Remember when summer first arrived – it was great – longer days, warm evenings, swimming, cooking outside, no jackets or sweaters, etc. However, sometimes by the end of August the love of summer dwindles as the heat begins to get to us as well as the bugs, not to mention the traffic in beach and national park areas. By the end of summer, it is even more imperative that we find ways to stay cool, calm, and collected.
One way is to focus on the positive in your life rather than the negative. Most people spend 90% of their time worrying about the 10% in their life that is negative. The more we think about something, the bigger it becomes so it is important for us to use our minds to concentrate on what is good about our lives.
An easy way to do that is with a gratitude list. Making a daily list is a great tool, but even if you don’t do it daily, every time you begin using your brain to think of the negative, make a list of 10 things you are grateful for. If I am really having a difficult time turning off my negative brain, I do an A-Z gratitude list.
I come up with something I am grateful for every letter of the alphabet. Some are much easier than others. I can tell you that coming up with things I am grateful for with some letters is not easy but the more I spend time coming up with something, the less I spend thinking about what is wrong with my life.
Gratitude reminds you that most of life’s gifts are things that seem small but in Truth have a BIG influence on the quality of our lives.
Quote of the Week
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
