How To Be Thankful In Times of Adversity Part 1: Defining "Bad"

However, many find it hard to be grateful at all, let alone on a continuous basis. The economy is suffering, people are consistently shrouded in conflict, and money seems harder to get a hold of as the days go by. With all these bad things going on, how on earth can you really expect to keep a gracious attitude? For many people, the idea of consistent gratitude is a pipedream.

Is this really true, though? Is the idea of consistent gratitude really unattainable, or only available to a lucky few? The answer to this is an absolute, unequivocal, 100% NO! Even though some people do appear to have greater fortune than others, the fact is that gratitude is a personal choice. No one lives without ever receiving something of great value, but whether you are able to see this is up to you.

Perhaps the biggest problem getting in the way of gratitude is the idea of "bad" things. In order for the bad to truthfully occur, it must be the void of anything good. There must be no upside to it, and it cannot be construed into having any sort of advantages for the things affected by it. Does something of this nature even truly exist?

You may find, for example, that the loss of your job is "bad". You lost your ability to make money, which puts a damper on your current livelihood. Undoubtedly, to lose your means of financial support is often less than desirable, and it certainly presents a share of obstacles. Yet, when this happens to the average individual, they often do not think about everything that losing a job actually does to them. 

They forget that they absolutely hated their boss, who constantly made decisions that adversely affected them. They forget that their stress levels were extremely high to the point of physical discomfort. They forget that they usually worked their job while exhausted, and left them with no energy to spend with their family. They forget that they worked at a desk that was lethargic and helped them gain a few extra, unsightly pounds. They forget about the affordable online business their spouse tried to show them 2 months ago They forget that without their job, these job-problems don't exist anymore.

Despite all these reliefs, we still end up feeling poorly and jaded due to our adverse situations. We think about how adverse they are, and qualify them as "bad", even with obvious upsides to the adversity. Certainly, to lose your job, you lose the security of a consistent income, but you also lose a ton of adversity that was presented by the job. Yet, we tend to only think about the unpleasant side of things, and because of it, losing a job is considered bad.

Yet, in all truth, there is no bad. Rather, there is simply a situation that presents an adverse set of consequences that we might not be expecting. We are simply met with new adversities, but these situations are cannot justifiably be considered bad. Can they be bad for us? Yes, if we only focus on those adverse qualities. However, if we look at what is gained in adversity, then there is no reason to be ungrateful.

Being able to see the upside to adversity is one of the greatest ways to transition to a consistently grateful attitude. Being able to appreciate the unpleasant removes our prejudice about unpleasant things, to the point where they aren't unpleasant at all. Yet, the second level of being continuously grateful is understanding the possibly adverse consequences of what is pleasant, such as having lots of money. The ability to look at things from both perspectives allowed me to create the business program provided at the bottom of this article. If it weren't for having both perspectives, I would've never created a program that allows people to make $150 commissions for free, let alone being able to pay people $50 to join such an opportunity! To understand this second perspective, you'll have to read Part 2, which will be come out soon! Until then, remember that you can always be grateful, and that every adversity has a load of upsides to enjoy! Thank you!

To Learn What I Created With Gratitude, Click Here