Gratitude is a gift you give yourself. When you come from your heart and offer thanks to Spirit, the source of all things in the universe, for what is going right in your life, you see there exists things for which you can be grateful. You feel you have enough of something. That's the gift. Saying “thank you" is one of the most powerful attractors in the universe. It is the mega-magnet that draws to you more good in all ways than you can fathom, exponentially more than you actually offer, and being grateful activates all the layers and levels of your being with the feeling you are truly blessed. Thank you — those two little words — fires up this generator and turns on the juice.

By giving thanks for things that happen to you during your day — your doctor runs on time for your appointment or you remember to buy a birthday card for your sister-in-law, you experience life through a new lens. When you say thank you for the experience, even a problem that the second before seemed insurmountable shifts, cracks, and releases some fresh possibilities. Hope bubbles up. In acknowledging the gift, although perhaps still hidden in the rubble of uncertainty, you tell the universe to send the solution. Your being becomes available to receive that grace.

Choosing to be grateful transforms your perspective, even for a few moments, to one of appreciation and contentment for all that is: the wonderful and the frustrating. You reestablish your connection to Spirit. Consciously choosing to plug into the energy of the universe, you feed your body with positive electrons, you reverse the circuits in your head and heart and recharge your soul and revitalize your body. The negativity and anger that's been running through you dissipates. Peace and possibility envelope you. You can take a deep breath. The struggle stops and your heart calms.

An attitude of gratitude trumps all negative emotions every time. Saying thank you pulls your mind back from wandering down some rabbit hole of fear or negative judgment or regret — all emotions which do nothing but suck you lifeless and leave you wizened. It is impossible to be grateful and unhappy or in fear at the same time. Isn't that an amazing thing? The choice to be grateful in this moment positively affects what you will experience in the moments that follow. Your heart's desires manifest. Your prayers are answered. The clichés prove true.

A myriad of ways exist to communicate thanks. You can express your gratitude inside with quiet feelings from your heart, or you can express your thanks in the outer world through acts of conscious kindness toward others. Outward demonstrations of gratitude become your means to an authentic connection with another person. Your kindness invites people to fulfill your wishes more readily, and to do so with kindness in return. The encounter replenishes your shared spirit. A heartfelt "thank you' creates a momentary bond and the accumulation of these fleeting moments builds permanent links until one day you have an abundance of loving, helpful and supportive people in your life. You are no longer alone within your heart, or lonely in your outer world. The oneness with all Life becomes real for you.

This is the power of gratitude. Each time you say "thank you", you replenish your trust in the loving power of the universe, the infinite abundance available to you, and your right to share in that wealth. Go now and embrace every experience of your life as a magnificent gift, each one a facet of a joy-filled life.