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The Art of Gratitude

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by Kenrick Cleveland

“It is necessary, then, to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” -Wallace D. Wattles, The Science of Getting Rich or Financial Success Through Creative Thought

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…. It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” -Melodie Beattie

Why is gratitude important? When we are grateful for what we have, we draw more things to us to be grateful for.

At the end of each of my coaching club calls, I suggest my students all pause daily to go over all of the things in their lives that they are grateful for. This isn’t something that should be expressed only on Thanksgiving or as a weekly Sunday prayer, but needs to be integrated into your daily lives, permeating all of our interactions.

Experiencing and expressing our gratitude does not have to be limited to to receiving gifts or favors. True gratitude is about looking deeply at our lives and understanding how truly lucky we are to be alive at this moment in time.

I think on this every night and every day. I have a huge list of things to be grateful for, as do all of us: family, friends, colleagues, students, employees, health, financial success, future successes and advancements. I am grateful when it rains (and here in the Pacific Northwest it rains a lot) because I know that’s part of why the area is so lush and fruitful. I am grateful when the sun comes out (because, as I mentioned above, here in the Pacific Northwest it rains A LOT).

My gratitude extends to simple things as well as complex. As I go throughout the day, I stop to consider the struggles I’ve endured, challenges I’ve overcome and lessons that have made me who I am today and I am grateful for the things I’ve accomplished because they have brought me to where I am in life.

There are times in life when we believe things aren’t going as smoothly as we’d like. Maybe your health isn’t perfect. This is the most powerful time to be grateful. Instead of cursing your body for what it can’t do, be grateful for what it can.

I love this old Irish proverb, ‘Count your joys instead of your woes; count your friends instead of your foes.’ It’s all in where we place our focus. It’s all in what we choose to highlight and what we choose to minimize.

As you begin to take notice of all that is good in your life, this gratitude will turn your life around.

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