Thankfulness is path to joy today, always

Thankfulness is a powerful tool that can lift you out of despair and make your spirit soar. Hence, when challenges come, that it is especially the moment to give thanks. Being thankful can change your attitude about yourself and your conditions.

There once was a tale told about an enemy who wanted to plant his seeds of discouragement into the hearts of men and women everywhere. However, there was one place where the seeds could not take root and grow.

So one day, the enemy was asked by one of his curious followers, “Where is the one place where those seeds of discouragement wouldn’t thrive?” At first the enemy didn’t answer. You could have heard a pin drop.

Eventually, the enemy spoke. He replied, “Seeds of discouragement cannot grow in the heart of a habitually thankful person.”

How thankful are you? When you wake up in the morning, are you hopeful and enthusiastic about the day ahead? Or have life’s difficulties taken their toll on your outlook?

There are seasons in all of our lives when we’re faced with obstacles. Similar to a familiar phone number that we call often, if we keep thinking about our so-called faults, mistakes or mulling over how unfair situations have been, then discouragement, like that phone number, will soon become second-nature and stay in our minds.

Thereafter, over time, our lives can reflect those negative thoughts. We may then become so downhearted that we settle for less than our true potential and what we really aspire for our lives.

But thankfulness is a powerful tool that can lift you out of despair and make your spirit soar. Hence, when challenges come, that it is especially the moment to give thanks. Being thankful can change your attitude about yourself and your conditions.

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward

Awhile ago, I received an interesting email from a reader named Tom who wrote about the importance of thankfulness. “When I used to hear people talk about the great importance of being thankful all the time, and in all circumstances, I used to be very skeptical.

“But I kept noticing that the happiest people were constantly expressing thankfulness and appreciation for the people and things in their lives,” Tom wrote. “So, I took a chance and tried it.”

Tom’s letter continued: “I just made a decision to be thankful every day, several times a day, for whatever people and things in my life. And I noticed that it did bring me happiness. I expressed thanks for my car, my computer, my apartment, my shoes, my teeth, my eyes, my hands, my feet, my health, and so on.

“Then, something good happened; I started feeling much better every day! Moreover, I saw that God will smooth the path to our achieving what we currently don’t have if we appreciate what we already do have.

“Now I see that thankfulness is the miraculous path to happiness for today and tomorrow and all our tomorrows.”

“Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.” — Lucius Annaeus Seneca

As with Tom, we must be thankful and look for the best in all circumstances, taking the time to thank God and bringing to mind His love and faithfulness. Let’s appreciate and focus on all that is right in our lives.

What we choose to send out via our thoughts, words and deeds can return, like a boomerang, back to us. Gratitude enlarges the heart and allows even more goodness to enter it, thus helping us to create the future we desire.

And when an attitude of gratitude becomes a habit, you recognize that your days are filled with infinite possibilities to create the life of your dreams. It’s just the beginning of greater things to come. Miracles can still happen. And your breakthrough is within reach.

So set aside nervous cares, unresolved issues and worries, and offer prayers and praises to God. Erase all thoughts of negativity and daily:

Thank God for what He has done. Rejoicing in all the ways that God has guided you in the past, can make a difference in your outlook.

Praise God for all He is doing now. Counting your blessings will reinforce your faith.

Express gratitude to God for what He is yet to accomplish. Always direct your attention toward God for He is engineering wonderful things for your future.

Then, all through the day, say, “Thank you, God, for all you have given to me. Thank you for my health. Thank you for my family and friends. Thank

you for how far You have brought me already.”

And, next, thank Him for all the love, joy and victory He is planning on your behalf. The more grateful you are and the more you help other people, the more goodness you will attract into your life.

One idea to get yourself in a place of reflection and thankfulness is to create a “Gratitude Journal.” Keep a notepad and pen on your nightstand and, before bedtime and on a regular basis, record two or three things for which you are grateful. Write about whatever was good and right for that particular day. Then, thank God for each blessing.

After a while, you might begin to include in your gratitude journal things that perhaps you wouldn’t have otherwise noticed.

Here’s a great tip: Whenever you are feeling anxious or upset, read over your journal for a great pick-me-up. By recounting all that God has done for you, you’ll discover there is more to be thankful for than you realize.

I’d like to encourage you to look around this week. Think about your blessings past and present, write about them, and verbalize your thanks and appreciation to God and others.

Don’t ever get tired of thanking God for His goodness. Praise Him consistently, in all situations.

And tell other people what God has done: the miracles, the favor, His protection.

As you do, God will bestow His blessings in even greater portions. Get ready. God is going to surpass anything that you’ve seen before.

Email Catherine Galasso-Vigorito at cgv@anewyouworldwide.com. To order a copy of her new book, “The Open Window, 8 Weeks to Creating an Extraordinary Life,” visit www.anewyouworldwide.com or bookstores nationwide. Follow Catherine on Instagram @Catherinegalassovigorito.