“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”
- Melody Beattie,
Author
How often do you feel genuinely grateful for what you have, rather than resentful for what you don’t have?
Please read the above statement by Melody Beattie again. This is a woman who lost her beloved 12-year old son on a ski trip, (See “The Lessons of Love: Rediscovering Our Passion for Life When It All Seems Too Hard to Take”) and I can’t think of any loss in life greater than losing a child of your heart and soul.
Yet here she is speaking of the importance of gratitude and all that gratitude does for you. The power of gratitude is that it brought her to the point of being able to say
this.
Right now in this moment, what can you be grateful for? Your eyes that see this article? Your mind that reads it? Your computer through which you access it? The time you have to read it?
What else? The place you live? The food you eat? The clothes you wear? The tissue with which to blow your nose? Sometimes, when I grab a tissue, I think about soldiers who are fighting in various parts of the world who would likely just love to have a tissue with which to wipe their nose, and I am so grateful for my tissue. I
get into bed at night and I often think about how many people around the world don’t have a bed to sleep in and I’m grateful for my bed.
I drive to a nearby ranch to pick up our delicious raw milk – with which I make yummy yogurt and kefir - and our freshly laid eggs, and I’m so grateful that there are people like this lovely family who devote themselves to raising healthy food in humane ways.
I think about my best friend’s brilliance and creativity and ability to love and live life to the fullest and I’m so grateful that she is my friend. I think about my children and grandchildren and how well they are all doing and I’m so grateful that they are healthy and happy and successful.
Right this moment, as I’m writing on a plane coming back from teaching a weekend workshop, I’m so grateful for everyone who attended and did their inner work. I’m grateful that my two planes going there were both on time, and that it looks like my two planes coming home will also be on time.
I think about my dogs and cats and horses and I’m so grateful to have these loving animals in my life.
Thinking about what I’m grateful for makes me feel so happy and peaceful inside. And since I love feeling happy and peaceful, and since I also know that love attracts love (The Law of Attraction), I know that by being grateful for all that I have draws to me more of what I want.
I know that being grateful raises my frequency so that I can connect with my spiritual Guidance, which is what keeps me on course toward my highest good and the highest good of all. Gratitude truly is the secret of happiness. Start learning to love yourself now.
About Margaret Paul
Dr. Margaret Paul is a bestselling author, popular Huffington Post and MindBodyGreen writer and co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding® self-healing process, and the related SelfQuest® self-healing software program - recommended by actress Lindsay Wagner and singer Alanis Morissette. She has appeared on numerous radio and television shows (including Oprah). Her book titles include "Do I Have to Give Up Me to Be Loved By You" (and subsequent titles "Do I Have to Give Up Me to Be Loved By God," and "...By My Kids"), "Healing Your Aloneness" and "Inner Bonding." Margaret holds a PhD in psychology, is a relationship expert, public speaker, consultant and artist. She has successfully worked with thousands and taught classes and seminars for over 48 years. Margaret lives in Colorado. She has three children and three grandchildren. In her spare time, she loves to play with her grandchildren, paint, read, make pottery and kayak.
Website: http://www.innerbonding.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/innerbonding, http://www.facebook.com/SelfQuest
Twitter: @innerBonding
Originally posted on: http://www.innerbonding.com/show-article/2673/gratitude-the-secret-of-happiness.html