In the wake of Thanksgiving season, by this point, you're probably feeling that the subject of gratitude has been done to death. Understandable as that is, let's consider what happens when you continue with a grateful attitude and habits.
Think about the five happiest people you know. Why are they happy?
Typically it doesn't matter what financial standing or social standing they are in, or what their political ideas are, they seem to just be happy all the time. The easiest way to be happy all of the time is to just focus on gratitude, and I'm certain if you asked any of those five people what keeps them happy they would start telling you all the things they're thankful for.
As an experiment, I tried this. I tried finding something in every situation, in every day, to be thankful for, and the results were interesting. First, let me preface by saying that being grateful in every situation might actually be impossible. I have yet to achieve gratitude when I stub my toe. However, when actively seeking things to be grateful for, it's easy to fill up a gratitude journal or list, especially if you'll take any old object you like having around ("I am grateful for trees, rocks, mountains, air"). It gets really interesting once you run out of things to play "I spy" with. It's a good exercise when you're evaluating your life and the direction you want to go, and then considering the direction you are currently heading and making necessary adjustments. Because, face it, if you can only truly think of a handful of things that you are deeply grateful for, something needs to change in your life.
By being grateful all the time I learned that it does make you happier because your mind is focused on the positive. In a healthy way, though. Only looking at the positive and completely ignoring the negative isn't healthy, because you never get to emotionally deal with and grow from the negative. Being grateful doesn't take away having negative feelings, but it can help you deal with them. Doing this made me grateful for negative experiences and emotions because they're the ones that made me grow the most.
So be grateful. Look for the good and accept the bad. Gratitude is like sunshine, it's only one part of what you need to be able to grow, but it is a vital part all the same. Trying to grow without gratitude would make you crooked, tired and angry. You'll feel like the world owes you something when, really, you've been given so much. You just need to have the mindset to see it.
