be-happy

We need more gratitude in our world. Recently, I was talking with a friend and colleague and I described my plan to use the following exercise with a group of teenagers. She told me that kids from her culture would think I was crazy because this isn't a topic that's discussed much. I said that is precisely the point. It isn't discussed enough in any culture that I'm familiar with.

So here is the exercise:
Think of and then state something for which you are grateful.

That's it. That's the secret. That's the powerfully life-altering minute-to-minute exercise that will change your perspective on everything. Gratitude. It can be anything at all; from whatever you consider to be your greatest blessing to the mere fact of having gotten out of bed this morning. Once you figure out the first one, more usually follow pretty quickly.

Why is this so powerful? It takes us out of our negative thinking mode, which is where so many of us reside mentally almost all the time. It's a building block for shifting one's focus. Doing it once gives you a positive feeling even if just for a second or two. Doing it twice in a row or hearing someone else do it doubles that benefit immediately. I figure that any additional second of joy generated in this universe is a good thing.

I like to begin each seminar, class, meeting, group activity or gathering of any type with this simple and powerful exercise. With a circle of 10, each person can share aloud. In a seminar room with 1,200 people, it's probably more efficient to have pairs share aloud with one another.

Take this idea to your next gathering and play with it. Don't wait until Thanksgiving dinner to begin the practice - this is something to carry with you every minute of every day. Integrate this simple idea into any activity at all and notice the shift in your consciousness. When you focus your attention on what's good and beautiful, no matter how small, your energy changes significantly for the better. Give it a try for 7 days and see if you aren't hooked on the practice. Then go and get your friends and colleagues hooked, too. They'll thank you for it!