Gratitude Attitude

I recently posted about a visit to the doctor’s office while struggling with an illness. It actually gained a little traction, and a number of people posted a comment on it.

My “brother from another mother” even commented with “gratitude shapes the attitude!”

That got me thinking. The “OP” (that’s “original post,” if you’re curious) wasn’t necessarily about gratitude. I started thinking about gratitude and realized my perception of gratitude had grown again!

When I first started practicing daily gratitude, I wanted to make what I was grateful for something big, large, huge! Even earth-shattering! Like, “I am grateful for the cosmos and lucky lottery numbers.” So, I struggled somedays with “what am I grateful for today?”

It may have been at dinner one night when I asked everyone at the table, “What are you grateful for?” My youngest son said “Jedi.” That’s our dog, although we can be thankful for Jedi as well!

It hit me that the gratitude doesn’t have to be some large, grandiose idea. It can be the simple, delightful things. Like a pet dog. A friend who supports you. A triple-decker PB&J!

Back to gratitude shaping attitude: maybe it’s not even the expressed saying or thoughts of “I’m thankful for…” maybe sometimes it’s in the intentional behavior you display.

Here’s my challenge for you – be intentional in your expression of gratitude. Find ways to express it without directly expressing it. Watch what happens to those around you and what happens to how you show up. Share some stories below.