Monday, July 23, 2012

Attitudes (Gratitude in Particular)

Here is a quote from "True Secret to Success" in Inc. Magazine by Geoffrey James.  The context of the article is on how success in both business and life is related to fostering positive attitudes.

"I'm utterly convinced that the key to lifelong success is the regular exercise of a single emotional muscle: gratitude.  People who approach life with a sense of gratitude are constantly aware of what's wonderful in their life. Because they enjoy the fruits of their successes, they seek out more success. And when things don't go as planned, people who are grateful can put failure into perspective. "


He goes on to pose a way to reinforce a sense of gratitude by practicing, every night, to record in writing the day's events that fostered good feelings, either for you or for someone around you.  By making this practice habit (there it is again!), we become trained to have a positive outlook on life, an important aspect of both physical and mental health as we eld.  "The more regularly you practice this exercise, the stronger its effects."  In other words, make a positive outlook a habit.  


I know I am harping on this a lot, but the more I study the effects of aging, the more convinced I am that fostering good mental habits now will improve the quality of life later.  It won't solve every problem, but it will help deal with the unsolvable ones and perhaps protect us from the unexpected.  


So, while I look forward to being a curmudgeon, I am determined to remain a happy curmudgeon, surrounded by other happy old farts.  You know who you are.


Michael

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