An Attitude of Gratitude

My gift to you: an attitude of gratitude.

It's easy to get caught up in the daily grind, and while it can be satisfying, it can also be taxing emotionally. Try putting yourself in a position where you're grateful for everything - small blessings like having a roof over your head and clean clothes on your back. Then, focus on the bigger things - life, family, friends. Cultivating a gratitude-based attitude is essential for feeling contentment and for living well with other people who love you unconditionally.

To keep yourself grounded, remember that you don't owe anyone anything. If you are in a situation where you feel like you have to be grateful because of the other person's behavior or words, remember that it's okay to separate yourself from them and move on. You don't owe anyone anything except kindness and respect.

Life is a series of choices - choose wisely! What do you really want out of life? Don't take someone else's vision for your life; create one for yourself! When I say vision, I mean what brings you happiness: travel, family time, new experiences...whatever floats your boat.

When you look through your rose-colored glasses, you'll see the world in a better light. You'll see people for who they are and not for who they aren't. You'll meet more positive people and those who appreciate the good things in life even though they don't have them yet.

It's important to know that there is more to life than what we have right now - it's always been there, whether it's in front of us or behind us. The only thing that ever changes is how we perceive it. When we focus on gratitude, then everything else follows suit: happiness, peace of mind, contentment...

It's your choice. Choose wisely!

Your friend,

Melissa A. Fabello, MSW

Editor & Health Educator at Everyday Feminism

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About Melissa: Melissa Fabello, MMSW is the Editor and Founder of Everyday Feminism. She enjoys strategic planning, traveling, and brunch with her friends. She practices holistic health and Buddhism. After earning her BSN from the University of Pittsburgh, she worked as a Registered Nurse (RN) in Philadelphia for ten years before enrolling in graduate school for social work at Temple University. She has worked in hospitals, community mental health agencies, home health care agencies, and primary care practices. She has experience working with individuals, families and groups, in outpatient and inpatient settings. She believes that we can strive to be better feminists every day. She also writes a blog called Girl Talks at http://www.everydayfeminism.com/girl-talks/.

Comments on this story...

Wow! You have inspired me to change my attitude. I have done so much in the past few months. I am grateful to your article. I read it twice and I keep coming back to it because it is so helpful. Thank you for sharing!

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I would like to thank you for your recent article called "An Attitude of Gratitude" . It is always encouraging to read such enlightening and supportive articles from your site. I have learnt a lot from your articles. I am grateful that you chose to share such things with the world. I am particularly interested in your idea of "Put yourself in position where you are grateful". I had been wondering to myself what attitude I should have while engaging with my family. Your article has provided me with a set of clear guidelines as to how I may go about approaching family members in different situations. You are right; life is a series of choices and we need to choose wisely. Indeed, life is about happiness and peace of mind. You have provided me with a tool to help me achieve these goals.

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I just want to say that this article is wonderful and I will be printing it out. I have a family member who is making my life hell and I don't know how to get away from her and her drama anymore. I was already down when this happened, so it has been really hard! Thank you for writing such a poignant piece. This was beautiful!I am here at "An Attitude of Gratitude". This is amazing and i will be reading many more posts. Your articles are amazing and i will be reading many more posts in the future.

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I found this article very helpful indeed. I was in a situation where I was being really taken advantage of by one of my best friends. I did not want to confront her because she is going through a lot right now and I didn't want to burden her with my own problems. But as time passed, I became more and more miserable,and then I found your article. This is exactly what had been going on in my situation, so now I can finally raise the issue with her and express how all the responsibility was falling on me which was making me unhappy. Thank you for this enlightening piece. I will now be making a conscious effort to look at the bright side of life.

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I am so grateful to you for your article "An Attitude of Gratitude". I was not sure how to react when my husband refused to help me with my headache because he is "anxiously" awaiting a job that he applied for two weeks ago and did not get an answer yet. Usually, i would have just let it go but thanks to your article i realized that i was demanding too much from him. I did not give him some space and time (given what is happening in his life right now). You are absolutely right to let go of the resentment and just learn to be grateful for what you do have. This was really impactful! Thank you so much!

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I've read this many times, but I still feel it is an important article. I try to watch more positive media so that maybe it will help me change my attitude towards life. Keep up the great work!

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I was very depressed when my boyfriend of 9 years got a new girlfriend. I never thought such a thing would happen to him, but he really seems happy now with this new girl.

Conclusion

I had to move on and learned to ask myself what I have that I can be grateful for. And there are many things. My mom passed away 2 years ago, but we were very close and I still miss her. I don't know if my life would be better if she was still here with me, but I am grateful for the time we had together. She raised me to be a kind and compassionate person and that is something that will stay with me forever.

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So thank you SO much for writing an article like this! It's been awhile since I've read so much.