“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.” —Zig Ziglar
After speaking at a conference, one of the participants, Joyce, introduced herself to me and told me her story. She also shared in an email how her focus on gratitude saved her life.
“I had to go back and search when I first learned of you and your work. It was January of 2013, two months before my life was saved and changed forever. So much like meeting you yesterday while I was secretly celebrating being one year med-free after decades of illness, I should have known the gratitude journal happened in the months leading up to the door that slammed open and started my recovery.
“It makes sense that awareness of gratitude and such intense positive energy was brought into my life at that time when I was being told I would have to go on disability, lose my driving privileges, undergo another surgery, and realistically need to prepare for an aggressively continued decline in my health. However, considering that time in my life was intensely overwhelming, I failed to connect the dots and realize I was building a solid positive base in my life. In doing that I forced myself to have a few harsh reality moments with myself which inspired me to open/change my mindset, take a leap of faith, and make the necessary changes to be able to take control of my health/life for the first time in decades. I was also able to prove the doctors wrong on a massive, life-altering scale.”
Even while going through this dramatic health challenge, Joyce found things to be grateful for. Today, she is happy, healthy, and a delightful person to be around. I’m so glad we connected.
If you’re facing any type of challenge right now, take a minute and find just one thing for which you can be grateful about your situation. When you look, you can always find something!