Have you ever stopped to notice how much we complain? We complain about our jobs, our families, neighbours, colleagues and friends.  Not to mention our finances and our health. Griping and complaining is so commonplace that even our sporting teams and the weather does not escape from our disgruntled barrages.

Can this really be healthy? This continual negativity surely does nothing but encourage further negativity, causing a downward spiral.  Just think about it for a moment, no-one has improved their financial situation or their relationships by moaning about them. The England Cricket team has not started winning Test Matches just because the fans started to complain. In fact I am glad it does not work that way!

By focusing on the so called negative aspects of our lives we are actually doing ourselves a tremendous disservice, because our attention is taken away from the good that is happening to us and through us.  By noticing them and celebrating them it allows us to build on our inner joy, alter our vibration and increase our ability to attract more of what is good.

My challenge to you is this. Rather than finding things to complain about, look instead for things you are grateful for.  Begin to cultivate the Attitude of Gratitude.  Then begin to see the difference it makes to your life.

I would suggest that the easiest way to start your new discipline is to keep a Gratitude Journal.  As soon as you awake in the morning and before you retire at night you will be journaling all those great things in your life.  Do not be surprised if it is difficult at first, as we must remember that there have been years of conditioning to notice only the negative. This will become easier. It will also become more fun as you become motivated to find more and more for which you are grateful for.

Write in your Journal, ‘I am grateful and thankful for.........and then fill in the blank. Begin every statement in the same way. However this is not just a mechanical exercise, and will be ineffective unless you involve your emotions as well. Feel the gratitude as you write.

What can you be grateful for to kick-start this process? Could you be grateful for the meal you have had? Maybe you are grateful for the sound of birdsong which is reaching your ears. Right know as I sit at my desk I am aware of the sun streaming through my window and I am grateful for that.

What has happened during the day? Perhaps you met with a friend or received an uplifting email. I express gratitude when I am able to do all the tasks that I have set myself, and as a long distance runner grateful when I have had a good workout.

As well as keeping your journal, whilst you are engaged in the business of the day, you can express gratitude in the mind for the great thing as they happen, and as ideas occur to you. During a quiet moment you may want to recount one or two things which are worthy of gratitude.

Soon you may be ready for an advanced technique. What is it that you can find positive in a seemingly negative situation. You may find that you are learning a valuable life lesson, or it is helping you to build character. This may mean you are writing statements like, ‘ I am grateful and thankful, that despite being short of money, I am learning to trust the Universe to provide for my every need.'

Begin your Gratitude Attitude today. Test it to see the difference it makes to your attitude, joy and the ability to attract abundance.