Gratitude, Optimism, and Entrepreneurship

This week I read An Attitude of Gratitude from President Thomas S. Monson. In this talk he said,

"This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help. We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."

Since reading this talk, I have been thinking about the role of gratitude in my life. I keep a daily gratitude journal. I write down three things I am grateful for each day and one positive experience. In my life, it is often much easer for me to notice the negative. Keeping a gratitude journal is my way of training my brain to notice the positive. When I haven't written in my journal for a while I notice it is harder for me to think of three positives, especially when I have had a difficult day. On the other hand, when I have been writing in my journal regularly, the I notice the positive much more easily. I also find myself expressing gratitude to others more often. 

Entrepreneurship is not an easy road. This week I read about Randy Haykin, a successful entrepreneur. He discusses the role of adversity in his life as he describes some of his business failures. I think it's essential to approach life as an optimist, especially if one wants to be an entrepreneur. Sometimes a well-thought out idea simply doesn't go as planned. Maintaining a happy attitude and finding the positive in any situation will go a long way in building a happy and fulfilling life.