The Attitude Of Gratitude –Express Gratitude

One of the first ways to develop the attitude of gratitude is to express gratitude with your words when someone has served you in one way or the other. Most people find it easier being grateful for the big things that happen in their lives and forget to be grateful for all the small things that come into their lives on a daily basis.

Notice all the little acts of kindness that people do for you, a sincere compliment, a word of encouragement, a friend that pays for your coffee and donut, the $2.00 coupon off for your haircut that you received in the mail. Get into the habit of giving thanks and feeling grateful for everything.

If you have challenges being grateful for things start by feeling grateful for the big things and then the small things and finally for everything including what you consider being a challenge. As a result of this you will start to express gratitude not only with your words but by your actions.

Gratitude Journal
Writing in a gratitude journal is a way of reminding yourself to constantly look for reasons or things that you can be grateful for. Write five things you’re grateful for each night before bedtime. Review the day and include anything, however small or great, that was a source of gratitude that day, e.g., a sunny day, a flower in bloom, or the smell of homemade baking. Make the list personal. Write a few words about the five benefits or blessings. Be brief and increase the length as time progresses

If you have children getting them to keep a journal would be a good way of recording all the things that they are grateful for on a daily basis. This way they will get into the habit of not taking anything for granted. They can begin the sentence by saying Today I am grateful for __________________________ and fill in the blank for whom and what they are grateful for that day.

Create a Gratitude Box
Have a supply of art and scrap booking supplies for your children to write and draw thank you cards. They can have fun decorating them using ribbons, stickers, drawings, shells, photos, markers and pictures from magazines, and then giving it to the person themselves or mailing it.

Writing thank you notes is almost a lost art but if it is cultivated when children are young they will continue to do it as adults in some form or the other by email, phoning, sending a card, texting etc.

Gratitude Songs.
Children love to sing and dance. Here is a gratitude song that children love to sing and do the actions. “If you’re Happy and You Know It.” Do you remember doing this action song when you were young?

If you’re thankful and you know it, clap your hand x 2
If you`re thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it
If you`re thankful and you know it, clap your hands.

Other verses:
If you’re thankful and you know it, stop your feet …….
If you`re thankful and you know it, shout “I am” …….
If you`re thankful and you know it, do all three ……..

Implementing the attitude of gratitude unlocks all the good things in life that are in store for you; it changes your perspective from confusion and chaos into clarity and order, shifts uncertainty to comprehension and understanding , causing you to see the gift in every challenge and the so called mistakes into important events.

So just thank Life and the Universe and be grateful for everyone and everything that is sent into your life as they are there in your life for a reason.

Here is a wonderful video -another way of reminding you of these truths you’ve just read about. Allow the lyrics and the exquisite music to raise your consciousness to another level.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2M0GQOgYGg

Tags:Brenda Blindenbach,the attitude of gratitude,grateful for,express gratitude