My story is a perfect example of what life is like when a person is ignorant of gratitude, and what happens when you make gratitude a part of your life.
If I had been asked six years ago if I was a grateful person, I would have answered, “Yes, for sure I’m a grateful person. I say thank you when I receive a gift, when someone opens a door for me, or when a person does something for me.”
The truth is I was not a grateful person at all. I didn’t know what being grateful really meant, and just saying the words thank you on the odd occasion certainly didn’t make me a grateful person.
My life without gratitude was pretty challenging. I was in debt, and it was increasing a little bit more every month. I worked really hard, but my finances never improved. In trying to keep up with the mounting debt and obligations I was living with a continuous undercurrent of stress. My relationships swung like a pendulum from fair to disastrous, because I never seemed to have enough time for each person.
While I was what would be termed “healthy,” I felt exhausted at the end of each day, and I always got my fair share of colds and the latest illnesses going around each season. I had moments of happiness when I went out with friends, or when I went on vacation, but then the reality of having to work harder to pay for those pleasures would sweep over me.
I wasn’t living. I was surviving – from day to day and from paycheck to paycheck, and I would no sooner solve one life problem than more problems would appear.
But then something happened that would change everything in my life from that day forward. I discovered a secret about life, and as a result of my discovery one of the things I began to do was practice gratitude each day. As a result of this, everything in my life changed, and the more I practiced gratitude, the more miraculous were the results. My life truly became magical.
For the first time in my life I became debt free, and shortly after that I had all the money I needed to do whatever I wanted. Problems in my relationships, work, and health disappeared, and instead of facing daily obstacles, my days became filled with one good thing after another. My health and energy increased dramatically, and I felt better than I had in my twenties. My relationships became much more meaningful, and I enjoyed more good times with my family and friends in just a few months than I had in all the previous years.
More than anything else, I felt happier than I thought it was possible to feel. I was blissfully happy – the happiest I had ever been. Gratitude changed me, and my whole life magically changed.