Gratitude Changes Attitude

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! About 20 years ago I heard a sermon that inspired me to look for daily miracles and blessings, write them down in a gratitude journal, and give thanks to God. At first, it was difficult to find a legitimate miracle everyday. My first entry was, “I’m still alive.” Maybe not the most profound statement, but a normal day didn’t feel super miraculous at the time. After doing this for several months, miracles and blessings seemed to be popping up all over the place. I think they were always there, but most went unnoticed in the busyness of life. I realized the more I showed gratitude for daily miracles, more came my way. I now have over a decade of recorded daily miracles and blessings, and it’s a great source of inspiration for me. Last week I wrote the following in my gratitude journal:

“I feel blessed to be an orthodontist in Mansfield, TX. I have met so many wonderful people, and feel fortunate to be a small part of their lives. I love the orthodontic assistants that work with me. They are amazing people, and make the office a great place to work.”

While any job can be stressful, recognizing and showing gratitude for blessings makes the challenges seem lighter. Gratitude changes attitude. This principle was in full effect on our family hike yesterday. While on the hike we came to a spot with a great view, and decided to take a family picture. In the process of trying to balance it on a small perch, my iPhone dropped onto a rock, cracking the entire back side. Even though that was a very frustrating incident, it’s hard to be mad when there were so many blessings surrounding me. I had my beautiful family with me. We were all healthy enough to hike. We live in an amazing country on this beautiful planet. Recognizing all of that made the phone incident seem insignificant.

I encourage everyone reading this to try keeping a gratitude journal. Look for daily miracles, and write them down. I promise you will see positive changes in your life. When you see it, I would love to read about your experiences in the comments below. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!