Attitude of Gratitude

As a life coach, I help people create a life they love. An essential ingredient in creating a life you love is to develop an attitude of gratitude.

Several years ago I bought a gratitude journal. In it, there is a space to write down 5 things that I am grateful for each day. I keep it on my nightstand. It’s a great way to end the day.

At one point this journal, had gotten lost under some other books. With Thanksgiving approaching, I was reminded of my gratitude journal, and I pulled it out to reflect on the things I had written.

Some of my entries were the usual ones. I was grateful for my husband, for my children, for our health and for the good times we had together. I was also grateful:

• for evening baths and a cozy bed,
• for home grown tomatoes,
• for coffee with friends,
• that our van was serviced with NO surprises, and
• that Toys and Co. provides gift wrapping.

What I realized when I reflected on my journal is that I was grateful for good things. And looking back on this, that seems pretty obvious. Maybe that was a good first step. It’s important not to take things for granted and to appreciate even the simple things in life.

But since rediscovering my gratitude journal, I plan to use it in another way. I want to be grateful for the things that are not so good. I have come to believe that everything happens for a reason and that all the circumstances are there for a purpose.

When I don’t feel supported by my husband, I can be grateful for the opportunity to learn how to support myself better. When my children misbehave I can be grateful for the opportunity to be patient. When I have bad times I can be grateful for the opportunity to learn an important life lesson that will help me in the future.

The more I work with people, the more I see examples of how so called “bad things” can actually become good things. In order for this to happen you need to first appreciate your circumstances. Know that things are the way they are for a reason. You can learn and grow from each experience.

One of my clients was struggling with her financial situation. Her husband was the breadwinner and she was the stay-at-home mom who managed the money and paid the bills. She was very frustrated because after moving a few times, they had several different accounts/investments in different states and she didn’t really know what was what.

When she decided to take action, she took action. She made all the necessary calls and asked all the necessary questions to understand her situation. She spent hours on the phone and took notes while talking. Then, afterwards, she would turn to other resources; websites, books, business magazines to better understand the notes she had taken.

She took control and organized their financial situation. This made room for new things to come into their life. She actually found money she didn’t know they had and their dream home (the one they had given up on) fell into their lap.

One day when we were talking she said, “This is going to sound crazy, but . . . ” When I heard her say this I knew that what would come out next would be coming directly from her soul! She continued, “ . . . I think I would like to become a Financial Consultant.”

I had the privilege of coaching her through this process. This was a woman who had no formal financial training, a woman who couldn’t even understand her own financial statements. This is the same woman who ended up passing a series of tests with extremely high scores and who is now a successful Financial Consultant. The “monkey on her back” as she called it, ended up becoming a career that she loves.

As Thanksgiving approaches I know you will spend some time being thankful for your many blessings. I challenge you to develop an attitude of gratitude for everything in your life - the good and the bad.