Gratitude makes the world go round

I don’t believe it’s money, or love, that makes the world go round. I believe it’s gratitude and I’ll tell you why.

I was introduced to a weekly Gratitude Friday in January 2015. Every week for the year of 2015 I declared what I was grateful for each week, for 52 weeks. At the beginning I found it very challenging. I would actively look out for things to be grateful so I had something (anything!) to announce to the group online each Friday.

This got easier over time and often my post each week was filled with so much stuff. Eventually I had to get a gratitude diary and just post online to the group a summary of the week. As the year went on, life just got better and better. I made progress towards my goals, the right people I needed came into my life, my business got busier and life was good.

However, it didn’t mean that my world was filled with joy ALL the time. I had some really tough days. The worst was when it was clear that my Gran was getting quite ill. Yet somehow amongst all that I found something to be grateful for. In fact I started writing a book (yes another one!) on how much my greatest mentor had taught me.

But then it all went a bit wrong

In 2016, our group decided to do Gratitude Friday just once a month, on the last Friday of the month. I stopped looking so actively for things to be grateful for. In fact, there was moments in my life this year where I started taking things for granted.

Until last week

It might seem silly to non-pet lovers, but my cat, Sophie, went missing on Saturday during the day. This was odd for her as she is an incredible nervous cat and very unlikely to move into another home, which is what some cats are known to do. My partner started asking around some of our neighbours on Sunday to see if they had seen her. One then told us that there was fox in the neighbourhood and it had eaten another neighbour’s chickens. By Sunday night I was really worried about her and by Monday morning I was quite upset.

Then just as I was leaving the house for the office she ran up the drive! She was dirty and starving but safe and well. I later found out she had been locked in another neighbour’s garage all weekend.

All week, every time I looked at her I was filled with gratitude that she had been safe and returned home without any lasting damage. This morning it was clear to me that I also noticed that last week, my week had just kept getting better and better. By Friday, the things that were happening were just awesome! And then the icing on the cake was a visit to Gran on Sunday at the nursing home. She was still immobile and in bed (full blown miracles were still not at play…yet!) but she was very lively and talkative, which is something that has been missing this year.

I believe money helps our life tremendously

I also believe love is a beautiful feeling that can warm our hearts on the coldest day. But gratitude brings joy and mini miracles every day and to those who are single, depressed and skint. Gratitude is available at any time of the day to everyone.

Moments when our breath is suspended in time, due to the most amazing view, feeling or experience that is unfolding for us, is what I love about life. This is why I mentioned gratitude in Successful Business Minds. It really does work for our business AND our personal life.

If things are not going so well and you don’t see a way out

Start looking at what you do have to be grateful for. That could just be being able to walk, stand up and/or go to the toilet on your own. Or maybe it’s that you are able to do some of the things you love doing like crosswords and reading. Simple things for most people, but not for my gran.

I encourage you to take a moment today, every day and tell someone what you are grateful for, even if that’s just yourself.

As always, take care x

Helen Monaghan

Chartered Management Accountant and Author of Successful Business Minds, The Magical Mix of Money & Tax and 12 Steps to Improve Your Cashflow.

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