“When we put gratitude before attitude, it can be exhausting.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell (2015-10-06) from his book, Intentional Living: Choosing a Life That Matters (p. 139). Center Street. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

I know, there’s that attitude thing again. But your attitude is so very important.

John says, “Gratitude is the motivation for doing good things for others, and a positive attitude is what drives that action. Gratitude fuels us to want to do good things for others.”

He goes on, “Have you ever met people who think nothing good ever happens to them? It’s like they walk around with dark clouds over their heads, and they always say things like, ‘No one ever gives me a chance. I never get a break. Why doesn’t anyone ever pick me?’ Such people live very self-consuming, selfish lives. How can they experience significance at all?” I hope you’re not that kind of person.

He then says, “We’ve all heard the expression, ‘Count your blessings.’ But have you ever stopped to wonder what that really means? When we count our blessings and realize what others have done for us, it stimulates us to say, ‘I want to do something for someone else.’ You have to count your blessings before you can be a blessing.”

Another great place to start is counting your blessings from God. I strive to start each day thanking God for a gift that he has given to me for that day. Today I thanked him for his gift of being with me today? It makes so much of a difference to start your day with an attitude of gratitude.

So how is your attitude today?

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