An Attitude of Gratitude

Debbie Elder

April 27, 2010

In as little as five minutes a day you can change your world. According to Wayne Dyer “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” This insight can lead you to a new tomorrow. Are you game? The process is fairly simple and the results are amazing.

But before we get started I want you to take a quick look around the room you are in and find all the things in the room that are blue. Make a mental note of these items. Now, close your eyes – no peeking and recall everything in the room that is red! Ah, no fair, you asked for blue items! That’s correct, so what happened to those blue items? They became brighter, bolder, and larger. Everything else in the room faded into the background including all the red items I asked you to name. The same principle applies to gratitude, when you are looking for things you are grateful for they become brighter, bolder, and larger in your experience.

My students kept a gratitude journal. At the end of school day they record five things they were grateful for that day in their gratitude journal. At first the entries were very general – my family, my dog, etc. But as time progressed they got much more specific in their journaling and wrote down particular things that had happened that day – they had developed an attitude of gratitude.

So what happened? Well they started to look for the good in their day – look for what they could write in their journal. Their gratitude antenna was up and searching for all the good in their lives and guess what, they found plenty. What an incredible gift to give a child. Give a child a gratitude journal, and watch the magic begin!

by Debbie Elder