With Love and Gratitude
By Suzie the Single Dating Diva
There was a time when I had a really hard time being grateful. With each and every phase in my life, each and every challenge, I couldn’t see experiences for what they really were – blessings in disguise. It wasn’t until I came to the realization that I should be grateful for everything in my life that my life started falling into place, both personally and professionally. Not only am I happier, I’ve attracted love and light in ways I never could imagine was possible.
Why gratitude?
We often get caught in the never ending cycle of self-victimization and indulge in pity parties for one. Somehow the grass always seems greener on the other side, doesn’t it? It’s difficult for us to see the good in any hardship, but the good is always there, we just need to open our eyes and see it. Believe me, I was there too.
After my divorce, after every bad date, after every broken heart and especially after much professional disappointment … I indulged in the pity party and littered negativity everywhere I went. Then I saw the light. Step by step, I started being more grateful for what I had as well as my experiences, and, lo and behold, I attracted more good in my life!
According to various studies, expressing gratitude and acknowledging the good in every situation simply makes you feel better, it has health benefits and it is the stuff strong interpersonal relationships are made of. Fundamentally, there is a direct correlation between gratitude and personal well-being. Also, many spiritual and law of attraction practices also encourage putting light and gratitude out to the universe in order to attract more goodness in. So why don’t we do it? Why aren’t we more grateful? Because, frankly, it’s easier not to be. It’s easier to feel sorry for ourselves. But we have to train ourselves to do different, to BE different. Gratitude is a choice! We can choose to see the best in every situation or choose not to.
How can we be more grateful?
Expressing gratitude can be difficult at first but it definitely gets easier once you start practicing. Here are some ways we can incorporate it in our lives:
Keep a gratitude journal:
Choose a time each day to recall things you’re grateful for, write it down or just mentally meditate about it. It could be anything from being thankful for the sunshiny day to someone smiling at you to getting that message you were waiting for or even just for life.
Send a thank you message:
If there is someone that you’re grateful to have in your life send them a message to let them know how much they mean to you. It doesn’t have to be for anything specific, just say that you wanted to express how much you appreciate them – you’ll make their day!
See the good in each situation:
Each day recall all the experiences you had and pull what lessons learned or happy moments you can from them and be grateful for them. We all have bad days or negative encounters with people, but there’s always something to be grateful for in the experience, even if it’s just learning what kind of people not to let into our lives.
Have quiet time:
Whether we pray, meditate or just sit in silence, it helps us observe the world around us, reflect and appreciate every moment we’ve been given.
What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Love’s got EVERYTHING to do with it! The act of gratitude is an act of love. There’s nothing that strengthens relationships more than expressing thankfulness. Reciprocal gratitude creates that solid foundation that all new and existing relationships need for longevity. But how about for singles? Can gratitude attract love?
Daily gratitude DOES bring love our way … it brought love MY way! It’s only when I learned to be more grateful in my life that I found a real happily ever after type of love. In our dating life, we tend to be negative and complain (this is why there are countless dating blogs out there). BUT if we turn it around and take a different perspective to our dating life, a grateful perspective, things start changing. When you have an “attitude of gratitude”, each dating experience ceases to be a waste of time, rather it’s a lesson learned and one step closer to your happily ever after. You’re just paving the way.
With love and gratitude life is a happier, better place regardless of where you are at in your life. Pour out love and gratitude to the universe and it will come back to you. I challenge each and every one of you to make a conscious choice to choose gratitude. The result? Lots of happy and a positive life … who doesn’t want that?
Suzie is the founder of SingleDatingDiva.com, an award winning blog about being single, dating and relationships. The blog showcases the many adventures we have and how challenging, but also exciting dating really is because single isn’t a bad word and dating really can be fun!! With experience comes wisdom and she also shares some lessons learned along the way helping others through her consulting services. You can also find Suzie as a guest expert on various television and radio programs.
Learn more about Suzie the Single Dating Diva
Web: SingleDatingDiva.com
Twitter: @SingleDatingDiv
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