Dating back thousands and thousands of years to the earliest recordings of humankind, the power of gratitude was preached and practiced, and from there was passed on through the centuries, sweeping across the continents, permeating one civilization and culture to the next. The major religions of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Hinduism all have gratitude at their core.
Muhammad said that gratitude for the abundance you’ve received is the best insurance that the abundance will continue.
Buddha said that you have no cause for anything but gratitude and joy.
Lao Tzu said that if you rejoice in the way things are, the whole world will belong to you.
Krishna said that whatever he is offered he accepts with joy.
King David spoke of giving thanks to the whole world, for everything between the heavens and the Earth.
And Jesus said thank you before he performed each miracle.
From the Australian Aborigines to the African Maasai and Zulu, from the American Navajo, Shawnee, and Cherokee, to the Tahitians, Eskimo, and Maori, the practice of gratitude is at the very root of most indigenous traditions.
“When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself.”
Tecumseh (1768–1813)
SHAWNEE NATIVE AMERICAN LEADER
History is laden with famous figures who practiced gratitude, and whose achievements put them amongst the greatest human beings who have ever lived: Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, Leonardo Da Vinci, Plato, Shakespeare, Aesop, Blake, Emerson, Dickens, Proust, Descartes, Lincoln, Jung, Newton, Einstein, and many, many more.
Albert Einstein’s scientific discoveries changed the way we see the Universe, and when asked about his monumental achievements, he spoke only of giving thanks to others. One of the most brilliant minds of all time thanked other people over a hundred times a day for the work they had done!
Is it any wonder that so many of life’s mysteries were revealed to Albert Einstein? Is it any wonder that Albert Einstein made some of the greatest scientific discoveries in history? He practiced gratitude every single day of his life, and in return he received many forms of abundance.
When Isaac Newton was asked how he had achieved the scientific discoveries he made, he said that he stood on the shoulders of giants. Isaac Newton, recently voted the greatest contributor to science and humankind, was also grateful to those men and women who lived before him.
The scientists, philosophers, inventors, discoverers, and prophets who practiced gratitude reaped its results, and most were aware of its inherent power. Yet still gratitude’s power is unknown to most people today, because to experience the magic of gratitude in your life you have to practice it!