Grateful is a choice!

Today my teacher asked us to read an article from The New York Times : Chose to Be Grateful. It Will Make You Happier.
     So before I even began to read this article I was caught by the title, and this was right before Thanksgiving and I just sat there thinking about how to make my life happier and if gratefulness plays a part in it. I had decided that Yes, I am happy because I am grateful for everything in my life. Everybody that I am able to call my friends and family, I am grateful for my cats. I had mentally made an entire list of things that I was grateful for and the entire day I just thought about how unhappy I would be if my life was missing these things.
      When I FINALLY read the article some things stood out to me. Like when he mentions about how some people are more grateful than others due to a gene (CD 38), this describes my best friend. You could give this girl one sock not a pair just one and it could have a hole in the toe and she will tell you Thank you, and How much she just loves it. All authentic feelings, she doesn't fake this kind of gratefulness. She has always been this way, and no matter what you get her for birthdays or holidays she is grateful just to see you.  

     I really believe that choosing to focus on the good things in life make you a happier person and a more grateful person as well as positive. Positive people do not focus on the negative things in life, rather they look at the good in any situation. This is something I noticed does really work. I have a job where in one location the workers focus on the bad things that the store manager does. The employees do not focus on the good that she brings to the table, and I bet if you asked them what is something good that she has brought to the company they couldn't name it. They could name it if they tried, and I can see the moral and the happiness in that store plummet when the store manager walks in. The employees are not complete jerks or any thing the store manager is far from perfect and has some social skills that need work, but she does bring good things to the table. My other store is a store that focuses on the positive things in the store. The employees and managers talk to each other like this " Hey Susie! Great job with produce this morning it looks amazing, but did you notice that the signs were off?" She would respond with "Thanks, It was a tough truck. I did noticed I just didn't get to it yet." Then I went on to tell her that I would take care of. Those positive interactions in the store and focusing on the positives really makes the employees want to come to work. The entire staff looks at the store that way. They tell me things like, Oh the truck was hard it was 15 pallets, but at least nothing broke. The positive atmosphere that is that store is inspiring, and they are grateful for the small things like nothing breaking while putting truck out. The two stores have different feelings when you walk into the door, and is felt by everyone. The store that has the negative out look has a high turn over rate and the store that is positive has had some of their employees for 10 years. 
      

      After reading this article I thought about the other day when I took 20 minutes to do nothing but watch a silly cartoon in bed. I was completely relaxed and it felt amazing after the long semester that has been crushing me. I remember getting out of bed and saying "wow that was absolutely amazing!" I had taken that type of relaxation before work or right after a long day at work for granted until I went back to school and forgot how amazing it was to have those moments. I think going back to school and depriving myself of them has made me so much more grateful for them! 

I challenge you to be grateful for at least three things DAILY in your LIFE and they CAN'T be the same things every day! Every day for two weeks has to be a different thing that you are GRATEFUL for! Record this in a journal with your mood of that day, and try it during different times of the day and with different feelings. ARE you going to be MORE positive in the END?

Until Next Time..