Gratitude is The Ultimate Multiplier

Gratitude is the ultimate multiplier – of love, happiness, and the overall positivity in our lives. It is the one thing that has the power to change our lives for the better.

When we choose to count our blessings, even in those times when they seem hard to come by and we can barely scrape a handful, somehow more reasons for gratitude turn up.

And it's not only because whatever we focus on grows; it's more than that.

At heart, being grateful is paying attention to, appreciating, and not taking for granted a myriad good things in our lives.

You see, if we don't think we are good enough and have it good enough, we will never be able to become and get more. Because once we arrive at that place we had thought would be “more," like a dog chasing its tail, we will find ourselves in the original place of lack, the “more” will slip out of our hands, and the chase will continue.

On the other hand, if we express our thanks often and, more importantly, feel our gratitude, and be intentional about finding all the reasons to feel grateful, we will also find ourselves building a foundation for abundance.

It's from there that anything is possible and “more” is attainable.

This foundation propels our vision towards more abundance, instead of lack, and we keep finding reasons to experience goodness.

Think about it, is it easier to make a million dollars from nothing or 10 million dollars when you have the first million?

When you feel like you have plenty – and, more importantly, have an attitude of plenty – you will attain more.

Speaking of attitudes, if you haven't already, I hope you get a chance to check out my new book, Aditudes: Ideas and Insights on Healing, Happiness, and Living a Life You Love, available in our store and on Amazon.

Back to gratitude.

Gratitude has another, paradoxical, quality that can alter our perception in the most positive way.

When we can find reasons to be grateful for everything that has happened to us, including the very difficult experiences, we can rewire our association with that bad experience, alter our perception of it, and therefore let go of the suffering.

As the old saying goes, pain isn't optional, but suffering is.

And suffering ensues when we can't accept what is. Being grateful takes to a whole new level, making it extremely difficult to do, but also very effective. Hence the paradox.

It doesn't mean we like what had happened; only that we have found meaning and understanding and, ultimately, acceptance that it had to happen that way for whatever reason, even if the reason isn't clear at all and, of course, for our own good. This is the crux of our healing journey. (Btw, I have a whole section on healing in Aditudes…)

Before I take any more time from your Thanksgiving festivities and keep you away from the delicious and plentiful food, I will leave you with one of my favorite verses from George Herbert's “Gratefulness”:

Thou that has given so much to me,

Give one thing more,

A Grateful Heart.

When our hearts are full with gratitude, our lives become full of reasons to be grateful for.

And with that, thank you for being a part of my life.

Sending you many blessings at this Thanksgiving Day and always!