Our ingrained habit is to notice what is wrong rather than what is right in life. We forget all that we can be grateful for such as our sight and hearing, the loving people in our lives, the fact that we are still alive and breathing, etc.

Gratefulness brings us to the understanding that everything we have is actually a gift to us and that nothing and no one can be taken for granted as it or they can be easily taken away from us.

In every circumstance, there is an opportunity to find something for which we can be grateful no matter what the situation. Life happens for us, not to us.

We all feel grateful on many special occasions, but what we have not done is cultivate a habit of being unconditionally grateful at all times. Until we develop this Habit, we will not be able to gain the full benefits of this foundational and most important Habit for true success.

The consequence of this amazing Habit is that it literally makes us stress free by lifting the huge burden we carry of unnecessary, ill-conceived expectations. Gratefulness refreshes us, like having a bath and minimizes, if not eliminates, our insecurity-led egos.

Positive thinking, an essential framework for creativity and success, is the most important outcome of a grateful mindset. It is this mindset that not only gets us out of our doldrums, but nurtures team spirit, empowers courage, helps overcome hurdles and setbacks, and energizes and provides sustaining power against all odds. In short, it sets us up for true and long-term success.