The power of appreciation and gratitude

I study a great variety of people in a quest for a more peaceful, joyful and successful life for me and those I interact with who are seeking the same.  Pretty much all of them talk about the power of gratitude to lift us at any given moment.

Like most people I have my own challenges to deal with.  I have a go-to list of strategies to implement when they present themselves as inevitably they do.  One of the top on the list is gratitude.  In fact I start the day as soon as I open my eyes with thinking of at least 3 things I'm grateful for.  The feel of my sheets is always on the list. It's simple.  It's there and they really do feel good!

Law of attraction theory says that starting the day that way starts a momentum of positivity because you attract what you focus on.  Starting it thinking of all the things that went wrong the day before will start the day in the opposite direction.  We get to choose.

I'm listening to Deepak Chopra's newest meditation series that he produces with Oprah Winfrey currently.  He co-authored a book called Superbrain with Harvard brain scientist Dr. Rudi Tanzi. Chopra says that when we start thinking positively, the brain gathers another thought like it...and then another...and then another.  They don't call it attraction as such.  It's more the function of the brain as it lines up neural pathways.

I don't care what the reason is.  I just know that starting the day that way really helps me have the life I want.  Do I have everything?  Of course not.  Who does?  But I have a sense of peace, joy and abundance that seems to constantly bring more of the same to me.

I can't change others.  I can't alter certain life circumstances.  But I can change me. And that does change everything.