Attitude of Gratitude: The Hidden Miracle + 59 Quotes

For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.

Elie Wiesel

Writer

Thousands of years ago the human race spread rapidly all over planet earth. Our advanced capability to recognize and eliminate danger contributed heavily to this miracle. However, the super sensitive danger-radar has barely evolved. Each one of us is biologically biased valuing negativity more than positivity. It’s written in our DNA, for the sake of survival. Fortunately, there is a simple remedy.

What is an attitude of Gratitude?

With an attitude of gratitude, we can break our biological bias towards negativity. An attitude of gratitude is a conscious and frequent practice to be grateful what we already have, who we are and, what life made possible at all. Without it, we are like a bottomless pit. Never satisfied and always wanting. An attitude of gratitude offers balance between our survival instinct and reality. The reality, that we live in abundance.

3 Qualities of an attitude of gratitude

An attitude of gratitude offers mindfulness

Being Mindful means paying attention to the present moment and the things that are happening around us. When we’re mindful, we’re more likely to notice the little things that we might otherwise overlook. Like a beautiful sunset, the smile of a child or a kind word from a friend. By being present and aware, we can cultivate a sense of gratitude for the world around us.

An attitude of gratitude creates Humility

Humility is all about recognizing that we’re not entitled to anything in life. Everything we have is a gift, whether it’s a supportive family, a great job, or good health. By being humble, we can appreciate the blessings we have and be grateful for the people and circumstances that have brought them into our lives.

An attitude of gratitude develops generosity

Finally, having an attitude of gratitude means being generous with our time, resources, and talents. When we’re grateful for the blessings in our lives, we’re more likely to want to share them with others. This can be in the form of volunteering at a soup kitchen or donating money to a favorite charity. Giving back is a powerful way to express our gratitude

7 ways to grow an attitude of gratitude

1. Journaling

Journaling is the magical way of putting your mind onto paper. Research shows, that only 5 minutes of gratitude-journaling can improve your psychological wellbeing, self-esteem and overall happiness tremendously. There are no limits for a journal: Calendars, pre-made journals, or just blank notebooks: Journaling is a great instrument for the silent revolution inside of you!

2. Practicing mindfulness

An antidote to emptiness: Instead of focusing on the big things and goals which are usually not enjoyable right now, we keep our focus on the present. The habit of mindfulness (right, it’s something to practice every day) expands the scope of things we perceive as enjoyable.

Whatever little spark of joy you recognize over the course of the day: hold on for a couple of seconds. Focus on this event. Slow down and deepen your breath. Zoom in with your mind and heart an appreciate it. There are countless opportunities within the 24 hours of a day. We just have to allow us taking some deep breaths, cease talking and just expand our mind. Mindfulness to me, is an integral part, the fundament of gratitude.

3. Creating your own gratitude ritual

Gratitude is a creative process. Why not creating your very own gratitude ritual? Whenever you want, wherever you want and with whomever you want it. You can practice gratitude together with friends by expressing thankfulness together once a week. You can create a ritual to express thankfulness after every hike, every time you have met a loved one, or when you are simply connected with nature.

I was always awestruck seeing American families practicing gratitude in Hollywood movies. Before every dinner, one family member thanked God, the Universe or somebody else for the privilege to have food on the table today, that they were allowed so sit together, or live the freedom they craved for so long. I personally speak out the events I am grateful for after the daily meditation in the morning.

4. Do I really need this?

Once a very dear friend of mine asked me “do you really need this?”. The way she articulated this subtle sentence invited me to profoundly question the necessity of the object I tried to purchase. Just after a while I realized how powerful the question actually is. Why is that? It acts like a mentor, to keep focus on the essential things I really need in life. And these are very often not the things we plan to purchase tomorrow.

5. Expressing gratitude to people

”Thank you for being my friend, sometimes my teacher and somebody I can trust deeply.” How often do we tell the people how much we appreciate them in our lives? Too often we recognize this, when beloved friends, family members or our partner are not part of our lives anymore. Don’t wait until that happens. An attitude of gratitude suggests without much effort to show affection to the people around us. It’s a rewarding and heartwarming habit.

6. Volunteering

When we volunteer, we dedicate our time, energy, and resources to help others without any expectations or personal gain. This selfless act not only creates a positive impact on the lives of those we help, but it also instills a sense of gratitude within ourselves. Volunteering allows us to witness firsthand the struggles and challenges that others face, which helps us appreciate the blessings we have in our own lives. Through volunteering we develop a greater sense of empathy and compassion towards others, and we recognize the value of the simple things we may take for granted, such as a warm meal, or a safe place to sleep.

7. A progressive dopamine downgrade

We can learn so much from children regarding dopamine. There is a reason why they seem to be so much happier than adults. Waiving all the responsibilities and stressors an adult life brings, children naturally have a focus on the fundamental aspects of life. Discovering how life works, spending time with friends and family and trying out new things and angles. Not by choice, but by nature they have a healthy dopamine household.

Life as adult looks different:
90% of our behavior is automated. We barely have variety, barely have time for friends and family. New adventures? Trying out new things? Maybe during holiday. To numb emotions we didn’t learn to deal with, to substitute the meaning and fulfillment we crave so urgently, we have a huge variety of instant gratification available. Adult life can really suck, if we follow the narrative how a life should look like. However, a dopamine overflow makes it nearly impossible to appreciate those things, we once valued so much in our younger years. It’s a simple, but not easy journey: To re-establish a sense of gratitude we have to start dealing with our body’s emotions and downgrade the dopamine that fills the emptiness in our hearts. There is no drastic change necessary. Step by step we can improve our dopamine relationship:

-> Why not cooking once every two weeks a dinner with friends, instead of going to a restaurant?
-> Why not going to the theater with family or friends, instead of binge-watching Games of Thrones?
-> Why not implementing a nature day twice a month, where your phones stay at home and do wild things in the mountains, forest or the lake?

Yes, it can be tricky and uncomfortable changing life, but since tomorrow is never promised, there is only one question to answer: ….

59 Quotes that promote an attitude of gratitude

Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.
Zig Ziglar

The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.
Mary Davis

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.
Marcus Tullius Cicero

Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.
Lionel Hampton

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity.
Melody Beattie

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.

Melody Beattie

Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.
Amy Collette

In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fires goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.
Albert Schweitzer

No duty is more urgent than giving thanks.
James Allen

The soul that gives thanks can find comfort in everything; the soul that complains can find comfort in nothing.
Hanah Whitall Smith

Enough is a feast.
Buddhist Proverb

Got not checkbooks, got no banks, still I’d like to express my thanks. I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.
Living Berlin

We would worry less, if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.
Harry A. Ironside

Being thankful is not always experienced as a natural state of existence, we must work at it, akin to a type of strength training for the heart.”
Larissa Gomez

Opening your eyes to more of the world around you can deeply enhance your gratitude practice.
Derrick Carpenter

Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never ever have enough.
Oprah Winfrey

As with all commandments, gratitude is a description of a successful more of living. The thankful heart opens our eyes to a multitude of blessings that continually surround us.
James. E. Faust

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
Robert Brault

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.
Epictetus

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.
Henry Ward Beecher

The more we express gratitude, the more we have to be grateful for.
Zig Ziglar

Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.
Henry Van Dyke

Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves and spend without fear of bankruptcy.
Fred de Witt Van Amburgh

Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get Drunk.
Rumi

Gratitude is the attitude that takes you to your altitude.
Michael Beckwith

We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.
Harry A. Ironside

The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour some heavenly blessings.
Henry Ward Beecher

We can always find something to be thankful for. And there may be reasons why we ought to be thankful for even those dispensations, which appear dark and frowning.
Albert Barnes

Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.
Estonian Proverb

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.
Thornton Wilder

This wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.
Maya Angelou

We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count.
Neal A. Maxwell

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.
Willie Nelson

The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.
William James

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.
Willie Nelson

The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated.
William James

When eating a fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.
Vietnamese Proverb

I have a lot to be thankful for. I am healthy, happy and I am loved.
Reba McEntire

If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.
Rabbi Harold Kushner

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
William Arthur Ward

Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices.
Robert Braathe

Reflect upon your present blessings – of which every man has many – not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
Charles Dickens

Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
Karl Barth

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
Cynthia Ozick

You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.
Voltaire

I looked around and thought about my life. I felt grateful. I noticed every detail. That is the key to time travel. You can only move if you are actually in the moment. You have to be where you are to get where you need to go.
Amy Poehler

For my part, I am almost contented just now, and very thankful. Gratitude is a divine emotion: it fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.
Charlotte Bronte.

Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.
Aesop

Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.
Doris Day

Gratitude is the key to happiness. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude and happiness will follow.
Unknown

Gratitude is the foundation of a meaningful and fulfilling life.
John Demartini

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.
Cicero

It’s a funny thing about life: Once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.
Germany Kent

Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it grows.
Alan Cohen

Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.
Rumi

When you are grateful, fear disappears, and abundance appears.
Tony Robbins

There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.
Ralph Blum

I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I am paying attention and practicing gratitude.
Brené Brown

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy.
Marcel Proust