Being unemployed is hard……. really hard.  A friend of mine says if he had to choose between divorce and looking for work he’d almost choose divorce (and he loves his wife)!  That’s how bad looking for a job is to many of us.  And yet here we are.  Being without a job often means we begin to question ourselves, our lives.  Wonder why one thing led to another that led to the end of our job.  We don’t like it.  We don’t feel very good about it.  And we’re certainly not grateful for being unemployed – absolutely not!  Why should we be grateful – it sucks!

3. GRATITUDE

We all know what gratitude is.  Webster’s defines it as the state of being grateful; Thankfulness.  As children we were taught to be grateful.  When I was growing up kids were told to “Eat YOUR Dinner”!!  because there were  starving children in other countries – the underlying message to be grateful for that food (even if it was spinach)!  Society tells us to be grateful for our country, our rights and our freedom.  Even Oprah’s in on it – she tells us to have an attitude of gratitude.

But what does it truly mean to be grateful?

I have no job – am I grateful for that?   Money is tight and we have to really watch our pennies – am I grateful for that?  I lost my house or car or credit or ……. you fill in the blank.  Are you grateful for that?

So in the midst of all that’s swirling around us – no job, fear, uncertainty and unanswered questions about what lies ahead just how do we find it within ourselves to be grateful?

BY CHOOSING TO BE GRATEFUL

I can’t convince you to be grateful – it’s your choice.  You can look at your life through a negative perspective, be angry at the hand you’ve been dealt, complain to everyone you meet, or be chronically dissatisfied.  That’s your choice.

OR  you can choose to look at life from the perspective of appreciating what you do have – even if it isn’t everything you wanted or where you expected to be at this point in your life.  Despite whatever life circumstances you are facing you CAN choose to be grateful.

Here’s a challenge – be grateful for everything you have for 1 day.  That’s it, just one day.  From the time you wake up till you go to bed.  Find a way to be grateful for everything.  Hate your mattress – be thankful you have a bed to sleep on (when many don’t).  Wish you had a newer car – be thankful the one you have still works.  Too many emails – be glad people are contacting you.  Hate going grocery shopping – be thankful you have the money to shop.  You get the picture.  Give it a try.

Being grateful is a choice – your choice.  Will it “change your life”… well no.  It’s not magic.  But if you let it, it will change your perspective.  And sometimes that’s just what you need.