The Power of GRATITUDE

Recently I re-read an empowering book by Rhonda Byrne called "The Magic". I had earlier read this book a couple of years back. It is said that we need to condition our mind to receive the blessings of life, because if we are not prepared to receive those blessings then we wouldn't be able to hold on to them when they come our way! Although the book did impact me when I had first read it but I guess with time and with so many more books that I have been reading, I must have grown internally and as such, this time it had a far stronger impact on me! In fact, as I started reading it, I had this inexplicable, irresistible feeling to do something...

The book is part of the trilogy by Rhonda Byrne - The Secret, The Power, The Magic. All three of them have intrinsically same message. They all emphasize that the "Secret" to the success of anything, the "Power" that leads us to that secret, or the "Magic" that gives us the Power to reveal the Secret of success in anything is... GRATITUDE.

Roman politician Marcus Tullius Cicero said "Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues, but the parent of all others".

According to Psychology Today, "Gratitude" is an emotion expressing appreciation for what one has, as opposed to, an emphasis on what one wants.

But isn't it surprising how often we tend to take things in our day-to-day life for granted without realizing how our lives can be affected if those everyday things would not be the way, we are used to experiencing them? Rhonda does an amazing job of bringing our attention to "magic" that happens all around us day-in and day-out. She suggests some activities that helps us express our gratitude out. The idea behind that is the more gratitude we express, the more universe blesses us with things to be grateful for. She refers to ancient scriptures that say...

Whoever has gratitude will be given more, and he/she will have an abundance. Whoever does not have gratitude, even what he/she has will be taken away from him/her.

As I was reading the book, I had this inner voice that beckoned me to do something that I had never done before. Forget doing, I had never thought about it before. I had this sudden, inexplicable urge to write Gratitude emails... to a selected few people who have had major impact on me in one way or the other, who have positively influenced me at different times of my life.

And thus began my own journey of feeling and expressing my gratitude. It was an amazing experience for me! The first person that I wrote to was obviously my dad, the first ever positive influencer in my life, the man whom I never saw getting upset, never heard utter a single negative word, whatever the situation may be (sometimes I really wonder how did he ever remain so calm!), who always insisted that I look at the glass as "half-full". Next, I wrote to the biggest positive influencers of my life... my mentors RV & RV, then to some of my friends, sisters, few other relatives, ex-bosses, other people including some with whom I hadn't even been in touch for years now!

The entire experience was mystical, magical to say the least. Every morning dawned with such positive emotions. I would jump out of the bed with excitement to read that day's chapter! I would read it, perform the author's suggested activities and then, just like that, a name would "click" into my mind. I would then think of all the ways that person had added value to my life... and experience a genuine feeling of gratitude toward them for what they had done for me, for how they had added value to me. I exuded strong positive feelings toward them.

What happened next was beyond my imagination! When I thought of writing these Gratitude emails, I had not given any thought, whatsoever, to what would happen after I write. Would they reply or not? What would they reply? My mind had not even wandered into that territory. But as I wrote, some people did reply! Not all, but some of them. And some of those replies are so special... they are pristine gems for me, a treasure that would stay with me for the rest of my life!

These are not mere replies to my emails, these are a sea of positive emotions, positive feelings, positive vibrations reciprocated toward me by these amazing people in my life.

The leader of the Indian Independence Movement, Mahatma Gandhi used to say,

"Be the change you want to see in the world".

Author, speaker, one of the world's most respected leadership guru John Maxwell says,

"Always work on yourself before others. Always work on yourself more than others".

I often wondered how to do that? How can I be the change that would change my outside world? How do I work on myself? How would this change my circumstances? I have found GRATITUDE to be the answer to those questions. When I try to look for things to be grateful for in every situation (specially during unfavourable situations), my mind gets encapsulated with positive and happy emotions that help me move forward. My focus automatically shifts from my throes and tribulations, to the magic and miracles happening all around me. Gratitude helps us change the way we look at things around us.

When we change the way we look at things around us, the things around us begin to change.

Last one month of being grateful and expressing gratitude has been truly a magical month. Among many others, couple of other serendipities I experienced during my gratitude journey... I went out shopping with my wife for her shoes. When we went to cash register to pay, the lady at the counter told us that these particular shoes are on sale with "Buy one, Get one free" offer! We were surprised as the section from where we picked them didn't have any such sign. And this is a premium store I am talking about! The lady re-checked and confirmed that we actually could get an extra pair of shoes for my wife. She was ecstatic! And so was I! Then, there is this amazing professional social networking site for which I had been wanting to go for premium subscription but hadn't gone as I couldn't justify the cost of that premium subscription to myself. Few days back after doing my Gratitude exercise when I opened my Gmail, I found this email from them saying my subscription has been upgraded to "Premium", at no extra cost!

A welcome message at the entrance of the house of the magic couple in my life, RV & RV, says "Miracles happen to those who believe in them". Do you believe in that statement? I do!

Gratitude has the power to change our life. Gratitude has the power to bring miracles in our every day life. I believe in those miracles that are happening around me, every day. I believe in the miracles that are being manifested at this moment, to enhance my life experiences. I believe in the miracles that are coming my way.

I have learned to focus and direct my energies to all good happening around me. So has life stopped throwing curve balls at me? Of course not! It still does, it has to. That's what life is... a roller-coaster. Ups and Downs are bound to happen. But when I strive to find something positive in that adverse situation and feel grateful for it, I can mitigate the affects of that situation and focus on the solution. My mind is now attuned to observing every small, little magic around me and feeling grateful for it. Of course, it takes a conscious effort to maintain that. But I am committed to continue being grateful for all miracles in my life.

Share in the comments section below how Gratitude has brought miracles in your life? I would love to hear and learn from your positive experiences...

Vivek Kambo has enjoyed a successful career in Sales and Business Development. These days he is pursuing a Certification in Business Analysis from University of Toronto (Mississauga) and is looking to transition his career to be a Business ?Analyst. He is an avid reader and loves reading positive, growth-oriented, personal development books. Some of his other articles are...

• Letter To My Daughter
• The Treasure That I Am Building For My Daughter
• Mental Toughness
• Dream, Dare, Believe, Achieve
• Do You IMPRESS or INFLUENCE People