“Thank you is the best prayer anyone could ever say.”—Alice Walker
Frequent flyers to this blog already know I’m playfully at work on a new book about the superpower of gratitude. So thought I’d rerun a post from last year on that very topic. Enjoy!
I just finished a story called “Training to Be Superman” for Men’s Journal. It includes six over-the-top endurance competitions for earning your cape. It was fun to write, sorta tongue-in-cheek, but it got me to thinking that of all the superpowers, gratitude is my superpower of choice. And it comes with all kinds of perks. Here are my top five:
1. Gratitude is a magic seed. It starts small, but it grows whatever you’re noticing into a super-size reality. Lettuce seeds are tiny, but they grow into these big green, nourishing leaves. By noticing even one tiny thing you like about an unpleasant situation, you can grow it into a giant green leaf of love.
2. Gratitude improves family relationships. Being happy is contagious and quickly spreads to your inner circle.
3. Gratitude brings you back to ultimate reality. It’s pretty easy to veer off track, to think “life sucks and then you die.” But when you stop for a moment and write a list of things you’re grateful for, you suddenly remember. “Oh, yea! Life is truly sweet.” As Adyashanti reminds us, “Reality is life without our distorting stories, ideas, and beliefs.” And when we’re grateful, those stories, ideas and beliefs don’t stand a chance.
4. Gratitude makes you happy. It makes you want to dance which, for those hoping to lose weight, is a pretty good technique.
5. Gratitude is the perfect superpower for any celebration. And since today is T.G.I.W. (It’s like T.G.I.F for Wednesdays), keep in mind that gratitude is even more potent than a cocktail.
Pam Grout is the author of 17 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the recently-released sequel, E-Cubed, 9 More Experiments that Prove Mirth, Magic and Merriment is your Full-time Gig.
17 Responses
Reblogged this on Nutrition | Health | Wellness.
Perfect timing! Having a difficult time at work today and will be having an unpleasant talk and this is just what I needed to see. Thanks!
♥
I am waiting with baited breath for the next book.
Bring it on!! I have read and re-read E-Squared and E-Cubed, and have always appreciated the huge power of gratitude. So happy to have something to look forward to.
This is awesome. Mega awesome. I am grateful for this post 🙂
Thank you God, Thank you Universe, Thank you angels and Thank you Pam.
I’m wondering, Pam. I’m thankful for EVERYTHING in my life and practice gratitude each day, but what recommendations do you have after looking for a partnership for 9 years and still looking? thanks
Hiya Pam —
I’m a big fan of yours and truly appreciate the gifts you share with all of us. It’s wonderful info and greatly beneficial.
And because I’m an editor/writer, I offer this in the friendliest of ways that I hope will be beneficial to you: I keep finding typos in your emails (have found some in E-Squared and E-Cubed as well). Today’s was: > > It includes six other-the-top endurance competitions for earning your cape. >
Just sayin’. (I couldn’t just copy the sentence — it came with the box around it, all or nothing.)
I’ll be at “I Can Do It” this weekend in Denver and look forward to your session.
See you at mile-high elevation — don’t forget to bring your oxygen tank with you.
Safe travels —
Kathleen
Kathleen Barnebey, Head Word Nerd KB WRITES Writing to engage, inspire, and enrich. kb@kb-writes.com 971.404.6607
“Let’s eat Grandma.” “Let’s eat, Grandma.” Commas save lives!
>
Every morning before my feet touch the floor from bed, I’m thinking of all things I’m grateful for. On many occasions, I’ve written out everything that I can think of that I’m grateful for. It includes simple little thinks to big achievements. So, far I got my list up to 152 things without repeating. This definitely helps keep my conscious on gratitude. Thanks Pam for an awesome post!
I practice gratitude, throughout the day, every day. It does make me happy and want to dance – you are so right about that!
I am grateful that even though I will not be at “I Can Do It”, this weekend, that you will be in my home state, so your energy will be that much closer. And I know that someday, I will actually meet you to share a hug and some super-extra-Pam-Powered gratitude and fun!
Thankfulness, abundance and the reality of it all working out for our best place ever on this planet…most of all a knowing of gratitude..
As always your posts put me on a whole new level of experiencing life. Thank you!!!
Always a big believer in gratitude. The Course in Miracles puts gratitude in a different light, though, asking if a lot of our gratitude isn’t based on being better off than our brothers. Any comments?
Hi Pam I work at Airbnb the worldwide hosting site for places to stay around the world and yesterday here in Dublin the European HQ I circulated this email
“Having a tough day? take a deep breath and say THANK YOU, having a great day? take a deep breath and say THANK YOU!”
It was inspired by your post yesterday and got a great response, THANK YOU! Xxx Alan
Thank you for your Wisdom Pam , love all your posts!!! <3
Thanks Kathleen Barnebey for not editing all the comments!
Correcting my own mistake: waiting with bated breath for the next book.