Spotlight on Gratitude: 15 Inspiring Quotes Will Make You Stronger (Part 2)
More Attitude of Gratitude Quotes
This post is Part 2 of the attitude of gratitude quotes. You can read the first seven quotes in Part 1.
8. Let It Change You
“I am happy because I’m grateful. I choose to be grateful. That gratitude allows me to be happy.” – Will Arnett
It might seem like an oversimplification to say that gratitude is a choice, but it really is that simple. Happiness and gratitude are inextricably linked.
By choosing to find reasons to be grateful, you development contentment and appreciation. Those positive mindsets naturally lead to being happier.
What things can you choose to be grateful for? Take a few minutes and see if you can write down five things. Try to write another five tomorrow. Concentrate on these gifts and happiness will follow.
Start Today!
9. Give It Away
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward
Have you ever purchased a gift for someone and then not given it to them. I have to be honest and tell you I have done this and more than once.
That gift, sitting on a shelf or table in my home, did nothing to bring joy to me or the person it was purchased for.
Expressing an attitude of gratitude is a free gift that you can give to others.
Is someone in your life a good listener? Thank them.
Do you have help in getting to doctors or therapy appointments? Let the driver know how much you appreciate the ride.
Does someone check on you regularly? Tell them how much that means to you.
Get your gratiitude gift off the shelf and give it to others.
Everyone loves getting presents. With gratitude, you have lots to give away.
10. Pay Attention
“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brene Brown
When you are dealing with mental illness, it’s all too easy to get fixated on the negative ways that the illness affects your life. I’m not going to pretend those things aren’t true. Being sick sucks, and there’s no way around that.
However, even in the worst of times, there are reasons you can practice an attitude of gratitude. Pay attention to what’s right in front of you, and you will see some of those reasons.
For me, I am grateful for beautiful sunsets, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and my crazy cat. Oh, and this morning, I am thankful for pain medicine. It may not completely take away my pain, but it usually takes enough of the bite away so that I can function and earn a living.
What’s in front of you right now?
Also Read: 12 Best Quotes For A Happy Life With Mental Illness
11. Focus on It
“When we focus on our gratitude, the tide of disappointment goes out and the tide of love rushes in.” – Kristin Armstrong
This quote means a lot to me because it reminds me of the ocean, and the beach is one of my favorite places to be. The ocean and beach are great metaphors.
The sand on the beach cannot change where the ocean takes it, whether it is washed inland or out to sea. That’s okay for the sand because it still looks beautiful and contributes to an inviting beach wherever the ocean places it.
Similarly, you may have no control over all the ways that your illness affects your life. However, with gratitude, you can learn to appreciate the good things that your illness has not taken from you.
If you can see, walk, talk, or taste your food, those are all reasons to be grateful. Appreciate everything and it will make coping with the worst possible.
12. Express It
“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
Personally, I don’t believe in the whole, “If you build it, they will come,” mentality. While keeping a positive attitude will do much to improve the quality of your life, there is no sound basis for believing that just because you can imagine something that it will happen.
With that in mind, I don’t believe that what Zig Ziglar was implying here was that if you are thankful you will get more good things. Instead, I believe that when you learn to show gratitude for everything, every new reason to be grateful becomes easier to recognize.
For instance, if today is one of the good days, and good is a very relative term when you live with chronic illness, be grateful for that fact. Starting the day with gratitude will help you see additional reasons for joy throughout the day.
I am frequently grateful for food. Health restrictions keep me from doing many of the things I used to love to do, but good food is something you can almost always enjoy.
Even on the days that I have to stick to a liquid diet due to gastroparesis, I am grateful for the strawberries or other fruit in my smoothie.
Keep your eyes open today for reasons to display an attitude of gratitude. As you do so, notice how many new reasons to grateful come into view.
13. Learn From It
“No one ever said learning was to be easy, but it’s part of the process of evolving as a human being, and we all have to go through it. When I look back, I see that each difficult time brought an important lesson. And I prefer to look at it with gratitude because I wouldn’t be who I am today if I haven’t gone through it all.” – Gisele Bundchen
You may only think about learning life’s lessons when it comes to mistakes you make in regard to spending, relationships or employment. Living with a mental disorder is just as important.
I am a big proponent of journaling. One reason is that journaling gives you a great way to sort out all the things in your head.
Living with bipolar, my mind is often full of voices and fast-moving thoughts. Journaling helps to quiet those voices.
In addition, I keep a health journal. I keep it in the same book, but for the health journal, I record what I eat, how I feel, my pain level, and what activities I do.
Keeping these records, especially in regard to the persistent low-grade fevers, was integral to helping my doctor to diagnose me with Familial Mediterranean Fever. That’s a huge reason for gratitude.
But there’s more.
By keeping a health journal, I can more easily spot trends of, “Okay, when I did this, then later I felt like that.” I haven’t mastered my illnesses, but I have come a long way in knowing what things will make me feel better or worse. Each of those insights is a reason for me to be thankful.
What have you learned about the ways your illness behaves? Are there trends that you now know will help make things better or make them worse? Be grateful for each lesson you have learned.
Also Read: 15 Best Guided Mood Journals to Create a Better You
14. Make Up Your Mind
“At the age of 18, I made up my mind to never have another bad day in my life. I dove into an endless sea of gratitude from which I’ve never emerged.” – Patch Adams
It may not be as simple as choosing to never have another bad day when bipolar or another mental disorder holds sway over you. However, you also shouldn’t dismiss the power in making the choice to be better.
Long before I was finally diagnosed with Familial Mediterranean Fever, I was having so many bad days that it seemed like my illness was becoming my whole identity.
With that in mind, one day I decided that rather than talking about how much I was suffering, I would greet each person in my life with a smile and tell them I was “good.”
A surprising thing happened along the way – I started to feel some better. With current medical knowledge, I will never be cured. However, by keeping a smile on my face, I enjoy life more and others enjoy being around me more.
Make the choice to have an attitude of gratitude and notice how your life and health start to change over time.
15. Unlock Life
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” – Melody Beattie
This is an excellent quote to close out today’s attitude of gratitude post. All of us want a full life. Illness does its best to restrict our lives, but we can beat the negativity by choosing to be grateful.
I don’t live in a fancy house in a high-class neighborhood, but I do have a comfortable home that supplies all my needs. I choose to be grateful for the latter.
Typically I cannot eat what or as much as I want, but I always have enough to eat and it usually tastes good. Gratitude helps me to be thankful for the small things.
Turning the spotlight on gratitude helps you to see ways that you are already blessed. Recognizing those blessings leads to contentment and happiness.
You have a lot, even if you have little. Be grateful for what you have, and everything else will improve.
Until next time, keep fighting.
Please share this article on social media or with someone who can benefit from these words.
Loved this! I had such a moment yesterday–the boys were throwing stones into a little pond and got themselves all muddy. I got all wound up about that, of course, but then watching the two run together, talk together, play together, I realized: I’d never want any these boys to be anyone else. They’re so perfect just as they are. And I thanked God then and there that of all the moms on the planet, these boys and Blondie had been given to me.
Amazing how an outlook can change with a bit of gratitude. 🙂
That’s a great experience. It would also make an excellent blog post. Just saying. I appreciate you so much!
Hee hee! I’m bound to at some point… 🙂
Excellent post, Scott. I can attest to the habit of gratitude. It is so much more fun to look for the good, rather than the bad.
You are so right, good sir. Thanks for reading and commenting.