These are scary times. We’re in a recession, and the job market is shrinking while the ranks of the unemployed are growing. Everywhere we turn we read and hear bad news. We are confronted with announcements of more layoffs, more companies going bankrupt, and more houses going into foreclosure. Everybody is worried about not having enough money. It’s enough to scare anyone.

It can easily take us off balance. And when we’re fearful, it’s hard to think straight, and hard to function well. It’s hard to focus on finding a job. In fact, it’s pretty easy to become immobilized by our fear and anxiety.

So, how do we ground ourselves? How do we return to a state of faith instead of fear, and to a consciousness of abundance rather than lack?

One major way is through the art of gratitude, that is, focusing on, and being grateful for, the positives in our lives. When we’re in a state of gratitude, everything is easier, including finding a job. This is because finding employment is a job itself, and it’s basically an inside job.

Gratitude is about seeing the good in our lives and feeling appreciation despite outer circumstances or conditions. Our happiness isn’t about how much stuff we’ve accumulated. Rather, it’s about feeling grateful for who, what and where we are right now. It’s about gratitude for how far we’ve come, what we do and for the challenges we’ve worked through.

Gratitude and the Law of Attraction

Gratitude is critical to the success of our job search. According to Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret, we attract what we think about and concentrate on, through the universal Law of Attraction. When we focus on our cup being half full, we attract more abundance and prosperity. This includes job opportunities.

Conversely, when we believe that job hunting is hard, and focus on the jobs we didn’t get offered, we attract more rejection and disappointment. It’s been said that, "Attitude is everything." That’s especially true in job search. Although we may not control anything outside of ourselves, we are in control of what we think, feel and do.

Try these four simple gratitude steps to improve your job search.

1) Start a Gratitude Journal

Love her or hate her, Oprah Winfrey has achieved a phenomenal level of success, having become a major corporation into herself. For all of her achievements, she has credited her success in part to keeping a gratitude journal, logging in at least five items each night for which she’s grateful. This shifts your energy. "What we think about and thank about, we bring about", according to Dr. John Demartini, The Secret.

Why not adopt an "attitude of gratitude" and start writing down five items each day for which you are grateful. This gets easier after a few days and soon it starts to shift your mindset from lack to prosperity.

2) Focus on Prosperity

Jack Canfield, co-author of the book series, Chicken Soup for the Soul, suggests focusing on prosperity and abundance. Focus on inner joy, peace, vision, and the outer things appear naturally. "Your voice and vision on the inside", he adds, "must be louder than the noise outside." This is especially true with today's constant noise level of negativity, hysteria and doom.

3) Visualize Without Limits

Joe Vitale, also featured in The Secret, suggests closing your eyes in the morning and visualizing what you want without limits. Then focus on what you’re grateful for. He mentally reviews a gratitude list in the shower. He then releases all of this to the Universe, while breathing deeply. Canfield adds that, "Energy flows where attention goes". Instead of focusing on limits, why not start visualizing on the things that you want.

4) Be Grateful When a Job Falls Through

This may sound strange at first. When you pursue job opportunities, always leave the Universe the option to deliver the "right" job to you. It’s important to acknowledge that you don’t know which exact job is best for you. Be grateful when a certain job opportunity falls through, and always detach from a specific outcome. When job opportunities fall apart, the job wasn’t right for you. Who knows why? No matter. Surrender to the Universe, knowing that the best job for you, will come to you at the right time.

Summary

The wise give thanks for what most of us take for granted. Spend a few quiet moments to try some of these simple, yet powerful steps. Based on gratitude and the Law of Attraction, they will help move you toward the right job at the right time.

Sue