The Lost Art of Thanks

I have started to notice the people who say 'thank you.' Maybe it is because I hear those words less and less. Do you? Gratitude, genuine gratitude is something that is always appreciated and usually opens doors that have previously been closed.

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! ~Henry Ward Beecher

[4] Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. [5] Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7 ESV)

I knew a man who was in a consultant position and was very good at what he did.
He was full of kindness and thanksgiving. There was a story that got out about him that once when he received a thank you note, he sent a thank you note to that person for sending him a thank you note. Some may perceive this as fake, not me, I knew this man and he was full of gratitude and it was natural coming from him. In fact he was a delightful person to be around.

A couple of years ago I started an experiment. I had watched a Zig Ziglar video where he challenged a woman to write down everything about her job (which she thought she hated) that she was thankful for. The list was well over 20 items that she was thankful for from this job which she thought she hated. My experiment was to see if I could become a genuinely thankful person. Each morning I would journal 10 things I was thankful for. Some days my lists looked like repeats from the days before, some days the lists were entirely new, some days the lists were private, some days I needed to share them with others. After several months of this discipline I started to notice that I was more generous, I began to look at the other person's point of view more, I noticed the little things my kids did, I told my wife I appreciated her more...I became a person who was a little fuller of thanks...and for that I keep trying to become more thankful.

Have you discovered a method to help you become a more grateful person?