The Powerful Gift of Gratitude

4 foundational truths for embracing and living a life rooted in gratitude.

A few years ago right before Thanksgiving, I experienced a major loss in my life. A dear friend of mine was killed in a tragic plane crash. I cried until I felt I had no more tears to cry. It seemed as if life just stood still and I was at a loss for words. In the twenty-four hours after that, I had a hard time processing the news and it weighed heavily on me. I was on a deadline with a new book I was writing. Also, I had a deadline with a major publication and I did not feel like writing. I was hurting and trying to make sense of such a tragic event. Finally, I was able to pull myself together and write a piece that went around the world. Major media outlets picked up the piece and it is one of the most popular things I have ever written. That year was 2014 and it changed my life forever. Here are a few truths I discovered about the gift of gratitude.

1. Gratitude is a gift that few people ever embrace. How have I been able to bounce back from setbacks and tragedy? Gratitude has been a great healing agent in my life. When I got the tragic news that my dear friend was killed in a plane crash, it was gratitude that carried me through that season of my life. I could have embraced a spirit of grief. However, I chose to embrace a spirit of gratitude. Instead of having a breakdown, I decided that I was going to have a breakthrough. I thought about the great conversations I had with my friend, the lessons I learned from him and how he helped me grow as a person. Ultimately, I thought about all the special moments and how grateful I was that I had the chance to know him. The more I embraced gratitude the more the grief subsided and I was able to walk through that very difficult season in my life.
2. Refuse to live a single day of your life with an ungrateful heart. Tragedy has a way of putting things into perspective. At the time, I was making some major decisions about the direction of my life. I had several opportunities on the table and I was extremely stressed at the time. However, after I got the news about my friend none of those things were important to me anymore. I realized that if we are not careful we can become really ungrateful. Unfortunately, when we become ungrateful we lose our appreciation for the journey and this gift called life. That day I made a non-negotiable decision that I was going to live my life more present, more fully and with a greater sense of appreciation. After all, we cannot go back in time and we cannot undo the past. All we have is the moment and we must make the most of it. An ungrateful heart is a magnet for toxicity. On the other hand, a grateful heart is a magnet for treasures.
3. Make gratitude a daily practice in your life. If you have followed my work, then you know that for more than twenty years I have kept a gratitude journal. Every single day I write down five things that I am grateful for. It is a practice that I adopted decades ago when I was in a very dark place in my life. This simple exercise revived me and revolutionized my life. It is impossible to be grateful and swallowed by grief at the same time. Gratitude is not a suppressor of emotions. Gratitude is simply a spiritual adjustment tool. Gratitude reminds us not to focus on what we do not have but to instead focus on how blessed we truly are. You may not have everything you want but be thankful that you have what you need. My work has brought me in contact with people in some of the most impoverished parts of the world. What fascinates me about these individuals is that despite their conditions they are always grateful and full of joy. In America, we are often spoiled because we live in a land of opportunity. There is nothing wrong with wanting more for your life. However, never allow the pursuit of more to steal your heart of gratitude.
4. Gratitude is a consciousness that we must live from. While there are many things that I could share about gratitude, the most important thing I want to share with you is that gratitude must become a consciousness. In other words, it must become a paradigm and a way of life for you. We all look forward to Thanksgiving and that special time with family and friends. However, not enough people consider gratitude and being thankful for our blessings an important part of daily life. My gratitude consciousness goes much deeper than one day a year sitting around the table and telling what I am thankful for. For me, gratitude has carried me through turbulent storms, anchored me in the face of great adversity, centered me in moments of crisis and awakened me to the beautiful gift of life. Essentially, I have learned that I may not be thankful for everything but I can be thankful in everything that happens in my life.