The Sixth Principle: Gratitude

Have you said “Thank you” today?

If you have, then you are already working the Sixth Principle of an Uncommon Life: Gratitude! Today we will examine gratitude in its many forms and explore how being grateful for what you have will help you get more of what you want. So far in this series, we have outlined five other foundational principles, including Authenticity, The Personal Code, Desire, Perspective, and the Law of Capability. Feel free to review these posts before we move forward with the sixth (and almost final!) principle!

Fans of the Law of Attraction, this post will be especially gratifying for you!

Gratitude is something we are taught as children to show when someone does something for us. The phrase, “thank you” is used so often during the day we rarely stop to think about it emotion. Just think about the number of times you mutter “thanks” during the day – when you get change for your coffee in the morning, when someone holds the elevator, when your boss dumps more work on your desk – almost every one of those times it tumbles out as an automatic reaction. Just like “bless you” when someone sneezes; rarely does anyone really want to bless you or save your soul from the devil anymore when you sneeze, it is just an automatic reaction that we have been conditioned to say.

Sometimes we even say thank you in a derisive or sarcastic way – “thanks a lot,” when someone cuts you off on the road, or “geez, thanks,” when a co-worker passes a bunch of projects off to you. Again, missing the original emotion of the phrase.

Yet thanks is a very powerful emotion – it is more than just a set of words we ritually say, it is indicative of a sincere and strong feeling where we show appreciation for the kind words, thoughts, or actions of another.

I want you to think about the last time you said thank you – really said thank you – and how it made you feel. My guess is it probably felt pretty good.

Because gratitude is a win-win emotion. You are sending appreciation out into the world, making someone else feel good and at the same time allowing yourself to immediately feel a positive gratefulness.

When you really show gratitude, you are sending this intense, powerful signal out to the world – you are saying that you appreciate what has been given to you, your ability to enjoy or utilize it, and and appreciation for the messenger. And in return, the universe sends you more things to be thankful for. You are sending out a wavelength of gratitude, and you will receive more things to continue on that wavelength.

Just think about someone you know who is really grateful for what you give them, maybe it is a child who really appreciates the toys you give them, or a partner who really sees the little things you do to make their life better and says thank you for it – what do you want to do for these people? Give them more! It is a pleasure to give to someone who is grateful – right?

Yet gratitude is more than just putting out positive energy into the universe and getting it back. Gratitude is about feeling appreciation for all the things in your life that have that you don’t have a right to – and really that means just about everything.

Sure, we all deserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We also all deserve to have love, friendship, and security in our lives. Same thing with food, medicine, and a long life. But the truth is that there are millions of people all over the world who don’t have these things – so while we may think we deserve them, there is nothing that says we are entitled to them. Sad – isn’t it?

The truth is there is no reason you were born in a country where you had access to eduction, medication, food, and a future – it was the luck of the draw. You could have just as easily been born in Darfur, or the Amazon jungle, or Impoverished Malawi, or any other place on earth where the things you have now would have been out of your reach (and I’m assuming you’re not in any of these places because you have a computer/internet/leisure to choose your job).

Often times – myself included – I get so wrapped up in my own life and my own problems that I forget there are millions of people out there that would do anything to trade their set of problems for mine. I think of all the women around the world in countries where they don’t have access to education or independence, where they are under the governance of a man from the day they are born until the day they die, and I feel humbled.

And I feel lucky.

And I stop, look around, and think to myself, “you know, in spite of everything I’ve got it pretty good. Thank you, powers that be, for making me who I am.”

And then I feel motivated and like it is my responsibility to make the most of my life, not just for myself but for all those who don’t have these options.

Live each day to the fullest, relish the journey, and don’t lose yourself in the minutia of your life. It is easier said than done, but essential. This is why the Sixth principle of an Uncommon Life is Gratitude.

Looking for more about Gratitude? Check out The Life Uncommon: How to Leave the Rat Race, Pursue Your Passions, and Succeed Financially on sale now!