Louise L. Hay is a metaphysical lecturer and teacher and the bestselling author of numerous books, including YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE and LIFE! REFLECTIONS ON YOUR JOURNEY. Since beginning her career as a Science of Mind minister in 1981, she has assisted thousands of people in discovering and using the full potential of their own creative powers for personal growth and self-healing. Louise’s works have been translated into 29 different languages in 35 countries throughout the world. She is the owner and founder of Hay House, Inc., a publishing company devoted to disseminating books, audios, videos, and other materials that help heal the planet.
I have noticed that the Universe loves gratitude. The more grateful you are, the more goodies you get. When I say “goodies,” I don’t mean only material things. I mean all the people, places, and experiences that make life so wonderfully worth living. You know how great you feel when your life is filled with love and joy and health and creativity, and you get the green lights and the parking places. This is how our lives are meant to be lived. The Universe is a generous, abundant giver, and it likes to be appreciated.
Think about how you feel when you give a friend a present. If the person looks at it and her face falls, or she says, “Oh, it’s not my size, or not my color, or I never use anything like that, or is that all there is,” then I am sure you will have little desire to ever give her a present again. However, if her eyes dance with delight, and she is pleased and thankful, then every time you see something she would like, you want to give it to her, whether you actually do so or not.
Gratitude brings more to be grateful about. It increases your abundant life. Lack of gratitude, or complaining, brings little to rejoice about. Complainers always find that they have little good in their life, or they do not enjoy what they do have. The Universe always gives us what we believe we deserve. Many of us have been raised to look at what we do not have and to feel only lack. We come from a belief in scarcity and then wonder why our lives are so empty. If we believe that “I don’t have, and I won’t be happy until I do…,” then we are putting our lives on hold. What the Universe hears is: “I don’t have, and I am not happy,” and that is what you get more of.
For quite some time now, I’ve been accepting every compliment and every present with: “I accept with joy and pleasure and gratitude.” I have learned that the Universe loves this expression, and I constantly get the most wonderful presents.
When I awaken in the morning, the first thing I do before I even open my eyes is to thank my bed for a good night’s sleep. I am grateful for the warmth and comfort it has given me. From that beginning, it is easy to think of many, many more things that I am grateful for. By the time I have gotten out of bed, I have probably expressed gratitude for 80 or 100 different people, places, things, and experiences in my life. This is a great way to start the day.
In the evening, just before sleep, I go through the day, blessing and being grateful for each experience. I also forgive myself if I feel that I made a mistake or said something inappropriate or made a decision that was not the best. This exercise fills me with “warm fuzzies,” and I drift off to sleep like a happy baby.
We even want to be grateful for the lessons we have. Don’t run from lessons; they are little packages of treasure that have been given to us. As we learn from them, our lives change for the better. I now rejoice whenever I see another portion of the dark side of myself. I know that it means that I am ready to let go of something that has been hindering my life. I say, “Thank you for showing me this, so I can heal it and move on.” So, whether the lesson is a “problem” that has cropped up, or an opportunity to see an old, negative pattern within us that it is time to let go of, rejoice!
Let’s spend as many moments as we can every day being grateful for all the good that is in our lives. If you have little in your life now, it will increase. If you have an abundant life now, it will increase. This is a win-win situation. You are happy, and the Universe is happy. Gratitude increases your abundance.
Start a gratitude journal. Write something to be grateful about each day. On a daily basis, tell someone how grateful you are for something. Tell sales clerks, waiters, postal workers, employers and employees, friends, family, and perfect strangers. Share the gratitude secret. Let’s help make this a world of grateful, thankful giving and receiving … for everyone!
