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| "Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty." - attributed to Doris Day (originally from a poem by Vivian Burnett) |
Nope. I disagree. Abundant supply, peace of mind, well-being, and deep-down contented joy are yours for the having at this very moment. And it's not so much a matter of what you have to do to get it all. It's more about what you must refrain from doing.
Perhaps you think I speak of overspending, racking up high-interest credit card debt, or blowing your nest egg on Black Friday deals. Not at all. What I refer to is complaining. Yes, you must stop complaining. It's as simple as that.
Before you roll your eyes and scoffingly click to a new tab, let me assure you that I speak from long-term experience. I've witnessed the tangible, financial benefits of gratitude in the lives of others as well as my own. There is nothing Pollyana-ish about adopting a sincere attitude of gratitude. It aligns you with all of the good that is already going on all around you, and makes it easier to tap into it, often in unforeseen ways.
One dear friend has no savings and makes very little money. Actually he doesn't work for money, but does what he feels is the right and loving thing to do, and as a result, money comes his way — sometimes in connection with his efforts, very often from other sources. Example: His landlord just asked him over to have a talk. He patiently changed his plans in order to accommodate his elderly landlord who asks for favors frequently. My friend expected to be asked to shovel snow, rake leaves, or do some sort of similar manual labor, which he is always delighted to do as a favor for the very senior landlord. Instead, out of the blue, the landlord informed my friend of his intent to raise the rent, even though he'd just done so a few months prior.
My friend did not complain, he did not panic, he did not see himself as a victim. He calmly explained that this new rent increase would unfortunately price him out of the home and that he would have to move. There was no heated exchange. In fact, my friend took the time to express to the landlord how grateful he'd been for the lovely home and the conversation began to wind down, on very good terms.
Just as my friend was leaving, thoughts of 'what now' beginning to fill his head, the landlord asked, "By the way, do you still have that shotgun?" Evidently my friend possessed a gun that the landlord had long admired. By the time my friend got back home, a- his rent was not raised after all, b-the landlord had traded guns with my friend and my friend received what he believed to be a far better firearm than the one he traded, c-the landlord gave my friend $125 toward the traded gun. Huh? Precisely! The whole thing makes no real sense, yet it's what happened. And similar occurrences of abundance and blessing are typical in my friend's life. He spends most of his time, as he says, "trying to be loving," and he expends the bulk of his thought on "being grateful."
As I mentioned, I've seen the merits of gratitude in my own life as well — more or less on a daily basis, whether in the form of unexpected money, a gift, a fortuitous opportunity or connection... the list goes on and on.
As the holiday season revs into high gear my heart goes out to all who feel harried, put-upon, strapped, stressed, unwell, unlucky or unloved. My sincere hope for them all is the gift they need most — the gift of gratitude, which is available at the flip of a mental switch. It really is that easy. It's a choice. And no person or power can prevent you from being grateful this very second. So why not give it a try. There may be some old habits of thought to contend with in the process, but stick with it. When you catch yourself complaining, flip that switch and find something, anything, to be grateful for in the situation at hand. The wealth and wellbeing you've always dreamt of is already yours, and gratitude is the key to seeing it manifested — and for that fact, I am truly grateful.
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