Rankin620web

attitude
the
of gratitude
Mary Ann Kirby
Staying positive in a negative
world will not only better your
life but will change it in more
ways than you can ever imagine.
I’m not sure I remember a time in my life that I’ve truly felt
the “weight” of the world like I have recently. I’ve literally gotten
to the point that I cannot bear to watch the news for the
constant barrage of negative behavior, terrible stories and
discouraging reports. Sometimes I think it would be best to
just squeeze both my eyes shut and stick my fingers in my
ears. La-la-la-la-la-la . . . .
It’s easy to see all that’s wrong in the world. It’s everywhere–
sickness, death, unemployment, a collapsed economy, and
civil unrest. And it’s certainly easy to get overwhelmed and
consumed with worry and dread, not to mention that all of us
have our own struggles. We all have mountains.
So how do we stay positive in such a negative world?
It has become my mission, particularly during these
unprecedented times, to focus on the things I’m thankful for.
I’m deliberately turning a blind eye and limiting my exposure
to all the things in this universe that can zap me of my joy.
And at the risk of sounding cliché, it’s an attitude of gratitude
that can move those pesky mountains that often seem to get
in our way.
I started thinking about my son and how important it is to
ensure that he understands the concept of being thankful in
what I consider to be a largely thankless world. I don’t know
about you, but I am keenly aware of the sense of entitlement
that young people seem to have today–and I believe it’s
purely generational. It’s not even their fault. They’ve just never
known what it is to do without. And we’re the ones that
worked ourselves to death to give them everything! Think
about it. Oh, the irony.
Teaching a child to look beyond their one-person
universe can be a challenge. But kids who aren’t taught to be
grateful end up with those feelings of self-entitlement and, even
worse, are constantly disappointed. And if that’s not reason
enough, grateful people report lower levels of depression and
stress, stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure,
feel less lonely and isolated and have more joy, optimism and
happiness. Who couldn’t use a good dose of optimism and
happiness these days?
So since they’re not born with it, how do you teach a child
to be appreciative? The most obvious answer I can think of is
to lead by example. We must live lives of gratitude if we want
our children to really learn to be grateful. We need to point out
the positives in people and in situations. We need to criticize
and complain less. I know I need to be more mindful of my
grumbles and let my child hear me being more overtly
thankful for things–often easier said than done when we’re so
inundated with outside noise.
We should also reward thankfulness. It may sound crazy,
but thanking our kids for thanking us may go a long way
toward teaching them that we appreciate them, too. If we
consistently delight in their gratitude, it will reinforce that
behavior and they will express it more often.
By using everyday moments to make gratitude and
thankfulness part of your family’s daily life, you’ll foster a
confidence and gratefulness in your child that will lead them
to become kinder and more appreciative people in general–
which leads us back to where we started. In a world with
countless negative forces, what if we all made it our mission
to overcome them with loving, positive affirmations of
gratefulness?
The incredible thing about gratitude is that once we
realize all the things we have in our lives and all the things we
can do, we create feelings of contentment within ourselves.
And it’s with these feelings of contentment that we live happier
lives–because when we’re content, our thoughts are positive.
And based on the law of attraction, when we think “thankful”
thoughts, we bring more into our lives to be thankful for.
No matter what the current circumstances, there’s always
good to be found. Even when things aren’t at their best, count
your blessings anyway and let them buoy your sagging spirits.
Whatever you send out into the universe will come back to
you. So, find the good–and teach your children to find the
good as well. Surround yourself with encouraging, optimistic
and grateful people and see what happens.
And be happy about finding the positive and consciously
cultivate more gratitude–so much so that your heart explodes
with delight and contagiously stretches out to those around
you. The people that you love in life deserve your gratitude
the very most and they will respond in ways that are both
encouraging and fulfilling.
We are called to be a thankful people.
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life– and turns
what we have into enough. If you want to feel
happy, try on an attitude of gratitude for a change
in your mood, your outlook and your life.
Hometown RANKIN • 49