26 expressions of gratefulness

One of my favorite movies is the 1946 holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The movie centers on George Bailey, a kind man who has always been there to help others, but has grown more and more frustrated as his own life dreams and goals are constantly being set aside. One day, his business loses all of its money, through no fault of his own, and George breaks down and and considers suicide. That’s when his guardian angel Clarence Odbody appears to show George what life on earth would be like if he had never been born.

We watch as George learns the alternate fate of everyone whom his life had touched. It’s not a pretty picture and eventually George discovers how blessed and fulfilled his life really has been. He discovers gratitude for everything he has.

The older I get the more grateful I am for the things that have happened in my life, including the wretched, difficult events that I never thought I would live through. Awful jobs and bosses, lost loves, missed opportunities, embarrassments both personal and professional — they’re a bitch to endure at the moment, but looking back I realize just what a gift they all have been. The lessons they taught could not have come from anywhere else. So, thank you to the Universe for kicking my butt!

I also have a very deep gratefulness for the family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers who have helped me and taught me along the way. As the saying goes, “No man is an island.” We simply cannot do it alone. As great as we think we are, there is always someone on the sidelines or in the background who has helped us get to where we’re at.

One of the most amazing things I’ve learned about gratitude is that the more thankful we are for what we have, the more that seems to come into our lives. I don’t know how it all works, but it is like a law of attraction.

Over the past several months I’ve been collecting quotes on gratitude. Throughout history, many brilliant men and women have written about the power of gratitude. I am certainly grateful to them and would like to share 26 of their thoughts here:

1. “What if you gave someone a gift, and they neglected to thank you for it-would you be likely to give them another? Life is the same way. In order to attract more of the blessings that life has to offer, you must truly appreciate what you already have.” ~ Ralph Marston
2. “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy
3. “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say “thank you?”  ~ William A. Ward
4. “Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” ~ Dennis Waitley
5. “If you count all your assets, you always show a profit.”  ~ Robert Quillen
6. “When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears.”  ~ Anthony Robbins
7. “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”  ~ Epictetus
8. “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. “ ~ Cynthia Ozick
9. “When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them. “ ~ Chinese Proverb
10. “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ~ Albert Schweitzer
11. “You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach
12. “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” ~ Thornton Wilder
13. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ~ Albert Einstein
14. “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” ~ William Arthur Ward
15. “Take full account of the excellencies which you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not.” ~ Marcus Aurelius
16. “When we become more fully aware that our success is due in large measure to the loyalty, helpfulness, and encouragement we have received from others, our desire grows to pass on similar gifts. Gratitude spurs us on to prove ourselves worthy of what others have done for us. The spirit of gratitude is a powerful energizer.” ~ Wilferd A. Peterson
17. “Find the good and praise it.” ~ Alex Haley
18. “Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.” ~ The Hausa of Nigeria
19. “Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It’s a way to live.” ~ Attributed to Jacqueline Winspear
20. “Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.” ~ Author Unknown
21. “If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” ~ Rabbi Harold Kushner
22. “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some.” ~ Charles Dickens
23. “Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend… when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present — love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure — the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach
24. “Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.” ~ Buddha
25. “Gratitude should not be just a reaction to getting what you want, but an all-the-time gratitude, the kind where you notice the little things and where you constantly look for the good, even in unpleasant situations. Start bringing gratitude to your experiences, instead of waiting for a positive experience in order to feel grateful.” ~ Marelisa Fábrega
26. “Dear George, Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.” ~ Clarence Odbody