Expressing gratitude is one of the easiest ways I’ve found of living in the light. Gratitude is like manna for the soul. It nourishes you in both obvious and untold ways as it reverberates through your energy field and out into the world. Like no other tool so easily within your reach, it can transform and transmute anything that ails you. In my work as an energy healer and spiritual teacher, I’ve come to understand the immense power of gratitude when you make it the cornerstone of your life.

Being in a state of sincere appreciation is also the single most important way to create everything you want in life.  Start with your feelings of gratitude for things you already have. Then begin practicing thankfulness as a positive affirmation of things to come. Envision what you want in positive and present words—as though it already exists—and then be grateful for it as though it has already been received. You’ll be connecting to the emotion that you would feel when you realize your desired result. Feeling grateful activates your powerful, unseen ability to manifest from the abundance of the universe.

To truly establish your attitude of gratitude, you’ll need to practice it on a regular basis until it gets to be a habit—until it becomes the place where your thoughts naturally go as you move through your day, including when you face adversity.

Each day, take just a few minutes to make a mental list of everything you’re grateful for and, if possible, say your list out loud. For example, “Tonight, I am so grateful for my good health, another successful day at work, and the kind words from the man I met on the elevator. I’m grateful that I was kind back to him, that my favorite TV show is on tonight, that I learned a valuable lesson in my difficult interaction with my boss,” and so on. You want to give thanks for the many things, large and small, that you’re appreciative of—both the good things and those important learning experiences that enabled you to grow. When you make this a habit every day, you’ll soon find yourself consistently thinking this way and quickly see your life change for the better.

How to build your personal gratitude practice:

•    Keep a gratitude journal. Oprah has been keeping one for almost 20 years. Every day she writes down five things she is grateful for, anything from fresh flowers to the kindness of a stranger. She says that by acknowledging the things she is grateful for, she stays receptive to the goodness in her life. In fact, she also claims that keeping a gratitude journal is the single most important thing she’s ever done…and given her track record, that is saying a lot!

•    Share your attitude of gratitude. Don’t keep the gratitude you feel toward friends, family, colleagues, service providers, or even strangers a secret. Tell those you love and work with and interact with that you are grateful for their presence in your life and their kindness, their attention. Thanking people is a blessing for them, too, because it invites them to feel good about themselves.

•    Walk about and notice the goodness. Take some time to walk around in the world—in a park, in your neighborhood, or in a natural setting you love. Dedicate the time spent on your walk to really seeing and appreciating the world. Look for things to be grateful for—from the leaves on the trees, the songs of the birds, the colors of the plants around you. Notice the air you are breathing, the sun on your face, and even your feet that carry you through the world. The more you look for blessings, the more you realize how much there is to be grateful for.

Gratitude is an expression of love, the essence of who you are, and your connection to Spirit. Practice being delighted with all that you can find to love and appreciate in your world. It won’t be long before you’ll need more pages for your gratitude journal and a new pen, too!

To discover more ways to apply energy healing to all areas of your life, join me in my new online course Energy Healing Cleanse to detox your mind, body and spirit. This is a journey you’ll be grateful for taking!

There’s a lovely song running through my head today. Have you heard Art Garfunkel sing “Grateful,” John Bucchino’s beautiful tune about feeling blessed?  
If so, you’ll recognize the lines—“Grateful, grateful…Truly blessed and duly grateful”—because they take up residence in your heart. The song is short and simple, but it says everything we need to know and feel about our connection to Spirit. We are blessed and the more we give thanks for our blessings, the more deeply we feel them.

What does being grateful mean to you? Please let us know by commenting below.