“It is necessary, then, to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” -Wallace D. Wattles, The Science of Getting Rich or Financial Success Through Creative Thought

“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.” -Melodie Beattie

Why is gratitude important? When we are grateful for what we have, we draw more things to us to be grateful for.

At the end of each of my Persuasion Factor calls and in my Elite Coaching Club I bring up this very important aspect of life, and persuasion, because I believe it should be a constant in our lives, not just something we pull out on Thanksgiving or on Sundays. Gratitude should infuse all of our interactions.

Expressing gratitude doesn’t have to be limited to when we receive gifts or favors. Real gratitude is all about looking deeply at ourselves, our lives, and understanding how incredibly lucky we are for everything we have.

This is something I think about all the time. I keep a list of things to be grateful for, and my list is probably quite similar to yours — family, friends, students, colleagues, employees, financial success, health, my home, my pets. I’m grateful when it rains, I’m grateful when the sun comes out. I’m even grateful when it snows a few days out of the year because I get to watch my children play in the snow.

For simple things and complicated things I am grateful. Throughout my day, I stop to consider other people’s situations, whether they be more challenging or easier than mine, and I am grateful for the struggles I’ve had to endure, and grateful for the things I accomplish with ease. I love them both, because these are the things that have made me what I am and brought me to this point in life.

This acct can be powerful especially if we are experiencing things in life that aren’t quite right. For example, if your health is not as vibrant as it could be, instead of cursing your body for what it is not, try being grateful for what you can do.

‘Count your joys instead of your woes; count your friends instead of your foes.’ I love this It’s an old Irish proverb and really illustrates what is important. Life is all about where we place our focus. It’s about what we choose to highlight and what we choose to minimize.

When you begin to take notice of all that is good in your life, this gratitude will turn your life around.