Gratitude is the best attitude - Part 2
GRATITUDE
IS THE BEST ATTITUDE – PART 2
Mario
D’Couto
I have heard so many people say this statement that it has
become some kind of cliché. But sometime back while I was reading Fr. Sajith
Cyriac’s book “Celebrate your failures”,
I came across a reflection on gratitude which I thought I should share.
It’s too easy to focus on what you don’t have and that
can lead to self – depreciation rather than a feeling of self – empowerment. One
of the reasons for failure is to dwell on the things we don’t have rather than
on the things we have. Appreciating what you have in your life can empower you
because you can focus on all of the things you’ve done to get as far as you
want to.
If you do not stop and appreciate what you have already
done or have, you may end up feeling like the dog running in circles – never catching
its tail. In fact, being grateful helps to lighten the heaviness of what you
are feeling or going through. It will automatically and effortlessly attract
more good into your life. In this regard, I am reminded of the words of Robert Kiyosaki
who wrote in his book, “Rich Dad Poor Dad”,
“When
you say, ‘I can’t afford it’, you are
actually putting a mental block beyond which you cannot go forward. Instead,
when you say, ‘How can I afford it?’ you
are opening up different possibilities.” That’s the power of words! Words
create feelings and mental images which is why it is important to introspect
and see what kind of words we speak to ourselves, is it words of positivity or negativity?
Appreciating what you already have is therefore a very
valuable key to succeeding and that’s why, we can truly say gratitude is the
best attitude. I would like to end this reflection with a quote from Oprah Winfrey
who said, “Be thankful for what you have: you’ll end up having more. If you
concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never have enough.” May we
always be grateful for whatever the good Lord has blessed us with.