We are to be radiant, grateful, buoyant people basking in our blessings and striving cheerfully toward our dreams under the bright and loving sunshine of the Divine. It takes only will and conditioning to enjoy such a life. Let us make the choice to reexamine our attitude and orientation to life, to cultivate a more positive and present pulse. Let us declare: We Shall Practice Joy and Gratitude.
The Jewel of Life
The greatest of human freedoms is the ability to choose, at any moment, the palette of our emotional sky. We alone activate the very energy and emotion through which we experience life. If we wish to feel joy and gratitude in our lives, then we must direct our beliefs and behaviors in order to accomplish that end. And we must do it constantly, with such force and repetition that those emotions become the hues of our daily attitude. This is not easy work, but let it be our mission.
Perhaps the severest requirement of the good life is to have the constancy of mind to maintain our joy and gratitude even amid hardship, pain, and injustice.
The Path of Gratitude
A vibrant and happy life begins at the path of gratitude.
So let us be more appreciative and thankful each day:
Let me be thankful for all the light that surrounds me.
Let me be thankful to any caregivers who inspire me.
Let me be thankful to my lover, who overlooks my shortcomings.
Let me be thankful to the women and men who risk their lives to protect my freedoms.
Let me be thankful for the blue tint of the sky and the beauty of our natural world.
Let me be thankful for the heart that drums life through me.
Let me be thankful for last night’s rest, no matter its length.
Let me be thankful for my gifts of free will, of volition, of endurance.
Let me be thankful to my mentors and to the traitors who also instructed me.
Let me be thankful that I am not living in deeper need and squalor.
Let me be thankful for my home, for my daily bread, for my clean water.
Let me be thankful for the opportunity to work and create and earn.
Let me be thankful for the luck that has advanced me, and the disasters and tribulations that have educated me.
Let me be thankful for the blank slate that comes with each morning.
Let me be thankful for my breath and the clean moment at hand.
Let me be thankful to my Creator.
* Source: The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard