When I was a little girl I didn’t say “thank you” unless I was made to. As the years passed, I gradually understood the importance of gratitude. Having gratitude helps us feel better when we appreciate what we have. I watch Law of Attraction videos on Youtube. One of the core components to getting what we want is to feel gratitude for what we already have. Law of Attraction states that “thoughts create things”.

It doesn’t mean that if we think of something, we’ll instantly have it (which is good). Imagine the scenario: a fledgling actor thinks “I want to win an Oscar.” All of a sudden he gets a phone call saying he’s getting an Oscar delivered to his house for the 2 minute role he played 3 years ago. This keeps happening throughout the day, every day. After a while it becomes redundant because it’s “too easy”. There’s no long term satisfaction in getting things instantaneously. Rather, it’s about enjoying the process, and knowing what we want is within our reach. Good feelings speed up the process. Work becomes easier when we’re in a good mood. An easy way to feel good is through gratitude, by appreciating what we do have.  

            Our goal may be to buy a two story house near the beach. When we look at our current surroundings we’re focused on what we see (our home that’s not on the beach). There may be some resistance (but I’m not there yet! It’ll take years and years to save up). When we focus on what we’re grateful for, our mood improves, and we enjoy the journey.

            Gratitude doesn’t have to be difficult. Sometimes it’s easier if it’s simpler. I’m grateful the sun rose this morning, that breakfast was delicious, that I spent time with my family last weekend. Gratitude doesn’t have to feel like “effort”.

            I’ve heard making a gratitude list is helpful. It helps when we can physically see, in writing, what we’re thankful for. Little things are important as well. Not many people can write “I’m grateful I won the lottery today” but most of us can write “I’m thankful I have gas in my car.” “I’m thankful I have a winter coat.” “I’m grateful I found change in my pocket.” There’s no resistance when we “keep it simple”.  

            That feeling of appreciation matches the vibration of “what we want”. We want “things” (could also be intangible such as fulfilling relationships) because we believe we’ll feel better when we get them. When we focus on what we don’t have, then there’s discord. (I don’t have that house on the beach yet…) Appreciation feels “good” and feeling “good” matches the feeling of what we want when our dreams become reality. (I have a beautiful house on the beach!)

            I’ve found that it’s more helpful to focus on “what we have” than “what we don’t have”. “What we don’t have” causes anxiety, resentment, insecurity: feelings we don’t want to have in our lives. Appreciating “what we have” feels joyful, gives us control, is easy (I’m grateful I have a house to live in), and soothing: feelings we want in our lives. Joy, control are feelings we associate with getting “what we want”, whether it’s a house on a beach or a happy marriage. Appreciating what we have relaxes us, and helps us feel at ease. When we feel like we’ve already achieved what we want, then what we want will come to us quicker.

            There are success-building books such as “The Success Principles” by Jack Canfield that focuses on Law of Attraction. Tony Robbins also writes about the power of visualization in his best-selling books. When I first heard of “Law of Attraction” I thought people who practiced it wore long robes and lived in isolation. Jack Canfield is the co-author of the “Chicken Soup” series, and wears a business suit on the cover of “The Success Principles”. It’s applicable to everyone, no matter what religion you follow (Jack’s a Christian), or what career you pursue. Olympic stars have used the power of visualization to win gold medals. They pictured the routine in their head, and “heard” the applause before performing the Olympic routine. Office workers have used Law of Attraction to help them improve their work relationships; business professionals have used Law of Attraction to increase sales; teachers used Law of Attraction to enjoy teaching. “You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay is the book that helped me understand Law of Attraction. She wrote about having gratitude in her amazing book.   

            Over the years, I gradually realized the importance of gratitude; I just didn’t initially apply it in my life. In elementary school, it seemed like the students who said “thank you” and smiled received positive attention from the teachers. As a little girl, I wanted to be one of those students who adults adored, who “glided” through school. I thought those girls had a magical formula for charisma; turns out it was simply saying “thank you” and smiling. Being appreciative goes a long way. People have landed jobs because they sent a thoughtful “thank you” note after the interview.

            With the holidays rolling around, it’s probably easier to be grateful. I’ve noticed even holiday commercials tend to be super- cheery. And there’s a song (don’t remember the title) that begins with “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” Mainstream Christmas songs are so catchy! My all time favorite Christmas song is “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” by N SYNC. And I just watched “Miracle on 34^th Street” for the first time on Netflix (awesome movie). As a little girl, I felt a smidgen of gratitude during holidays because Santa Claus was constantly on TV, and standing near store entries.

            Practicing gratitude helps us focus on “what we have”. Yes, we’ll be grateful when we have a BMW, but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate our Honda or Ford. There are people around the world who don’t have cars, and some of them are extremely happy. I watched a documentary featuring a man who pulled rickshaws for a living, who lived in a crowded hut with his family. Sometimes he would only have rice with salt for dinner. And yet he wasn’t miserable. He spoke about the joy he felt when he saw his children running to greet him after coming home from a long day of pulling rickshaws. We don’t have to “wait” for a BMW to experience gratitude; we can feel joy now. It’s priceless.

           

            For much of my life I’ve struggled. In the past I didn’t feel I had anything to be grateful for. My book (link below) details my journey from severely depressed to consistently happy. Remembering myself as a teen, I know if I can find happiness, then so can anyone.                   

Book Link