![\"\"](\"http:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Gratitude_medium_6230854973.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
There are days when I am so present to how blessed I am to be married to an incredible man, have two wonderful children, live in a beautiful home, and \u00a0be happy and healthy.\u00a0 And then there are days where all I do is complain, worry, and live from a space of \u201cit\u2019s not enough.\u201d\u00a0 I could chalk it up to \u201cjust being human,\u201d but, to be honest, when I\u2019m in that space of focusing on what I don\u2019t have or want, rather than being grateful for what I do have, I\u2019m really difficult to be around. In fact, there are days when I get on my own nerves!\u00a0 So, you can imagine what it\u2019s like for my husband!<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve found that, when I\u2019m not focusing on being grateful, I tend to see and hear every little thing my husband does that gets on my nerves as if there were a high-def magnifying glass and surround sound system enhancing it!\u00a0 Instead of being grateful that I don\u2019t have to do the dishes, I\u2019ll notice that he didn\u2019t rinse the mesh strainer at the bottom of the sink.\u00a0 Instead of expressing gratitude for him making the kids\u2019 lunches, I\u2019ll notice that there are bread crumbs all over the counter. And \u2013 never mind that every single morning, there is a cup of coffee prepared exactly how I like it waiting for me in the microwave \u2013 I\u2019ll notice how the counter top is cluttered with mail.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong, I am NOT a clean freak, but this is where my mind goes when I don\u2019t choose to generate a feeling of gratitude. And, believe me, it’s not pretty!<\/p>\n
Many times, in our relationships, we forget to notice and feel grateful for all of the sweet gestures and daily actions our partners take \u2013 the little things that make a difference.\u00a0 And, sometimes, even if we do say thank you<\/em>, if we follow it with a \u201cbut next time\u2026\u201d or correct what\u2019s been done, we can send the message that we are difficult to please. This can actually cause our dates, husbands, or boyfriends to stop trying.\u00a0 In fact, if one of your complaints is that your guy is no longer \u201cromantic\u201d or that he doesn\u2019t step up to help you, you may want to take a look at whether or not you are letting him know that you appreciate him and his efforts.<\/p>\n I have seen the transformational power of gratitude in my own marriage.\u00a0 For years I joked that I was \u201ca single married mother,\u201d because I felt that I had to do everything <\/em>myself.\u00a0 When I began expressing gratitude on a daily basis, something wonderful began to happen. The man who I felt did not appreciate me <\/em>and was taking me for granted began asking me what he could do to help! He began taking initiative and offering to do things for me before <\/em>I asked.\u00a0 I began to experience a wonderful partnership in parenting and life, in general!<\/p>\n Does this mean I always <\/em>remember to express my gratitude? Well, if you remember the beginning of this post, you already know the answer.\u00a0 However, when I begin to get that feeling of getting on my own nerves, of being critical and ungrateful, or when I begin to feel anxious or worried, I ask myself, \u201cOkay. What\u2019s missing?\u201d Almost immediately, I will see that what is missing is gratitude. Then I make it a point to begin listing \u2013 either orally, in my mind, or in my gratitude journal \u2013 all of the things for which I am grateful. And, as I do this, I can feel <\/em>the shift taking place, the anxiety losing its grip on me, and I am filled with an indescribable sense of peace.\u00a0 Usually, this will do the trick.\u00a0 On tough days, I may need to do this more often!<\/p>\n \u00a0And in my relationship, I do the same thing.\u00a0 When I begin noticing that I\u2019m being nitpicky or getting irritated, I ask myself \u201cOkay. What\u2019s missing?\u201d and, when I realize that what\u2019s missing is gratitude, I will begin making it a point to notice all the things my husband has done or is doing to let me know that he loves me, the things he does to care for and provide for us, and the things about him that I absolutely adore!\u00a0 Again, when I do this, I begin to experience an immediate shift and can feel the gratitude bubbling up inside me! It truly is miraculous!<\/p>\n Whether you are dating or in a relationship, I invite you to look for 3 things to express gratitude for to your guy every day.\u00a0 If the little voice in your head just yelled \u201cThree<\/strong> things? I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll be able to find one!\u201d<\/em> consider that you may not be shining the spotlight on what he is <\/em>doing, because you\u2019re focusing on what he\u2019s not.\u00a0 Switch your focus to noticing the things he does to help or contribute to you \u2013 even if it\u2019s something you think he \u201cshould\u201d be doing anyway (working, taking out the trash, bringing in the mail, etc.).\u00a0 If you\u2019re on a date, rather than noticing that he was five minutes late or that he slurps his soup, notice how he opens the door or holds out the chair for you, how he checks in during the evening to see if you\u2019re having a good time, and how he offers to pay the check.<\/p>\n By turning your focus onto the things you for which you are grateful, you will begin to experience a sense of fulfillment and peace.\u00a0 You\u2019ll begin to notice your blessings in high-def and surround sound.\u00a0 In other words, you\u2019ll begin to experience the transformational power of gratitude!<\/p>\n Today\u2019s Thought: <\/strong><\/p>\n Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. <\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n ~William Arthur Ward<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Gratitude photo credit: Kate Wares<\/a> via photopin.com<\/a> cc<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are days when I am so present to how blessed I am to be married to an incredible man, have two wonderful children, live in a beautiful home, and \u00a0be happy and healthy.\u00a0 And then there are days where all I do is complain, worry, and live from a space of \u201cit\u2019s not enough.\u201d\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,9,16,17,21,22,23],"tags":[47,54,57,68,70,88,90],"class_list":["post-662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dating-2","category-hdi-blog","category-love-2","category-marriage","category-relationship","category-relationship-advice","category-romance","tag-dating","tag-gratitude","tag-hearts-desire-international","tag-love","tag-marriage-2","tag-relationships","tag-romance-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heartsdesireintl.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}