Is your glass half empty or half full?

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant,
to enact gratitude is generous and noble,
but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.

~ Johannes A. Gaertner

Is your glass half empty or half full? If your glass is always half empty you may benefit from a dose of gratitude.

We all know people who see only the obstacles and problems in life. And we also know others who step up to every challenge with an expectation of success. So why do some of us see the proverbial glass as half full, while others see it as half empty? 

The answer is attitude.  An attitude of gratitude may not only change your perception, it will also provide many surprising health benefits.  In fact published data suggests that to achieve good physical health our mental attitude may be as important as  diet and exercise.

The younger we can incorporate a positive attitude to life, the greater the long-term benefits.

Although we are all born with a particular disposition, a positive attitude can be learned, and the science of Positive Psychology explores how we can use our strengths and virtues to function at our best, to build resilience, enhance self-esteem and improve our sense of happiness and general well-being.

Just as negativity drags us down, creates mental blinkers, closes our mind to possibilities, positive emotions such as love, joy, gratitude, interest and hope change not only our mindset but our actual biochemistry!

Now if you think you’ve been unfairly dealt a grumpy disposition, the good news is that specific exercises can produce increases in happiness and decreases in depression within six months. I recommend keeping a gratitude journal. Start by noticing the small thing around you: that great cup of coffee first thing in the morning … the smile from a small child that you passed on the street … a cuddle fromyour fur baby. By noticing these small miracles, you’ll find that you start noticing more  and more to be grateful for in our life.