I had created a negative mindset. Contributing factors were; not knowing many people, my (now) wife working away (FIFO) and not being able to find work.

Through my thoughts I created such a negative world that I didn’t feel like I could escape. I was supported in obtaining professional help and I’m very grateful that I did.

Since then I have been able to manage my thoughts much more effectively and over the last couple of years I have really found the benefit in writing down and expressing my gratitude.

Within my journaling I list 3 to 5 things each day that I’m grateful for. These could be things like: catching up for a drink with a good friend, getting the time to train, and having dinner cooked for me.

At the end of each week I then review my week and list out all the things I’m grateful for from the past 7 days, they don’t always have to be what I’ve listed each day. But it’s an opportunity to focus on the positive things that I’ve achieved or been made to feel great during the week.

When you can look back and see all the positive things that have happened, it really can change your outlook. You stop seeing the scarcity in life and start to see great things are in abundance.

I also try to make an effort to let people know when I appreciate what they have done for me. This is as simple as smiling at a cashier at a checkout and wishing them a great day, it costs me nothing and could really make their day.

Initially when you sit down to write down what you are grateful for it can feel quite hard and unnatural, but you just need to sit with it and write down whatever comes to your mind. No matter how small. The more you practice, the more you will be able to notice.

Give it a go and spread the positivity.

I’m grateful you have read this.