A Little About Gratitude

Gratitude equals wealth.

It's funny how the more we have, the more we receive. And the more we aggressively chase something, the longer it eludes us.

I'm prone to the desperate chase. I used to think that sheer will and hard work were the reasons behind my successes. Then I took a closer look. In actuality, the chase perpetuated the dream, the desire, the yearning. But I never really won the chase. It was in the moment I found a sliver of peace, a molecule of gratitude, that the race was won.

I've doggedly pursued my dream job only to go home, tell myself I had a terrible interview, and bawl my eyes out. In that fifteen minutes of sobbing, I let go of the outcome I desperately wanted, and began reasoning that the job I currently had was good too. No sooner had I blown my nose, than my new boss called to give me an offer.

I lost that dream job two years later and ended up in a miserable work environment. Although I sincerely prayed that I would be able to return to that job, it wasn't a plea of desperation. I sent my wish into the Universe and I gave it no restrictions. I didn't say "by this date" or "right NOW". I said my piece, and I forgot about it. Instead, I spent this past year attempting gratitude in the job I did have. Lo and behold, I found out I'll be returning to my dream job, with additional benefits and a pay raise in just one short month.

This is just one example of the power of gratitude. As I'm in this uncertain, transitional period in my life, I'm using this journal as an experiment. Do I really have to pursue all of my desires with such ferocity in order to get them? Or can I simply experience peace with what I have, put a little request into the Universe, and receive the things I desire with ease?

I've made list of ten things that I'd like to see come to fruition in my life. I plan to check back in with this list in one year and see how I've done. Of course, I know prayer has no time limits, but for the purposes of the experiment, I'd like to get a taste of the direction I'm headed. Some of these top ten are major, life-changing events. Others are more frivolous. We'll see where I am a year from now.

And now... what am I grateful for today?