Raising Our GQ (Gratitude Quotient)

source

We may all wish for a higher level of intelligence, but when it comes to living a truly good life, our IQ may be less important than our GQ. 

Where might we find ourselves on a "Gratitude Quotient" scale?

If we choose to live on the gratitude-deficit side of a GQ "graph", we will likely experience some or all of the following:

Seeing ourselves as victims with an unfair share of problems.

Feeling down or depressed much of the time.

Blaming others, being critical of others, seeing them as the source of our problems.

Feeling like the world owes us.

However, if we choose to live on the gratitude-rich side of the graph, we will experience more of the following:

Seeing ourselves as privileged, with an undeserved share of blessings.

Feeling positive and hopeful most of the time.

Seeing others as fellow human beings worthy of our care and concern.

Feeling indebted to God and to God's children around the world.

There may not be much we can do to improve our IQ, but living a life of gratitude is a choice we make every day. It's not that everything we experience in life will be good, but we will celebrate the good we can find in, around and through whatever a day brings.

We can respond as author Ann Vos camp did following tragedy after tragedy in her life. In her book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare  to Live Fully Right Where You Are, she invites us to journey with her in celebrating 1000 blessings, large and small, that we can discover and celebrate in our ordinary, everyday lives.

Gratitude is indeed a choice.

source