Everything Counts: 52 Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence and Drive Results

Chapter 33. Gratitude Counts

"As you practice gratitude, you also enhance your peace of mind and quality of life."

Think for just a moment of all the things that require practice—grammar, arithmetic, cooking, learning a particular sport, and even playing the guitar well. Practice is probably something you think you're done with when you leave school or when you've stopped taking music lessons. However, having or showing gratitude is also a fine art that comes with practice. The art of displaying gratitude is an act of simplicity that can be very powerful. There is a special kind of magic in the practice of showing gratitude. It raises our consciousness, recharges our energy, enhances our self-worth, and strengthens our spirit.

It's quite possible to attain great wealth, the best education, and an exceptional quality of life, and still be unhappy. This occurs when people live with an absence of gratitude. Success is a process that includes both peaks and valleys, but the one constant in a truly successful life is gratitude. A successful life requires ongoing growth, and gratitude ensures this growth. Gratitude heightens awareness and expands your interaction with the world. Once gratitude becomes part of your nature, you begin to see the connections between your successes and creature comforts, and the talents and contributions of others.

• The farmer plants, waters, fertilizes, and harvests the tomatoes you enjoy.

• The truck driver delivers the food to the market that will soon feed your ...