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Gratitude
http://www.blog4change.org/articles/1128/1/Gratitude/Page1.html
By Steps 2 Serenity
Published on 12/9/2009
 
How focusing on gratitude can enhance your life.

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I wanted to share one thing that has really changed my life for the better in the past couple of years. A couple of years ago I found myself dwelling on all the negative situations around me and finding it hard to see the positive. I had been hearing people like Oprah and some Pastors talk about gratitude journals. My first thought was that this would be a waste of time, but one of my New Year's Resolutions back in 2008 was to try this. So each night when I go to bed I always make a mental note of at least 5 things from the day that I can find to be grateful for. At first I had to force myself to do this as I am by nature a pessimist. I really had a tough time finding something to be grateful for on days where I had not been feeling well or was just cranky. As I continued to do this I noticed a slight change in me for the better. I noticed that I now look for positive things in my life all day long. When something good happens to me, I make a note of it and thank God for it right when it is happening. I feel that it has helped me through many difficult situations. When we only see the negative in our lives it keeps us in a cycle where we feel defeated and depressed. When we can switch that over to also seeing the positive, we realize that we are blessed no matter what is going on in our life. There is always someone dealing with something worse than your situation. So today I encourage you to try and find 5 things you are grateful for in your life. Not a day goes by that I miss doing this. Something that only takes a few minutes really can have a big impact on your life...what do you have to lose by trying it?