The strongest medicine that is rarely talked about

I recently came across this wonderful article published by Manager many years ago.

I thought about the incredible power of Gratitude. About the changes this magical feeling makes to our bodies, to our thoughts, to our mood.

I've been writing them all down every day for several months things for which i am grateful The list was initially short, but with each passing day I discover more and more beautiful things for which I am grateful.

I discovered an amazing medicine, which instantly changes my mood from bad to good, good to great, and great to fantastic. Not only is it legal, but it's also free – and it doesn't seem to have any side effects.

My name is Dave and I am addicted to gratitude.

The strongest medicine that is rarely talked about

My road to addiction began when I interviewed leaders like Belfort director Sheldon Yellen and Gary Chesick of Chesick Restaurant. They didn't just talk about the power of gratitude, they practiced it daily.

Then I worked closely with my entrepreneur friend Andy Cohen, who built an entire real estate empire on the foundation of gratitude and service. Then I met the founder of the non-profit Donors Choose, Charles Best, who had literally been able to calculate the rate of return on gratitude in a specially controlled study.

Like any addiction, mine started with the establishment of small habits. I started by sending one thank you card a week. Today, I write three every morning on the train ride to work.

Meditation The Miracle of Gratitude in Action by Milena Goleva will help you build a positive attitude towards the world and life 

The happiness expert

Sean Archer taught me how important it is to write down three things I'm grateful for every morning. I started doing that too. Columbia Business School professor Srikumar Rao shared with me the magical effect of remembering five things I'm grateful for before going to bed at night. Now I do that too.

A few weeks ago we lost an important partner who ended their contract with us. The next morning I felt terribly depressed and in no mood for thank you cards. I pushed myself though, and by the time I finished the third, I was already feeling much better and full of hope. In fact, it is physiologically impossible to feel gratitude and anger or grief at the same time.

Last week

I was running on the path at home and at the tenth kilometer I started to feel the exhaustion. I couldn't do it anymore, but I wanted to run 12 kilometers. So for the next 10 minutes I started saying out loud all the things and people for whose presence in my life I am grateful. When I got to 150 people, I saw that I had reached my goal.

Recently, a father from my town said something bad to my child. I immediately felt anger towards this person and sadness for the unpleasant situation. A year ago I would have been trapped by these emotions.

Yesterday, however, I was quick to change my emotions to gratitude that my wife and I are parents who are very careful about what we say to our own children and to other children. And I immediately felt better.

I start and end team meetings with a moment of gratitude and our company is more productive than ever. Since I've been writing and talking about the importance of handwritten thank you notes, I've started getting two a day—and that's an even bigger reason to be thankful.

The most serious change in my life, however, is in regards to happiness.

I used to believe that I would never be happy - no matter what, I always wanted more. More money, more companies, more books, more children. I seriously believed that my dissatisfaction was good for me because it kept my ambition and hunger alive.

Now I feel the exact opposite – I believe I can always be happy because, no matter what, I have so many things to be grateful for. I still have the drive to succeed, but at the same time I'm also happy and that's amazing.

I've become addicted to the feeling of sincere gratitude and I'm not afraid to share it. It fills my days and for the first time in my life I can say that I am very happy.

Dave Kerpen, director of Likeable Local, for Inc.com

Source: www.manager.bg

And what are you grateful for NOW? After reading the article, write on a piece of paper all the things you are grateful for. Share in the comments and with all of us, let's spread THANKSGIVING today.

Look more: How to achieve harmony, health and happiness through gratitude?

Here is the most direct way to gratitude, through the magnificent guided meditation of Milena Goleva with the vocals of opera prima Alexandrina Pendachanska - The Miracle of Gratitude in Action