An Attitude of Gratitude

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but I suppose it's not a bad thing. I've been so busy trying to take in all these blessings that I haven't had much time to write. When I do, I'm honestly so overcome that I can't get the words out. I never knew what David was feeling in Psalm 23 when he said, "My cup runneth over," until now. My heart is so full. This last week, I was on the phone with a family member telling them how it had been such a good day. I went on to tell them some different things that had happened that day. As I did, everything I said was something bad. I finished my summary of the day with this, "Wow. It sounds like it was a terrible day when I say everything that happened. But it wasn't. It was a really good day, and I just feel so blessed." What I learned from that is that a simple attitude of gratitude changed my whole perspective of the day. When I focus on what's right with my life instead of what's wrong, or even what could go wrong, it makes me love my life so much more and really helps with my anxiety. The thing is, if I was to write everything out that I am so grateful for, you would probably think I am ridiculous. Maybe that's the key to life: taking note of every blessing, no matter how small. I have two "philosophies" that I have been working diligently to live out every day, and they might be helpful to you:

1. Be obsessively grateful: I have to be obsessive and intentional about it. I write down everything I'm feeling thankful for. If I catch myself falling into a pit of negative thinking, I have to consciously choose to redirect my thoughts. Philippians 4:8 ("And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.") has been very instrumental in helping me to "be transformed by the renewing of my mind" (Romans 12:2). I made this checklist based on the verse in Philippians and hung it on my wall as a reminder of the types of things to think about, according to Paul.

2. Be irrationally excited: I am really the queen of getting excited. It might suck for the people around me, but it helps keep me positive and I always have something to look forward to. When I live "irrationally excited," I am always looking forward to the day as soon as I wake up - at approximately 6 AM.

The neat thing about my philosophy or way of living is that they both encourage each other. When I'm grateful for everything, I start getting excited about life in general. When I'm excited about my life, it helps me to see all the little blessings - it just goes around and around.