Some days it is hard to look for, or see, the good in our lives. When this is a habit or life long practice, it can negatively influence our thinking. The answer to this problem lies in looking to outside sources to help us.

A talented employee with a cynical attitude was sent by his company to a positive thinking seminar. The focus of the seminar was on learning to see the glass as half-full instead of half-empty. He sat through part of the seminar and could stand it no longer, so he left the room where the seminar was being held. As he stood in the parking lot, he looked around at the seminar participant's cars. Then he began to let some of the air out of their tires. As the seminar attendees came out into the parking lot, he asked... "So are your tires half-empty or half-full?"

At times it is easy to look at our current life situation and focus on what we don't have instead of what we do. However, whatever we concentrate upon is what we get more of in our life. If we concentrate, acknowledge, and appreciate what we do have, it seems to grow. However, if we focus only on what we don't have and are discouraged, then our frustration and negativity will grow.

Oprah Winfrey has encouraged all to keep gratitude journals, and to write each evening 3 or 4 things for which we are thankful. Writing those things down or even silently acknowledging them each day can become a habit. This good habit may spill over into other areas of your life as you begin to acknowledge your awareness of, and appreciation for, the friendships that keep us bound together when we feel fragmented and falling apart.

An attitude of gratitude is a major ingredient in the positive thinking mix. Being willing to practice the habit of seeing the glass as half-full rather than half-empty is the beginning of a joyous and satisfying life journey.

Affirmation for the Week:

"Everywhere I go, every person with whom I have an encounter, and in every situation that I find myself, I will look at the goodness that is there and not at what is missing. I will celebrate that which is already present in my life."