Thankfulness: a virtue and a dynamic –
activates the Law of Attraction

Thankfulness: a positive emotion involving a
feeling of indebtedness

Attitude affects so many things in life. Sales-people are
told to maintain a positive mental attitude because it ultimately affects their
sales, sportspeople are told to cultivate a winner’s attitude because it
affects their performance. The laws of success tell us to cultivate a grateful
attitude but why should thankfulness
affect our success? 

It may be difficult, at first, to see exactly how
thankfulness, or gratitude, can be such an important key to your success, but
by seeking to maintain an ‘attitude of gratitude’ you are indeed tapping into
the timeless laws of success. 

Thankfulness is fundamentally related to positivity and
negativity. It is so much easier to be positive about your life and the things
that are going on in it right now when you are grateful. As A. W. Tozer once
commented, ‘a thankful heart cannot be cynical’.

The work-place is full of people who are cynical – ready to
run the company down, run the boss down and run the industry down; and do you
know something, they can, and do, actually produce the evidence that supports
their beliefs. Such people are also employing the laws of success; but by
talking about what they do not like, they are using the principles to attract
what they don’t want. Their reality simply reinforces their views about the
company, the boss, the industry and whatever else has been the subject of their
negativity.

On the other hand, having an attitude of gratitude impacts
your countenance and your general outlook on life; and people generally will
prefer to work with happy, cheerful, grateful people than miserable, down-cast,
merchants of doom and gloom. As a consequence truly grateful people, literally
attract opportunities that others miss or even possibly repel.

To help acquire this positive
attitude, consider the idea of keeping a Gratitude Journal. Would you, every
day for a period of one month, be prepared to actually write down all the
things for which you are grateful?

You know: count your blessings, the way you were taught as a
child.

What do you think might be the result of engaging in such an
exercise? Consider the results of this scientific study into the subject.

Two psychologists, McCollough and Emmons, conducted a study
on the subject of gratitude and thanksgiving. In the study, three different groups
of people were required to keep daily journals. The first group kept a simple
diary of all the events that occurred during the day, the second group kept a
record of only their unpleasant daily experiences. The final group made a daily
list of everything for which they were grateful i.e. the kept a Gratitude
Journal. 

The results of this amazing study suggested that the
exercise of daily gratitude resulted in higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm,
determination, optimism and energy. So let it really sink-in …

•       A
Grateful Heart Cannot be Cynical.

•      
Gratitude is Fundamental to Maintaining an
Optimistic Outlook.

•       The
Exercise of Thankfulness activates the Law
of Attraction.

Additionally, the gratitude group experienced less
depression and stress, was much more likely to get involved in helping others.
They also exercised more regularly and made more progress toward their personal
goals.  Isn’t that amazing: just by
keeping a Gratitude Journal, the study suggests they were able to positively
impact their chances of achieving their goals! 

Thankfulness is an attitude and an important key to success.
It is an attitude we all need to learn to acquire – particularly when we feel we
are in difficult circumstances.

So learn to be grateful

by Will Edwards