We’ve all experienced it. After a dinner party, no note is sent. (Well, he was busy, and the dinner wasn’t that elaborate.) The solicitous e-mail gets no reply. (Again, he was busy, and didn’t feel like chatting.) A driver gives way to another at a place where there is no clear priority; the kindness isn't acknowledged. A person holds a door for a girl; she breezes on by with no word of thanks. On holiday, a couple gives the smallest and most worthless amount of money to those who have provided them services. The snotty teenager rails at the parent who scraped and saved for her.
The failure to give thanks beats at the heart of the sense of despair and gloom that is so pervasive in our society today. Much of what plagues us can be tracked back to ingratitude. So, how can an attitude of gratitude bring about change while being unthankful can carry lethal results?
Gratitude vs. Ingratitude
· Grateful people believe they have more than they deserve, while ungrateful folks believe they deserve more than they have and that the world owes them.
· A grateful person is loving and seeks to help others. An ungrateful person is bent on helping himself only, often willing to blame everyone else around him for his situation and sometimes prepared to get what he needs unlawfully or unethically.
· A grateful person feels a sense of fulfillment. One filled with ingratitude has a sense of emptiness.
· A thankful person is content. An ungrateful person is full of bitterness and discontent. Psychologists have reported that years of counseling with people who are chronically depressed, frustrated or emotionally unstable are those with little gratitude, regardless of the external circumstances that might appear to provide an explanation.
· A person filled with ingratitude sets himself or herself up for disappointment when others fail to perform according to his or her expectations. But a thankful person has no room for self-destructive emotions.
You might have heard that one of the characteristics that we can change is our attitude. Being grateful or ungrateful is a choice. Seeing the glass half-full or half-empty is a choice. I learned a long time ago that I enjoyed life a whole lot better when I was thankful for what I had in my life. Rather than blame others, feel sorry for yourself or deciding to be disappointed with everything around you, change your attitude. Make a decision to be grateful for what you have. You’ll find that when you do, others will respect and like you better than someone who displays a selfish, uncaring attitude. Try it. You’ll see how success will find you if you do.
Til Next Time,
Carol
The failure to give thanks beats at the heart of the sense of despair and gloom that is so pervasive in our society today. Much of what plagues us can be tracked back to ingratitude. So, how can an attitude of gratitude bring about change while being unthankful can carry lethal results?
Gratitude vs. Ingratitude
· Grateful people believe they have more than they deserve, while ungrateful folks believe they deserve more than they have and that the world owes them.
· A grateful person is loving and seeks to help others. An ungrateful person is bent on helping himself only, often willing to blame everyone else around him for his situation and sometimes prepared to get what he needs unlawfully or unethically.
· A grateful person feels a sense of fulfillment. One filled with ingratitude has a sense of emptiness.
· A thankful person is content. An ungrateful person is full of bitterness and discontent. Psychologists have reported that years of counseling with people who are chronically depressed, frustrated or emotionally unstable are those with little gratitude, regardless of the external circumstances that might appear to provide an explanation.
· A person filled with ingratitude sets himself or herself up for disappointment when others fail to perform according to his or her expectations. But a thankful person has no room for self-destructive emotions.
You might have heard that one of the characteristics that we can change is our attitude. Being grateful or ungrateful is a choice. Seeing the glass half-full or half-empty is a choice. I learned a long time ago that I enjoyed life a whole lot better when I was thankful for what I had in my life. Rather than blame others, feel sorry for yourself or deciding to be disappointed with everything around you, change your attitude. Make a decision to be grateful for what you have. You’ll find that when you do, others will respect and like you better than someone who displays a selfish, uncaring attitude. Try it. You’ll see how success will find you if you do.
Til Next Time,
Carol
RSS Feed