The power of gratitude in wealth creation

We’ve often heard from various avenues how grateful we should be. Whether it’s from parents, friends, church, work or seminars, someone has probably told you to be thankful at one time or another.

It is easy to be grateful when things go our way – when we get a client, a job, a good house, a car, a promotion, a pay rise … but when things don’t go our way, it’s hard to see anything to be thankful for.

We have a checklist of things that have to happen before we can be grateful: if only I had more money, there would be so much more to be grateful about – I would get out of debt, pay fees without the drama, have a better life, save, invest, help others ...  We tell ourselves that other people around us have

the luxury of being grateful. You look at them and make up a story about how their lives are and how you wish you were in their shoes.

When you are going through certain challenges and somebody tells you to be grateful you brush it of because they just don’t understand your burden and what it is like to be in your situation.

But I have learnt two things about life. One being that there is always something to be grateful for.  Even if it’s the fact that you can breathe or that you can read this article. Secondly, there is power in gratitude. And this definitely shows in how we approach money, which is one of the areas many of us have challenges with.

I have a two-year-old son and he is at that stage when his behaviour sometimes results in painful consequences. The other day he was sent to the “naughty corner” for misbehaving. He went crying. In his eyes, it was the worst thing that could happen.

However, after a few minutes, whilst still sitting alone, he started singing, playing with his feet, etc. When he had paid his price and done his time, I allowed him to get back up and rejoin society.

He actually thanked me as he went back to play. Talk about gratitude in the midst of the storm! The “Thank you Mummy” really got me thinking about my own approach to the storms of life.

NAUGHTY CORNER OF YOUR FINANCES

So you are going through a hard time financially. You are in the naughty corner of your finances. You are in a situation (whether it’s your fault or not) that may seem so bleak. But even so, you have something. What is that? Just the way my son realised that even though I punished him, I could not take away his voice and ability to sing. 

What is your song?  You may have lost your biggest client, but you have three other smaller ones. You may be in debt, but you have a job.

You may not know how you are going to pay fees this term, but you have a brain and a voice that can negotiate some terms for you.

I remember once having to hold on to the fact that I was mentally able. Just like my son first cried, it is healthy to go through the emotion of feeling bad. But don’t let that be all you see. We are told to seek and we shall find. Start looking for the light, any light, in the dark tunnel.

When you do identify it, let it become more important to you than the bad situation at hand. I noticed as my son was singing, that his voice kept getting louder.

The boy actually started enjoying himself. What would happen if you decided to enjoy your work in the midst of financial agony? Wouldn’t your energy or positive attitude reflect on your work?

Wouldn’t you get better at it or get an inspired idea, which can actually help you with your financial situation? You never solve a problem by wallowing in self-pity.

No one gets out of debt by thinking about debt. They get out of debt by being in the proper mind frame to recognise opportunities to create income, which pays off the debt. No one grows a business by getting discouraged about not having 300 clients.

They grow by appreciating the one client they have, serving them well, which leads to more clients. No one gets a promotion by simply detesting his or her current role.

Gratitude enables you to separate yourself from your situation. Just because my son was in punishment did not lead him to act like he was in punishment. Do not let your situation become your identity.

You may have spent money badly for many years and that has gotten you into a lot of problems. Be grateful that there is money that presents itself to be spent (albeit having been done in the wrong way) and start doing something different tomorrow. It won’t fix all your problems at once, but you’ll start thinking differently and solutions will start being amplified. Your song will get louder and louder.

Lastly, what if we just dared to say thank you to our financial misery. Just like my son told me thank you. What would you see?  Maybe an answer, a different perspective, the lesson, the growth that has come with the situation, a hidden talent, a resource, access to help ... Just try. It can’t hurt more than what you are going through.

I know it works because I built a business by being grateful that I was mentally able. I read a quote which says: It’s not happy people who are thankful, it’s thankful people who are happy. Have a grateful weekend.