The True Power of Gratitude

Gratitude is like a flower. When you water it, nourish it, and give it sunshine, it grows into a plant that can take your breath away with its beauty. But if you ignore the flower and don’t water it or place it in a darkened room, it withers and often dies.

So what? What’s it matter if you have gratitude in your life?

Have you met someone who’s angry about everything? They curse their fate. They curse life. They complain about almost everything. They walk around with a frown permanently etched on their face. Even when something wonderful happens they seem to look for the catch, the hidden got’cha that will bring it tumbling down.

Yeah, I’ve met them too. That’s a person who doesn’t realize the power of gratitude, that gratitude is critical to happiness and success in life!

I’ll let you in on a secret; years ago I used to be that person. But that’s another story.

Gratitude is a force in your life whether you admit it or not. It’s either there, working for you or it’s absent and working against you. Gratitude matters because the more grateful you feel for what you already have, the more things to feel grateful for show up!

But it’s more than that! Gratitude also breeds happiness, it creates hope, it fills your heart with love and casts out darkness. Gratitude dissolves anger, it overcomes hate, it invites optimism where none was welcome before.

Gratitude is one of the most powerful forces in your life. It’s an emotion that can shatter inner barriers and move you to inspired action. Gratitude is fuel for the passionate fire of your existence.

If you doubt this, consider the following.

Have you ever seen a person who’s truly grateful for something? I mean have you ever really experienced their reaction? They smile, they laugh, they might even cry with joy. Their whole countenance is full of love and light.

Remember a time you felt true gratitude yourself. Remember how warm you felt. Remember how your heart overflowed with joy. Remember how you were moved, perhaps beyond words.

When you live in gratitude, you live with happiness, love, hope, and optimism. And that’s a powerful way to live. Living in gratitude invites miracles into your life and allows you to be a miracle for others.

Perhaps you struggle with feeling grateful. You might think there’s really nothing to feel grateful for in your life.

Instead of me telling you, “Of course you have things to feel grateful for!” Let’s do a quick exercise.

Take a deep breath and release it. Now think of three things you’re grateful for. If nothing comes at first, just let your mind sit and expect an answer. Once your answers come, write them down. Then make the decision to find at least three more things you’re grateful for today.

And before you go to bed tonight, write down all the things you feel grateful for. It can be a short list. The power comes in making the list. The fact that you’re going to make the list helps shift you into a state of expectancy for gratitude. You’re essentially telling your subconscious mind that you know there’s something out there to feel grateful for and that you want it to help you find it.

When I was first learning how to feel grateful, I often had to go to the basics to find things to feel grateful about. My gratitude list would include things like I’m grateful I’m breathing, I’m grateful I have socks, I’m grateful I have a blanket, I’m grateful I ate my last meal…

Buy you know what?

The more I focused on what I was grateful for, the more grateful I felt. As I felt more and more grateful, more and more things to feel grateful for showed up in my life. As I felt more grateful in life, I began to feel happier. I felt hope. I felt joy. I felt optimism. And ultimately I felt the desire to serve others to the best of my abilities.

Who knows what you’ll discover about yourself when you make #gratitude a part of your life!

Happy Thanksgiving!

You are The Master of Your Destiny!

Roland

Copyright © 2013 Roland Byrd — All Rights Reserved