With Thanksgiving approaching, my thoughts turn to gratitude.  But what is gratitude really?  Is it merely a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation?  Does it just make us feel good?  I think it is more.

My favorite quote about gratitude says…

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” - Melody Beattie

But how on earth does gratitude do all that?

I think it’s by helping us shift our perspective, thus making us active creators of our experience.

Sure, feelings of gratitude can emerge spontaneously from an act of generosity, kindness or good fortune.  But gratitude can also arise by conscious choice, that is, from an intentional decision to shift our perspective.

We then transform from passive beings waiting for the “right” circumstances to conscious creators actively manifesting gratitude in all situations.

And thus, we unlock the fullness of life.

Personally, I don’t have the practice of daily gratitude nailed down perfectly, but I know that it’s worth striving for.  And I know, that like a muscle, practice will build a strong habit – a habit of gratitude.

So, in honor of Thanksgiving this week, will you join me in building the habit of gratitude?

Practice shifting your perspective to see plenty instead of scarcity, to see what is working instead of what is not working, to see what is possible instead of what is impossible?

Yes?  Excellent, together let’s unlock the fullness of life.

In gratitude I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! –Erin