Gratitude is Great Attitude!

I’m sure you’ve heard it said:

“Attitude determines your altitude”

“What you think about you bring about”

Do you believe these statements to be true? If so... how high are you flying right now in life? Are you soaring high above the clouds... maybe hovering over Cloud 9? Or perhaps your plane is still grounded and trying to muster up the fuel for take off.

I happen to agree with the statements above - attitude certainly has everything to do with success. Yet even if it didn’t bring you “success” in the way you envisioned it; wouldn’t you say that living your life with a positive attitude is a success either way?

As I was contemplating the impact Attitude has on success I came up with four disruptors to our positive attitudes:

1.) Impatience.

We always want the journey to be faster. We’re a microwave generation when sometimes life calls for a crock-pot moment. I love to go fast. I will quickly admit that I’m a want-it-now get-it-now kind of a woman; and often times to my folly. I’m so much into a rush to get to the finish line, that I miss out on all the moments that led up to the grand finale of my dream. It’s never about the destination but always about the journey. When the season of your life, business, job, family calls for a crock-pot; MARINATE in it! You’ll be more seasoned & flavorful; and the outcome is gourmet instead of TV-frozen-dinner good.

2.) Peaks & Valleys.

Every mountaintop experience is followed by a valley. But every valley is followed by a mountaintop! It’s the heartbeat of your life. If you’ve ever watched a TV show taking place in a hospital, you’ve probably seen the heart monitor. It has jagged lines going upwards and downwards, over and over again... but when the line is flat with no peaks and no valleys - it means death. A stopped heartbeat. If you are experiencing peaks & valleys, get excited! It means your ALIVE!!! Without them you flat line & your dead! Are you going through some “stuff”? Praise God! Your alive!

3.) Lessons Ignored.

We get so caught up in why things aren’t going the way we want them to that we stop searching for the lesson. Every season has it’s purpose. Your struggle, your setback; serves a purpose. Learn from it or you’ll be wandering the desert for 40 years.

How can we break “free” of these disruptors? By acknowledging them & changing our reaction when they happen. All of the above can be a POSITIVE thing - if your looking for the positive. God never promised us life on a bed of roses; but He did promise us that He will work ALL things for good to those who love Him & follow Him. What I understand that to mean is He will not allow any moment to be wasted. It might not be what we expected or what we "begged" for, but it will always be the greater good of what He has prepared for our lives.

“Gratitude is Great Attitude”.

That’s become my daily mantra. To be constantly in a state of gratitude for all the blessings in my life; it is impossible to be grumpy & thankful at the same time! If your stuck in a “woe is me” mindset; if your in bondage to “stinkin’ thinkin’”,

chances are you left your gratitude somewhere.

It doesn’t matter where you are at in life right this moment or the struggles that your facing today; we have SO much to be thankful for! A roof over our heads, hot food on our table, a family to love & be loved by and a passion in our hearts for a dream. I’m thankful for a God who loves me & will always provide for me. If He is for me, who or what shall prevail against me?

Are you getting it?

If you can appreciate the simplicities in life and be thankful for the abundant amount of blessings you already have in your life... the rest of the stuff is just icing! It’s a fun journey we get to enjoy and be shaped by. And it’s a journey unique to each one of us! Life is full of so many experiences that we get to live just once - cherish them. Don’t rush time by resisting the journey.

My challenge to all of us is to begin each day with a fresh statement:

“I’m grateful for...”

How can you not have a good day with that great start to your day?!