Gratitude is an attitude

Na-experience mo na ba ito?

Kayod ka na kayod, tapos ang mga taong walang ginagawa ito pa ang sinsabi, “Ayyyy, grabe ang hirap naman ng buhay.”

May mga kakilala ka ba na nagsasabi ng, “Ano ba yan, ang liit-liit naman ng kinikita ko.” Pero wala pa rin silang ginagawang paraan para madagdagan ang kanilang kinikita.

“Mas marami akong natanggap na regalo last year compared to this year.”

Nabigyan na nga ng blessings hindi pa sila masaya. Nakakasad talaga!
One person that I cannot stand to be with even just for a few seconds is the person who loves to COMPLAIN.

GGGGRRRRRRR!!! Sorry to vent out! I hate when I hear people complaining for the wrong reasons. Again, let me emphasize, it is not bad to complain for the right reason, but once it’s becoming a HABIT, there is something wrong.

So if you want your 2015 to become a better, bigger, and brighter year…
One ATTITUDE that I feel we need to acquire, learn, and develop is the ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE.

One thing I can say about 2014 is, “Lord, I am thankful and grateful for the good things you have entrusted me and also the not so good things that came along the way. Because I know that there is a reason and a purpose for everything.”

For I know that, “A person may have many plans in their heart. But the Lord’s purpose wins out in the end.” Proverbs 19:21

We just need to trust in God’s sovereign and perfect will in our lives.
Rather than complaining about the bad things, why don’t we thank God for the good things?

How can we be THANKFUL & GRATEFUL?

Being thankful and grateful is not EXTERNAL but an INTERNAL ISSUE.
Being thankful and grateful is not dependent on how much money you have; the achievements you made; the possessions you acquired; the position you have reached; the wealth you accumulated; the power or influence you established.

Learning how to be thankful and grateful is an ISSUE OF THE HEART.
If you do not learn how to be happy, thankful, and grateful with the things that you have now, you will never be happy, thankful, and grateful with the things you are wishing to have tomorrow.

GRATITUDE IS AN ATTITUDE.

HOW TO DEVELOP AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE?

LEARN HOW TO BE CONTENTED

Contentment is an issue of the HEART, not an issue of how much STUFF you have.
If your heart is content with what you have, joy will follow. If your heart is joyful, you are at peace, when you are at peace, then you will be thankful for whatever you have. Contentment and gratitude should go together in order to experience a meaningful life.

How can we be content?

Being happy with whatever you have will lead you to the feeling of satisfaction. You will not want any more than what you have in life. Satisfaction comes when we stop being frustrated. Frustration of the things that we don’t have or get leads us to anger. Enjoy the happiness that you feel. Being contented will lead you to enjoy the things that surround you, let go of the things that hurdles you to be dissatisfied with life. Do whatever that makes you happy.

In Philippians 4:11 (NIV) it says, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

A 2003 study suggested that people who cultivate thankfulness are generally happier than people who don’t. (Wiki-How.com)

NEVER COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS

Surely if your heart is content, then there is no need for you to compete with others or the “joneses” that is around you. Comparing yourself to someone else will lead you to frustration because you will ALWAYS find someone better than you are. So why do you give yourself a problem? Be confident with what you are and what you have.

Big or small, hefty or light, huge or tiny; let us develop the attitude of gratitude to be content for all the blessings that God has given us. Even the circumstances that we experience, we should thank God for those experiences; whether it is good or bad. We should be thankful for amidst the storm you have surpassed it. That is an attitude of being grateful for the things that God has provided you.

BE OTHERS ORIENTED THAN SELF-ORIENTED

The reason some people are not happy with their life is because they are so full of themselves.

They never give room to others in their lives.

One thing I’ve discovered in that room of SELF. It is just like a bottomless pit, you can never fill it up. Once you start filling it up, you just want more. It is a futile exercise to achieve more and acquire for more. Achieving and acquiring more is not bad but if it becomes your passion and obsession and if that is what you are living. You will live a life of emptiness and life will become meaningless. It is too exhausting because it never ends.

Start thinking about others rather than ourselves… BE SELFLESS!

Be selfless in your own little way, at anytime or anyplace. Simply listen to others when they are talking. Be empathetic to the one talking in front of you.

Be selfless even if others are not or do not notice it. Selfless people are the ones who do not take credit for doing an act of kindness and generosity. They simply do it because for them it is right.

It is alright to be happy because other people are happy. This is one way to be selfless.

THINK. REFLECT. APPLY.

What are the things that you frequently complained about? Is it your income? Is it your spouse? Is it your bosses, your work, your neighbor, your officemate or your mother-in-law? (Joke! Joke! Joke!)

Can you get a piece of paper or just type it here on your tablet or computer the things that you are thankful and grateful for this 2014.

What would really set you apart to achieve greater things this 2015 is your ATTITUDE.

Chinkee Tan is a famous motivational speaker in the Philippines. He specializes in topics such as personal development, dealing with relationships within family, friends, work and other people and financial management techniques to name a few. He continues to inspire thousands of people through his books, free business seminars in the Philippines and being a motivational keynote speaker to different organizations.

Enjoyed this article? Check out on more related posts on how to enjoy life being grateful:

• BE THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL
• Things That We Can Be Thankful For On A Daily Basis
• I Am Thankful And Grateful
• Baby Steps to Becoming Incredibly Happy: 5-Day Positivity Challenge