Mantra for Monday no. 62

Attitude affects everything, it's outlook is all encompassing. It follows the same theme of seeing the glass 'half full' or 'half empty', a positive mindset and a thoughtful existence. We are all susceptible at times for taking things for granted, for walking through life looking but not seeing. I know that I can be notoriously bad at rushing around with little appreciation for my surroundings, yet on the flip side sometimes the clouds in the sky or the rain on the window can captivate me and leave me spellbound and speechless. I know how to experience gratitude I just need to work on summoning and maintaining that mindset in moments of stress and rush. Maybe the start point is within those words....'stress and rush' when stress and rush are present gratitude falls by the wayside.

These last couple of months have felt increasingly stressful and chaotic, constantly 'doing' but with a sense of not getting things 'done', always feeling as though I'm chasing my tail and should be two steps ahead of where I am. It was only when I took some time out to go for a walk with a friend last week that it hit me. His exact words to me were 'what's the rush?' and I had no answer. The stress and the rushing through life at such speed is entirely self inflicted, and the sense of relief from that realisation was immense. 

This last week things have been a little different, i'm still a work on progress but i've been careful to stop myself when I feel the bubble of self inflicted panic and urgency arise within me. I've completed tasks because i've wanted to do them at that time and have enjoyed the process and felt grateful for the opportunity, without a sense of obligation and resentment. I got no less done but I also gained a whole lot more.

It was also Mother's Day last Sunday here in the UK, and so the sense of gratitude took to the forefront of my mind. I am eternally grateful for the love and support of those around me, and the opportunities open to me. It's about time I truly acknowledged these gifts in my life.

Gratitude costs nothing, requires no effort, takes up no space, needs no tools, and acts on no previous experience. We all have a choice...a choice to be grateful.

What is a Mantra for Monday?