Gratitude – Day 1

“My relationship is on the rocks. My finances could be a lot better. And this house I live in, well it’s the worst. Wouldn’t I be happier somewhere else? Let me think, where would that magical place of happiness be? One thing’s for sure. It’s not where I am.”

Can you hear yourself in these words? It is easy to look around and see all that is wrong. Life can be irritating, less than we hoped for, and sometimes it really hurts.

“I want something,” a woman said to me one day. “I just don’t know what it is. But one thing I do know is I don’t have it right now.”

“The grass is always greener on the other side” is an old cliché, but it isn’t true. The grass right where you are, no matter where that place is, is just as green as it is anywhere else. And if it’s not green or it’s all dried up, maybe it’s because you’re not watering it enough.

Those moments that surpass our wildest expectations are fleeting and rare. People, places, and circumstances that don’t measure up to our hopes abound. Learning to want what you have and be where you are is an art. So is learning how to get to wherever you’re going to.

Here’s the secret. You’re a magician, a wizard. You can turn present situations into something better. Point your magic wand. Now say “thank you” for everything exactly as it is.

People tell us to count our blessings. The problem is, when we’re depressed, we don’t feel blessed. Learning an attitude of gratitude takes practice and effort. It’s the key to being happy in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.

Value: Whether we call it a feeling, an attitude, or an action we take, gratitude is the value we’ll look at and practice this week.

From the book: 52 Weeks of Conscious Contact

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