A couple years ago I was living with my husband's grandparents and it was common to hear me say things like, "I have no privacy" or "I can't use the kitchen" or "it's hard to live with them and not have our own place." But immediately following these complaints I would express how grateful I was to live there and to save money...Was I really grateful?
One day, my husband called both of us out. He said if we were truly grateful for something, we wouldn't be complaining about it. That idea has stuck with me and helped tremendously when I have been less than satisfied with circumstances. Ultimately, we can feel grateful no matter what is happening outside of us.
Another one of the deep things I love about thankfulness is that by adopting that type of attitude we actually bring more good into our lives. It is the law of attraction, which I whole-heartedly believe. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is find something to be grateful for when everything around us looks bleak or miserable. In the same way, it is difficult to feel wealthy when we have only a few dollars staring at us in our bank account. Regardless of what we perceive as our "life realities" we can alter our mindset to notice good and abundance.
The book "Ask and it is Given" by Esther Hicks describes a method for increasing your positive vibes; it's called "rampage of appreciation." For this simple exercise, you focus your attention on something in your immediate environment that is pleasing to you. Hold your thoughts on this particular source of good feelings and you have begun the process of creating a grateful and abundant attitude. As you continue to look around and notice the things you appreciate, your mindset will shift. You can do this anywhere and it can be a huge boost in positive energy.
One example: I had to drive a couple hours to photograph a wedding and I decided it was the perfect time to look for abundance. As I passed rolling green hills, gorgeous mansions and immense coastlines, I felt overjoyed to be a partaker of so MUCH. My mind repeated the affirmation, "there is an abundance in the world, plenty for everyone." Often we hold to the idea that somehow the success of others takes away what we could have had. Nothing could be further from the truth. When we find joy in the good fortune and happiness of others we simply invite more of it into our own lives.
I have spent a lot of time over the past six months studying the law of attraction and the role gratitude plays in that. It was completely awesome to hear Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf speak about this very topic in General Conference a couple weeks ago. His closing paragraph from that talk ("Grateful in Any Circumstances") is the inspiration for this entire post. The idea of my soul expanding and connecting in a deeper way to God, my Heavenly Father, is one I can't shake from my mind. If you want to watch, listen or read his talk click here. You will be grateful you did.
