The Joy of Gratitude - Gratitude Schmattitude

Gratitude is a conviction, a practice and a discipline.

Gratitude involves channeling your energy and attention toward what is present and working rather than toward what's absent and ineffective.

Today people feel they are entitled to so many things. Nothing is quite so powerful, or so destructive to your potential for joy, as the attitude of entitlement. Closely related to entitlement, is what I call the Law of Familiarity, This simply means that the longer you've been exposed to a particular blessing the more likely you are to take it for granted. You begin to feel entitled to it rather than being grateful for it. Don't forget gratitude compounds joy, and entitlement shrinks it.

In our world today, with so many unprecedented things happening around us, if we are not careful we fix our attention to the bad things, rather than the good. When this happens, we begin to worry about the outcome, Worry is when you trust your fears more than you trust God. The worst part of worry is that it desplaces and then dissolves genuine thoughts of gratitude. You can not worry and be grateful at the same time.

Today and every day, pursue gratitude relentlessly!