An Attitude of Gratitude

The age-old argument is what came first, the chicken or the egg?

Well here’s another one: What came first, the gratitude or the good life?

The reason I ask is because have you noticed people of wealth and money tend to be grateful? I know what you’re thinking: it’s easy to be grateful in their positions. However, is it possible that gratitude is helped them on their way to good fortune?

Conor McGregor credits his success to gratitude: “I’ve always felt grateful for even the small things, even before I had any kind of money.”

It all sounds airy fairy, some law of attraction jargon. But can science back it up?

Research suggests that people who are grateful tend to take care of their health (physical and psychological). Moreover, gratitude has been linked to more positive emotions, better sleep, and stronger immune systems. Furthermore, studies suggest that keeping a gratitude journal can greatly improved their well-being and life satisfaction. Whether or not this leads to great fortune later down the road is open to interpretation. However, it allows us to take the time to really enjoy and savour the moments in our life. After all, isn’t that why we’re here?

Joseph Murphy said “gratitude is a movement of the heart first, before the movement of the lips.” What that means is that we have to feel gratitude rather than say it. In the current climate of social media, where looking happy is more important than being happy, it’s easy to say things we don’t mean. Therefore, expressing gratitude and feeling gratitude are two separate things. We can’t just say it, write it, or hashtag it. We must mean it and feel it. Doing this regularly will cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

So, it’s important to enjoy our lives and celebrate the small things. It could be an enjoyable commute to work, a cup of coffee with friends, dinner with family, or a well deserved day off.

Or it could even be that someone has taken time out their day to read your blog.

Thank you.