One of my most favorite quotes about gratitude comes from Rumi.
Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.
We don't wear cloaks so often anymore,
But think about it for a second.
A cloak completely envelops you in a warm embrace.
You wear a cloak as protection against the cold and the wind.
Likewise,
We can wrap ourselves in gratitude as protection against the coldness of life.
When we wrap gratitude around us,
We are enveloped in the sense of warmth and well-being.
And gratitude infuses every corner of our life with joy.
It's impossible to live with a grateful heart and be unhappy.
Does that mean that we deny the cold and the wind?
The sad and lean times in life?
No.
The cloak exists to protect us from the cold and wind,
But the cold and wind still exist.
So wrapping yourself in gratitude doesn't mean that we will never be sad again,
Or that we will never have lean times again.
It means that we are protected from them.
That while they exist,
We will remain cozy and joyful in our cloak.
Gratitude is an attitude.
I know it sounds corny and like a meme on social media,
But it's true.
Gratitude requires action on your part.
Going back to our quote from Rumi,
If it's cold outside and you have a cloak but don't wrap it around you,
Then you're going to feel the cold.
The cloak is useless unless you use it.
Your gratitude cloak is the same.
You need to wrap it around you.
You need to practice gratitude to receive the benefits.
Thankfully,
The benefits of gratitude are immediate.
The moment you take action to wrap yourself in your gratitude cloak is the moment you begin to feel its protection.
The moment you express gratitude for something is the moment you feel joy.
It's backed by science.
You can't feel gratitude and negativity at the same time.
So in this podcast series,
I intend to introduce you to practices that will help you cultivate joy through gratitude.
Each session will unpack ways to introduce more gratitude into your life and therefore more joy.
Each step will be simple and easy to follow because there is nothing complicated about gratitude.
I'm glad you're here,
Setting your attitude to gratitude.
As you delve deeper into the power of gratitude,
I assure you joy will follow.
Now let me leave you with one easy question.
How often do you express gratitude for what you have?
Thanks for listening and I'll speak with you again really soon.
Namaste.
