Gratitude is one of my favourite words in the English language for many reasons. But before I begin stating my reasons, let us first define what gratitude is. According to the dictionary definition, gratitude is the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful.

While I agree with the dictionary meaning, gratitude for me goes far beyond feelings and steps into the arena of attitude. In fact, one might say that gratitude is a choice that we make. If I were to provide a description for gratitude, it would be this:

Gratitude is an attitude of being perpetually thankful regardless of the cards life deals you.

For obvious reasons, one of my favourite holidays is Thanksgiving (no surprise there). I especially enjoy this celebration, as it is the one holiday that families and friends focus on being thankful rather than having the expectation of receiving or giving gifts. It forces us to look deep inside for the things most essential to our well-being and happiness.

Thanksgiving demonstrates that having a greater appreciation for the things most important for a jovial life should be celebrated all year round and costs us nothing but being present and open to sharing and receiving love.

This holiday reminds us that stuff is not nearly as important as we make it out to be; rather, it is the people we surround ourselves with and the choices we make in our lives that evoke true happiness. Most importantly, it all begins with forming and maintaining a healthy realtionship with our Heavenly Father, through His son, Jesus Christ.

I have always been taught how to be appreciative by those who had a hand in raising me, and this has had a great impact on my life. My upbringing has taught me the value of gifts of all sorts, great and small.

I especially enjoy those from the heart—a poem, a hand-made card, a gift that my children used their allowance money to purchase, a home-cooked meal, a painting—nothing beats these types of gifts.

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy jewelry, fresh-cut flowers, and big-budget items as well, but the important thing is that the gift giver conveys love and appreciation through their gifts. There is just something about a gift from the soul that warms my heart like nothing else.

When we begin to see gratitude as an attitude rather than a feeling, we will utilize it more. Sometimes, the most difficult thing to do is to be thankful when things are not going our way, but this is one of the most crucial times to exercise a grateful attitude.

Once we sift through the pain and disappointment and begin to acknowledge the good things in our lives, our level of thankfulness will heighten along with our mood and overall quality of life.

These past few years have been some of the toughest times for me, but by incorporating an attitude of gratitude, I have been much more conscious of the good I have in my little world.

When the pain attempted to overshadow and cloud my perspective and moments of darkness tried to overpower and consume me, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions. I became angry, then sad, then bitter, then sad again, felt helpless and hopeless.

But once I began disciplining myself to maintaining a grateful attitude, I saw the profound impact this approach had on my life. I saw how much gratitude safeguarded my heart against negative emotions and over time I became more jovial, peaceful and content.

The circumstances in my life did not change but my attitude did, which lead to an internal chain reaction of the awakening of a new appreciation for life. I continously make a concious effort to think, write and speak words of gratefulness.

Having a thankful attitude means you are choosing to look at the brighter side, the good stuff, the positive stuff. It means you are making a choice to be grateful and not bitter or resentful over unfair situations. It means you are speaking life into your soul, into your present, as well as your future.

A grateful attitude means you are choosing hope over defeat. It means you are choosing life over death. Even when you have to dig for it, there is always something in life to be grateful for. Find and relish in it- always be grateful!

Xoxo,
Nayanda