Attitude of Gratitude

3 Really Good Reason's to be grateful in life...

Reason #1: Being Grateful Makes You Happier and Healthier

I love the song “Count Your Blessings” (Hymns, no. 241). But did you know that literally counting your blessings increases your emotional health? Researchers had one group of students write for 20 minutes each day about things they were grateful for, a second about things they were angry about, and a third about random topics like the color of their shoes. Guess which group was happiest at the end of the experiment? The ones who wrote about things they were grateful for of course!
Even more interesting is that those who wrote about the things they were grateful for were less likely to be sick throughout the semester.  (See Chad M. Burton and Laura A. King, “The health benefits of writing about intensely positive experiences,” Journal of Research in Personality 38, no. 2 (2004): 150–63.)

Reason #2: Being Grateful Helps You See More Blessings

The Lord said,   “He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more” (D&C 78:19).

 For the Strength of Youth says, “Live with a spirit of thanksgiving and you will have greater happiness and satisfaction in life” ([2001], 6).
 As Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said, “The more often we see the things around us—even the beautiful and wonderful things—the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds—even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less” (“Live in Thanksgiving Daily,” 11).

* When was the last time you noticed the blue sky? The beautiful clouds? The way it feels when warm sun touches your skin?  The mountains in the background? The many kinds of different colored flowers?  The tree in your front yard, or in your back?  A lady bug? The twinkle in your child's eye? The way they look at you right after giving you a hug?  When was the last time you looked at your child in their eyes when you told them "I love you"? 
There are so many beautiful things to be grateful for. As we stop and take time to look around and notice all the beautiful things we take for granted we will FOR SURE remember the blessings given to us by Heavenly Father,  because there are so many!  And as we practice noticing these small and precious things, we will open our eyes more easily and more regularly.  And our hearts will be full of gratitude for the bounteous blessings we each have. 

Reason #3: There Are Sad Consequences of Ingratitude

When people are not grateful they tend to complain, and that isn’t good for anyone. For example, even though the Lord had delivered the Israelites from slavery and given them manna to eat, they were not grateful. Notice what happens:
 “And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it” (Numbers 11:1).
So the Lord hears when we complain, and He does not like it.

Doctrine and Covenants 59:21 says, “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.”

“Someone has said that feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”  *President Monson 

Something amazing about being grateful is that it’s in our control. We might not be able to live where we want, or have the money we would like, or have the body we want. or house, or what ever it is that we wish we had.... But we can control whether we have a grateful attitude.
Great blessings are promised to those who are grateful.

 Take a Gratitude Challenge

We always talk about counting our blessings—let’s do it! Write a list of 100 things you are thankful for.  Some might think that is too many. If that is the case, try this:

• Write 10 living people you are grateful for.
• Write 10 people who have died you are grateful for.
• Write 10 physical abilities you are grateful for.
• Write 10 material possessions you are grateful for.
• Write 10 things about nature you are grateful for.
• Write 10 things about today you are grateful for.
• Write 10 places on earth you are grateful for.
• Write 10 modern-day inventions you are 
grateful for.
• Write 10 foods you are grateful for.
• Write 10 things about the gospel you are grateful for.

When we make a list like this, we discover that a list of 100 doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of all the things God has given us.

 "The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!"       *President Joseph F. Smith

Lets have an attitude of gratitude!