People often think it will come from having some great luck or fortune, but truly it is about having the right frame of mind. The frame of mind of having an attitude of gratitude.
Your life is better when you feel blessed, when you can look around and say "Thank you, God." When you see life as a wonderful gift, your experience is a richer one. Imagine going through life like you're a child, and every morning is Christmas.
Of course, it is easy to think that gratitude comes from having what we want. We might imagine ourselves giving thanks if we had money, a loving family, and maybe a house on the beach. But we know there are ungrateful, unhappy people with these things. We also know that there are poor people full of gratitude for what little they have. So where does this feeling come from?
An attitude of gratitude arises from how we look at things. It is the natural feeling that comes when you recognize the real value of the people and things in your life. Focus on the good and you cannot help but have a better attitude and experience of life. Gratitude, then, is something you can encourage, something you can learn.
The first step is to stop and smell the roses. How can you be thankful for something you don't notice or enjoy?
The second step is to make this appreciative approach to roses and life a habit. You don't need to ignore the ugliness in the world. Just consciously choose to see the good and beautiful things, until doing so becomes automatic.
My challenge to you is to start writing down every positive thing that happens to you. Continue this until you start automatically seeing the good things in life. If you've ever bought a white car, and started seeing white cars all over, you know how awareness and focus can alter your perception of reality. In the same way, once you are aware of the good, and start looking for it, you'll start to see wonderful things all over.
When you are in the habit of "counting your blessings," gratitude, and a much richer experience of life is the natural result. You will have an attitude of gratitude.
