"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." – Meister Eckhardt
I have a question for you. What are you grateful for? It's a simple question that can change your life. I start every day with that question. I wake up in gratitude and I go to bed in gratitude. I may not stay there all day, but I make sure I begin and end there. I was watching "Sunday Morning" last month and they had a story on gratitude. Apparently, they did a 90 day study with three groups of people.
They asked the first group to make a list of at least five things every week for which they were grateful. The second group was asked to make a list of the five things from the week that weren't going well for them, and the final group was asked to make a list of just five things that happened, without putting any emphasis on good or bad. The results didn't surprise me at all. Those who kept a gratitude list were happier and even more successful and abundant at the end of the 90 days than the other two groups. This is science, folks.
I also want to encourage you to take two or three minutes every single morning and focus on everything for which you're grateful. Here are a few things you will notice:
- It sets you up in a positive "vibration" for the whole day. Have you ever noticed that the better it gets, the better it gets and conversely, the worse it gets, the worse it gets? In other words, if you wake up to bad news on T.V., stub your toe as you go to brush your teeth, and realize that it's Monday and you have to pay bills you don't have the money for today, your whole day spirals downward. So, doesn't it stand to reason that if you consciously choose to focus on what you're grateful for (which always, always makes you feel happy), as soon as you wake up, your day will spiral upward? Believe me, this works!
- You feel more in control throughout your day because your starting your day by consciously choosing what to focus on.
- You get over yourself. Every single time I consider what I'm thankful for, it takes me out of the "shame and blame" game and makes me realize how completely blessed I am (especially compared to many other people in the world).
Here's the most important point of all. When you feel good, you're lined up with everything you want in your life. It's impossible to feel good and focus on what's not working in your life at the same time. Every solution to every problem you have is available to you from the realm of feeling good. It's worked like magic in my life. I call it "Let go and Let God." Without fail, when I stop trying to solve my problems or figure out how to get what I want and just focus as much energy as I can on feeling grateful and happy right where I'm standing, things seem to miraculously appear in my life that serve to solve every problem and create all that I've been wanting or needing.
So step into this week with an attitude of gratitude. Give it just two or three minutes of your attention every day and watch what starts to happen.
Oh, and I'd love it if you would share what you're most grateful for below.
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Julie Anne Jones is a success language consultant, a direct sales coach and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific language and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, visit her at www.julieannejones.com or check out her blog at http://julieannejones.com.
Love this list, Monica. Hopefully I’ll be grateful for my son’s improved grades after finals week this week. LOL.
Great post! I try to think of at least 3 things I am grateful for in my life right now before I even get out of bed in the morning. It really puts me in great mood all day (and makes getting out of bed a lot easier for this non-morning person, lol). Today it was my supportive husband, my oldest son's IMPROVED grades, and my amazing team members.
That’s awesome, Jennifer! So glad you were inspired and I love this idea. Thanks for sharing.
Wow Julie, This is just what I needed. I am grateful for my faith, my health, my husband, my friends, my home, and so much more. I was trying to decide what I would do with my companies new Gratitude Line, one piece has a photo or note clip and says Today I am Grateful for… And you have provided me the answer…every morning I will write down 3 things I am grateful for and clip it to the plaque on my desk. If you'd like to see it, it's shown here: http://www.celebratinghome.com/parties/jennifersimons227526/PWPSearchProduct.ashx?KeyWord=gratitude
Thank you for continuing to inspire me, Jennifer
No doubt, Mindy. Thanks for your uplifting thought.
Julie Anne, this is exactly what I want to focus on especially starting out a new year. There is so much to feel grateful for & you're so right that we can't feel grateful AND focus on the bad stuff at the same time. Thanks for what you do!
My pleasure, Janice. I actually just open up to whatever I’m grateful for. Some days it’s the same thing, some days it’s completely different. The key is to simply feel grateful and then take advantage of the “space” that puts you in.
Well first of all, thank YOU Julie Anne for this amazing post. Just what I needed today!! I do have one question, though. Do you try to find new things everyday for your gratitude list or is it ok to repeat?