For most of my adult life I practiced “convenient gratitude”. In other words, when things were working out in my favor I was thankful and felt on top of the world. When the opposite occurred, I often became angry and frustrated. Fortunately, as we get older most of us become a lot wiser.
Over the last few years, I have engaged in a practice of showing gratitude for each and every experience in my life. Whether I determine my experience to be “good” or “bad” I express gratitude. It can admittedly be a bit challenging to express gratitude when we experience a major setback or outright defeat however, it can be liberating to know that we each have a choice as to how we perceive our setbacks. I created and review my P.O.W.E.R. of gratitude as a constant reminder to stay grounded in the present moment.
P=Patience. By learning to express gratitude for every experience in my life I have become more patient. I realize that a setback is a lesson that I need to learn. It is my choice as to what I do with this knowledge.
O=Opportunity. Expressing gratitude for all of my experiences lets the universe know that I am a responsible steward. I am opening the doorway to greater opportunity and I am welcoming abundance into all areas of my life.
W=Well Being….Gratitude brings with it a sense of calm which is great for our physical and emotional health. Taking personal responsibility in our lives is far less stressful than always searching for someone or something to blame.
E=Ego…..When I express gratitude I am sending a strong message to my ego that there is a power far greater than myself that is co-creating my life.
R=Reciprocity…The expression of gratitude for all of our experiences establishes a reciprocal relationship with the universe. You are saying “thank you” and the universe is saying “your welcome”.
We are all going to have high and low moments in our lives. When we look back it is easy to recognize that most of what we thought were “bad” experiences actually lead us to something better. This is precisely why I have made the decision to express gratitude for all my life experiences. Life is good!!!
I welcome your thoughts and feedback.
John Page Burton 
I appreciated your honesty in admitting to practicing “convenient gratitude.” It’s something that many of us do very well. Once we get into the habit of a daily practice of gratitude, life changes for the better and we are able to appreciate both the good things and the not-so-good. We consciously look for ways to be grateful and your P.O.W.E.R. acronym is a great way to start. Thanks for this article!
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Your welcome! Gratitude for ALL experiences is a very humbling way to live life. Practice is the key and you are right when you say that life does change for the better through a daily practice of gratitude. Thank you for your contribution to this post. Be blessed!
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