“Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick and if we got sick at least we didn’t die so let us all be thankful.”

Gautama Buddha

I find it interesting that when things are going well for me in most areas of my life I pay little attention to why that may be or at the very least express thanks for the prosperity, abundance and happiness I am experiencing. Yet on the other hand when things are not going so well guess where my focus is? That’s right – I am focussing on what is not going right and I am usually complaining about that.

How often do we express true gratitude for all the small and big things that contribute to our lives? I suggest that most of us would be struggling to even recall when we last said “thank you” for those things we take so much for granted. Taking things for granted only leads to a general lack of appreciation and eventually will lead us into negativity.

When we are grateful for everything we have in life what we are grateful for increases. When we take things for granted what we already have decreases.

In the Holy Bible in the Gospel of Matthew can be found the following passage:

“Whoever has will be given more and will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

At first glance these words can be confusing and easily misunderstood. The key to unlock the mystery behind these words is the “Gratitude Effect”. When we express thanks for all those things both big and small which make our lives easier and more pleasurable we realise just how fortunate we really are.

How often do we express gratitude for the basic elements of life that we take for granted such as water, sunlight, food, companionship, family, friends, our bodies, our health and so on…..When we are feeling great and healthy how often do we really appreciate that? It is only when we bcome ill or injured that we realise what service our bodies give us day in and day out.

One of the ancient traditions shared by many cultures is the giving of thanks before every meal. There was and still is good reason for doing this – yet how often do most of us do this – it is usually confined to those of us who follow religious teachings and who say “Grace” before every meal.

Let me share a personal experience which powerfully demnostrates the “Gratitude Effect” at work:

In one of my jobs my immediate boss was a person who had a very critical and controlling personality. We clashed quite often as I reacted to what I perceived were unacceptable behaviours from an employer. Our relationship was heading down a one way road to destruction and I felt powerless to do anything about it. Then I read an article about the power of gratitude and decided to try to find as many things as I could to be grateful for in my relationship with my boss. As I drove to work one morning one of the things that I mentally said to myself was “I am so happy and grateful for my boss because he has given me a fantastic job which enables me to use my skills to help others and in doing so I earn a fantastic salary without which I would be unable to support myself and my family”. Guess what? I had the best day ever at work. My boss was the nicest he has ever been to me – he was supportive, positive and funny! I could then hardly believe it but now I expect magical things to happen when I am grateful for even those people and things which at first glance appear negative or destructive to my life.

There is always something positive we can be grateful for even in the darkest moments.

I have learned that negative situations occur in our lives mostly due to our lack of gratitude over long periods of time. For example, it is only natural that when we are struggling financially that we will be most focussed and concerned about whether we can afford to pay the bills or buy the food that we need to survive on. Yet the more we focus on the negative aspects of our predicament the worse our situation seems to become.

The power of gratitude is such that even when we don’t have much money we can still be grateful for what we have and when we are as if by magic often we receive unexpected financial assistance.

Let me extend a challenge to you – take regular time each day to write out on a piece of paper every morning or evening at least 10 things you are grateful for in your life. Then sit back and observe the “Gratitude Effect” at work in your life. You will be so amazed that you will make the simple words “thank you” a daily practice in your life.

I am grateful to be able to share these understandings with you all.