Attitude of Gratitude It’s a new big seller! But it’s not new.

     Does this just not sum it all up?  With whatever a questionable thought you might have; this 3 word phrase can be the answer to anything.  Think about it.  Let’s use the typical starters for questions; Who; what, when, where, how and why?  And without any explanation your brain is already working this out.     Who has the attitude and who has the gratitude                                                   What is the attitude and what is the gratitude                                                           You get the picture?                                                                                                                   The best article I have read about it is from an article by Vicki Hitzges at the following link.      https://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/Inspired-Faith/Attitude-is-Everything/Keep-an-Attitude-of-Gratitude.aspx  Vickie tells us of the motivational guru Zig Ziglar  (Hilary Hinton "Zig" Ziglar (November 6, 1926 – November 28, 2012) was an American author, salesman, and motivational speaker.)  “Years ago, Zig created the popular phrase, "Have an attitude of gratitude." According to Zig, "The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for.”

     Like many others in the technological generation…I hit Google to access the correct and up to date research…I can’t help but chuckle here as this actually was real research once upon a time ago… Now it’s a click at my fingertips…aha… does this affect my attitude?  Define it differently?  Yes of course it does.  Not only am I impressed further every day; I’m truly grateful for the quick and easy road I have to finding answers.   The first hit on Google defines attitude as…”a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior.”   What caught my attention were the words “settled way”….. So I looked “settled” up…

1.  resolved, agreed, or arranged

2. steady; predictable; not likely to change

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/settled

So does this say to me it’s a judgement?  Something we already think?  Is it predisposed? Predisposed is defined by Google as “steady; predictable; not likely to change”.  So I looked up the opposite of attitude.  According to   https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-opposite-of/attitude.html  it is “fairness”      Of course my research includes the looking up of “gratitude” to find Google’s definition as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” And Word Hippo concludes the opposite of gratitude is “ingratitude, censure, condemnation, thanklessness”

      Many of us think of the current generation as one of “entitlement”.  I think that all depends on where you come from and how you are raised.  What you have and what you do not have; in what you deem as important or lack of.   If you think you are entitled; then be “fair” in its assessment since we all have two things in common.

1. We are all different
2. We all have something to be grateful for

      So in conclusion; the attitude of gratitude is everywhere; suggestions on social media; and even a website for this at https://theattitudeofgratitude.com/ is everywhere.  We are told to be grateful for many things; to focus on the positive and to let things go. (I hear this one a lot). I have to agree that this is truly the way to think.  Put very simply is the fact that anything you think affects you and those around you.  If you are carrying within you the worst of attitudes and find nothing to be grateful for then you are hurting yourself.  Do yourself a favour and remind yourself that you are your biggest fan.  If you don’t see the beauty in you and are grateful for it; then no one else will.

Paula Goodman.  Thur Sept 10 2015

I would like to thank Dave Reilly, MAT; a connection of mine on Linkedin.com who inspired me with some simple words.  My passion to write from within was hit and I had to get it out