June 29, 2012
Gratitude
Recently a professional friend of mine said that she was an “glass-half-empty” person rather than a “glass-half-full” person. She confessed she needed the latter around her because otherwise it would be a too much a of a catastrophic downer.
I’m sure she’s not an exception in wanting half-glass-full people around them. Optimists are more attractive than pessimists. Why? Pessimists have already decided on one negative outcome or several which are equally unfortunate. Optimists are open to many new possibilities. Such a stance is based on the fundamental attitute of gratitude.
Gratitude means seeing and appreciating the goodness around you. With such an attitude, you think about good things, which naturally opens you up to new good possibilities: open to ways to make your life better. Such meditations at the very least fuel the desire to believe its possible and that’s a motivating force.
When you think something’s possible, then it may be worth trying to manifest it. Such attempts are always a risk. But life itself is a risk. Nothing ventured, nothing gained goes the expression. Your energy has to go somewhere. Don’t you think you should direct it to the manifestation of good things? Your energy has to be put into it to bear fruit. It begins by appreciating the fruit you have.
Gratitude, optimism and happiness all run together. You can focus on the things you don’t have but you’ll be miserable if you do. If you are grateful for the things you have well then… who knows what that could lead to? You’ll certainly feel better and be much more pleasant to be around. You’ll naturally lift the spirits of others around you too. It’s a choice to be grateful. But if you choose it, the energy released may be enough to make you grateful for the glass half full in every situation and to imagine and realize a future in which all your glassses fill over.