Attitude of Gratitude
It's easy to be grateful for the good things that happen. That's
automatic.
But if we want real progress in our lives, we don't get to stop
there.
We are where we are, loaded with possibilities, because of
everything that has happened to us - not just the events that
look positive on the surface. Losing our jobs freed us up for
the better ones. The despair of crushing debt forced us to learn
how to handle wealth, which must happen before we are entrusted
with it.
All of these things helped make us who we are, and taught us
what we needed to know to move forward. We didn't learn to
multiply before we learned to add. We don't reach the next step
till we've understood the last one. We must be grateful that
we've had the chance to gain that understanding.
Beyond that, we need to give thanks for what's going to happen.
In Prosperity, Charles Fillmore says, "Praise and thanksgiving
impart the quickening spiritual power that produces growth and
increase in all things." In The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace
Wattles writes, "Gratitude unifies the minds of individuals with
the intelligence of substance, so that a person's thoughts are
received by the formless."
Why is this important, giving thanks for what hasn't even
happened yet? We know that our thoughts ultimately shape our
reality. But it's not just any thoughts. It's those that are
backed by emotion and expectation.
These two authors explain that it's our gratitude that ties our
thoughts to the divine mind and positions us to see our visions
come true. Giving thanks for what hasn't yet occurred
demonstrates our faith that it will. And every time we express
those thanks, we solidify our faith. Which increases our
expectation...such a circle we create!
As Wattles puts it, "The exercise of gratitude will never fail
to strengthen your faith and renew your purpose." We know that
for our dreams to become reality, we must believe that it will
be so. Giving thanks that those dreams have been realized cannot
help but intensify that belief, which in turn increases the
likelihood of seeing our new reality.