Moxie on Monday: The Life Changing Power of Gratitude

“My day begins and ends with gratitude.”- Louise Hay 

If you’re looking to put a little pep in your step, inject some Moxie into your Monday, I have a simple solution for you … and for me! In just a few minutes a day, you can change your life. How? Practice gratitude.

It was last October. A group of us were gathered around a popular Meditation Master. Davidji looks a bit like Santa Claus…. if Santa were a hippie growing up in the 60’s! The room was silent. You could hear a pin drop. Every single woman was fully present. Not a cell phone in sight as “Ji” was sharing his magic, his wisdom, his life experience, and his insights.

Ji apprenticed under Deepak Chopra for over 10 years. He also created those 21 Day Meditations that are all the rage with the Oprah/Chopra contingent. He knows a thing or two about the magic of gratitude. This tribe of sisters was in the palm of his hands. Witty, charismatic, profound and grounded, Ji shared that science has proven the way we begin our day determines the way our day goes. In other words, if we take a few moments to be silent and express gratitude first thing in the morning, 10 or 12 hours later, we will still be experiencing the impact of that stillness, silence, and gratitude.

He keeps it simple. His philosophy is distilled down to an acronym that encapsulates his message: RPM or Rise, Pee, Meditate. I’ll take it one step further – RPMG or Rise, Pee, Meditate and be Grateful.

Gratitude can be a simple buzz word or it can be a life-changing practice. The choice is up to us. The latest cutting edge neuroscience backs this up. It’s the essence of “Rewiring” – neurons that fire together, wire together. When we shift our focus to gratitude, to be grateful for what we have, our brain begins searching for more things to be grateful for.

I’ve followed Ji for years. I’ve attended his retreats. His books are my bibles. His philosophy, his approach, fit in with my crazy lifestyle. A few minutes in the morning devoted to silence and gratitude will not only change the way your day goes … over time, it will change the way your life goes.

The best way to practice gratitude is to PRACTICE GRATITUDE. Right after you wake up:

• Close your eyes and clear your thoughts,
• Take a few deep breaths and simply ask yourself this question: “What Am I Grateful For?”
• Let the answers arise from within.

What I’ve found in implementing this simple practice is it’s easy – no force involved. The answers come by themselves. Sometimes quickly. Sometimes, it take a little longer, but they always come. When they do, so does a giant smile, a heart smile, a soul smile which leads to a day smile.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. Gratitude hasn’t come naturally for me. I didn’t grow up in an environment conducive to Gratitude. I was raised in a glass half empty world. It’s a glass I have to actively work to fill and to see clearly. What I find is, the more I practice gratitude, the better my day goes, my life goes, my glass fills and my world becomes more “Moxie-ful.”