An Attitude of Gratitude

How grateful are you? Am I?  I take for granted all the goodies in my life.  It’s easy to just assume that I deserve all these luxuries.  My bed is warm, the frig is full, the stove does its thing, and the water is hot for my next shower.   I don’t give any of these blessings a mindful thought.  I just expect them to be there. 

Unfortunately, it seems that society, like me, has become more and more self-consumed and one of the first things to go is the attitude of gratitude.  This approach is a breeding ground for unhappiness.  Suicide rates are climbing, especially among the young.   Many of these kids are from the most affluent in our society.  They have everything yet they have nothing worth living for.  They see their life as useless.  There is no gratitude for what they do have or what they can do for others. 

We take our daily lifestyle for granted and feel that we are entitled to the good in our life, so why should we be grateful?  After all, it’s “what’s coming to me. “If we feel that we deserve it then nothing becomes a gift.  We can’t see anything in life as a blessing.  We work hard, we save, we give to charity……so we should expect good things from that, right?

Here’s a story I read.  In a book by Kristin Neff, she describes a woman who received a 10% raise from her employer with a note telling her how pleased the boss was with her performance.  She immediately called her boyfriend who said they must celebrate with a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant.  As she was leaving work, she heard her co-worker on the phone telling someone that she had received a 15% raise because of her performance! 

Now, the first woman was depressed and felt rejected.  No longer was she happy with her 10% raise…. she no longer saw it as a blessing and to be grateful.  Thus, a sense of entitlement killed her gratitude.

1. We often find it easy to be grateful when things are going our way and are resentful when they are not.
2. Think about three things you feel entitled to in your life that other people would consider blessings (I deserve a vacation for all the good work I do!)
3. There are so many things in our lives that we don’t even recognize as blessings because they are considered “normal.”

Perhaps it might be good for each of us to jot down everything there is to be grateful for that we often take for granted.  (food in the frig; power is on; hot water for my bath; car has gas!!) You specifically want to focus on the ordinary, and each day make sure you note ordinary things you take for granted as blessings.

When we understand that everyday life, even with its problems, is a gift…..  we can escape the trap of an entitlement mentality.

  When we develop an “Attitude of Gratitude,” then we can see and appreciate all our many blessings!     

                                    Enjoy your blessings!