How Gratitude Actually Works

PolitiJim.com ^ | 11-22-12 | PolitiJim (@politiJim)

[rightjb]

There are some practical reasons to be thankful.  According to coverage by Breaking Christian News, being “thankful” can give you:

• Stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure

• Higher levels of positive emotions


• More joy, optimism and happiness


• Acting with more generosity and compassion


• Feeling less lonely and isolated

When you are faced with very real problems (health, family, money) or just a general discouragement from a loss of Hope (or “change”), it takes an act of faith to be thankful when you don’t feel like it.

Thankfulness is not just a "glass half full" mental trick. It is a POWER that God promises will bring us into the very gates of God.  It also releases self-proclaimed curses on our lives. But you have to BELEIVE it works.

I used to hate the idea of looking at the poverty stricken paralytic in a third world country just to be grateful for something.  I even remember when I was an adventuresome young rebel wondering what was so special about “peace of mind” all the old people kept crowing about.  I WANTED ADVENUTRE NOT PEACE!  After years of trials (both self-inflicted and otherwise) I BEGGED for a few months of no drama and no turmoil, not realizing what a gift it really was.  And what’s funny is that I could have had it ALL ALONG, had i learned simply not only be thankful for little things but also to speak them as words of gratitude.

Continued at: How Not to Be A Turkey (Like PolitiJim was) On Thanksgiving Day

[Joe 6-pack]

I was once told that if I felt I had nothing to be grateful for, I should chop off a toe. If I still felt I had nothing to be grateful for, I should chop off the next toe. Eventually, I would figure out that I had quite a bit to be thankful for.

[GraceG]

Regaurding gratitude...

The more you give someone the less gratitude they have and the more resentment builds in them....

[all the best]

We, as a society, have become more and more focused on the negative to the point of obsession. It is now all about the negative. What people don’t have. We have become centered on poverty, lack, problems and failure.
Ours was once a robust, muscular vibrant appreciation based and opportunity driven/recognizing/seeking culture. And it was this mindset that drove us to unprecedented heights of growth, prosperity and progress. Over the past few decades we have become increasingly a complaining, whining and pity based and pity driven sob-sister culture. The big spirit being replaced by the shrinking atrophied spirit. Ironically, the more educated that people become the better they become at creating images of no value, the negative. Sophistication is directly proportional to the tendency to conjure images of the negative. The more intelligent and educated a person, the bigger the ego. The bigger the ego the more difficult to accept a reality that exists independent of that ego and then the greater the tendency or urge to add to and take away from that reality. The bigger the ego, the less satisfied the person.

Government policy is now driven almost exclusively by perceptions of negativity and images of darkness. It’s all about what’s not. Only a fool would attempt to build on a shaky or crumbling foundation. How much more foolish is it then to attempt to build something of value on a foundation of nonexistence. Absolute insanity. A sure formula for disaster and destruction.
It is now all about the negative, the not. Appreciation and gratitude are not politically correct or acceptable. Only complaining and pity are deemed appropriate and enlightened, That is, only the mindset of failure, stagnation and decline are now permitted. Anything else is ridiculed. The way of the winner is derided as insensitive and uncaring.

[tired&retired]

I’ve been researching this and doing workshops on it for many years. It is much simpler than they make it. It’s based on the operational frequencies of consciousness.

By the way, it has a reverse effect if an individual is carrying guilt due to the reversal of the emotional subconscious reward/punishment system.

[humblegunner]

(Excerpt) Read more at politijim.com ...

What seems to have caused you to excerpt your own material?

Looks like blatant scum-sucking blogpimping to me.

Have you thoughts on that?

[BigDaddyTX]

Gratitude

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdJ5e70Q8mw&feature=share&list=AL94UKMTqg-9Dne_Riy790IlRm0W5QWJy1

[Secret Agent Man]

i have a similar mindset, said a little different. i am thankful for the problems i have. my body gets sore, but i am glad i can move my body and do necessary things. i get tired of dishes and cooking but i am glad i have food and can enoy eating things i like. i am grateful for my problems in the sense I can deal with them and it makes me grateful i can deal with them.