Live a life of Gratitude

Gratitude is everything. Perspective is key. Be thankful daily. It is easy to compare your situation with others that are seemingly “doing better” than you are-that brings you down, you feel depressed and ask God why you can’t have it all. You already do. Live a life of love.

Gratitude is a mindset. It is the source of being content, being grateful to God for what we have and being happy. That positively impacts our attitudes, feelings, thoughts and our actions. We may not be where we want to be in terms of our current situation, our job, family life, career, friends, the assets we have, the bank balance we have, our retirement fund, our kids, the environment, the neighborhood, so on and so forth. It’s easy to compare our situation with others, who seemingly on the outside, are “better off” and our really living it up. As a result, when we compare our situation with theirs, we can feel sad, depressed, down and unhappy. But the important point is to keep a clear and balanced perspective.

We need to be grateful that we can get out of bed everyday and start the day afresh and have the ability to do something concrete and make a difference in people’s lives. I’m not saying that we should not be aware of our situation and that we want to improve and move from our As-Is state to our To-Be state. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do better and knowing where you want to go, and chalking out a plan to help you get there, and seeking out folks and assistance that will enable you to get there. While all that’s good, we also need to be grateful for what we have. It’s very easy to complain and be ungrateful, but that’s not what God wants. When we look at our situation, we have to remember that there are many people that don’t have what we have. We live in a free country where we have the freedom of speech and the ability to express our opinion. We live in a country where we can do what we want and impact others in a positive way, without asking for permission from anyone We live in a country where you are limited merely by your own thoughts and actions, over which you have control. So, let’s be grateful what for what we have and thank God for his blessings and what he has given us, and continue to strive to make a difference in our life and in others’ lives-people that are less fortunate than us. It does not take too much to make a difference. You can start small-one step at a time, inch by inch. If everyone of us does one good act a day, driven by a feeling of gratitude and thankfulness, the world will be a much better place to live in.

We need to lead by example. We need to make a difference and it all starts with thanking God for his presence in our lives. I agree that things don’t always turn out the way we want them to. Agreed, that life is full of disappointments and life is not fair. But we must go on, with the right attitude and keep moving forward. A feeling of gratitude and thankfulness will result in us having the right perspective and the right viewpoint. That’s what makes all the difference. Remember, when you’re feeling down and you’re looking at others and comparing yourself with them, thank God for what he has done in your life and is doing on a daily basis to make you a better person, a better son, a better husband, a better father, a better brother, a better employee, a better manager, and a better leader. In a lot of cases, the best things in life are free and you can make a choice to enjoy them and to thank God for giving them to us. Make a conscious choice or life will choose for you. Be Thankful. Everyday.