There are basically two ways of looking at life:

• Looking at what you don’t have with avaricious thoughts
• Be grateful for what you do have

I’ve lived life on both sides of this coin and work hard daily to keep myself in the head space of being grateful for what I do have.  Why?  Because it’ s easier, has me calm, smiling and looking for the next miracle in my life.  My head doesn’t hurt, my muscles aren’t tense, and I don’t look for food to stuff my negative emotions/perspective.

Much has been written on how gratitude can change your life.  I’m going to summarize a few of the articles I have read recently and then let you decide how you choose to live.

Gratitude can change your life:

• It can enhance your quality of life.  A study was done where one group made a daily gratitude list vs other groups who documented unpleasant experiences and a third just kept a journal with no direction.  The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy.  In addition, those in the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, were more likely to help others, exercised more regularly, and made greater progress toward achieving personal goals.
• Notice and appreciate each day’s gifts.  Find something to be grateful for.  It’s there and finding it will increase your “happiness quotient”.
• Once you become oriented toward looking for things to be grateful for, you will find that you begin to appreciate simple pleasures and things that you previously took for granted.  Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good even in unpleasant situations.  Today, start bringing gratitude to your experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful; in this way, you’ll be on your way toward becoming a master of gratitude.
• Being grateful can result in a better mood, more popularity, better resilience, more generosity, truly living the law of attraction, you will live longer
• In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “In order to achieve contentment, one should cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously.”
• Let gratitude be your stress buster - keep a gratitude journal; embrace the negative as well as the positive; spend time with loved ones; use social media mindfully and positively; know and acknowledge the value of little things; volunteer, pay it forward; move your body to reduce stress, clear your mind and help set yourself up to be grateful.

Here is my gratitude list for today:

• I am grateful for my husband who supports me and loves me unconditionally
• I am grateful for my trainer who knows just how to push me to accomplish never in my wildest dreams fitness levels
• I am grateful for my daughter who cares about everyone
• I am grateful for my grandkids who bring me joy watching them grow into adulthood
• I am grateful to be able to give back to the WLS community both as a member of the board of Directors of the Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America and as a bariatric coach, educator and support group leader.
  
• I am grateful for sunshine and singing birds

Deep sigh.  Typing this list has brought me calm and a feeling of well being.  Try it, what’s not to like.