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The Attitude of Gratitude is probably something you have heard of before. That is because a bunch of professional speakers, including me, have used it in presentations or done entire presentations on the topic (I have). What is it and how does it work?

Focus on What Works for a Bright Future

The attitude of gratitude is a state of mind and a way of thinking that has you focus on what you are grateful for. Our conscious mind focuses on one thing well at a time. If you are thinking about why what is happening is great, or that a person you know is awesome you are not focused on why what is happening or that person is bad.

Great CD’s to Help Create an Attitude of Gratitude

This reminds me of what Einstein said, “You can not simultaneously prepare for and prevent war.” How that translates is “you can not simultaneously appreciate someone or something and depreciate it that at the same time”. There has been research on optical illusions where two images are contained in the same picture. A classic one from the early 1900’s is below.

W.E.Hill 1915 Pluck Humor Magazine

Before you read any further look at the picture. What do you see? If you already see an image look and see if you can find another image before you read any further.

What did you see?

An old woman?

A young girl?

A Grateful Attitude Equals a Bright Future

Try this experiment if you can see both women. Focus on just one image, first the old woman. When you focus on the old woman the young girl disappears. The opposite is true also. If you focus on the young girl the old woman fades out. You see only one image at a time.

Once you know what you are looking for you can switch back and forth quickly. You can get to the point where you let your eyes go out of focus and from a less focused place you can recognize features of both. Yet as soon as you focus on one, that image becomes more prominent and the other fades out.

Check out this Positive Book for you to focus on.

• What we notice and focus on about people and situations is a choice. If you do not like what
  you are seeing you can change it.

  • You can have a better life.

  • You can have a better attitude.

You can focus on appreciating whatever you are looking at and your mind will find good.

It sounds simple, appreciate what you are looking at then things look better. Choose a positive appreciative focus and you improve your life and the lives of those around you. Be a value adder.