I am an ex-U.S. Army soldier myself, so I have a special appreciation for those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice so that I could have the freedom and the opportunity to sit here, safe and secure in my home, writing this tribute to them.

As we all go about our activities this holiday weekend, hitting pools, ponds, beaches and barbeque’s, don’t forget to remember that while you’re out partying like a rock star, there are soldiers who never came home, children without one of their parents, and family members who will never again see their son, daughter, brother, or sister.

It’s not about being down and depressed about it, it’s about celebrating the freedom that we have, showing gratitude for those who made it possible, and never taking it all for granted.

As you tip a glass this weekend, and officially kick off your summer, give a moment of remembrance to those who made it possible, and then make the rest of the party – and the rest of your life – something that was worthy of their sacrifice.

Much gratitude to Domestic Divapalooza for gathering a list of Memorial Day tribute blog posts!

No matter what you call it, or how you define it, the simple truth remains that human beings have the ability to manipulate their lives in order to get exactly what they want, and that thought fills me with joy on a regular basis.

However, the problems start when people start thinking along the lines of “Well, if I have unlimited power, then I can manipulate other people as well”.

Ummm…no, it doesn’t work that way. Each person does have unlimited power, but their power is over themselves and their own experiences, not to control other people’s lives. Can you imagine the chaos if we were all imbued with the ability to control each other’s thoughts and actions like pieces on a chess board??

That’s not the Law of Attraction – that’s anarchy!

So, in doing my part to educate the masses (which actually means I’m educating myself, for you Ho’oponopono fans), I have put together this list of 10 Things you Can’t do with the Law of Attraction. Enjoy!

You can’t manufacture Money

The belief that you can sit around visualizing millions of dollars, and then suddenly they will just show up for you is nothing less than a total fantasy. As James Arthur Ray says, if you sit around on your couch doing nothing but visualizing being rich, they’ll come and take your furniture away!

Law of Attraction Equivalent: What you can do is visualize being rich or abundant, and then pay attention to what starts happening in your life. The Law of Attraction will line you up with opportunities to gain wealth, but if you don’t get up and take action when you are inspired to do so, visualizing will do very little except help you to realize what it feels like to have a bunch of money in your head, but nowhere else…

You can’t make people do Things

Despite your own unlimited power over your life, you have zero power to influence what other people do. Focusing on the desire to see your boss come groveling before you asking for respect and begging to give you a raise will just make it that much harder when he/she instead comes to your desk and yells at you for sitting around daydreaming.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: The LOA is all about resonance, not attraction. You will resonate with certain people and experiences, so those people and experiences will then show up in your life. If you want people in your life to do certain things, then focus on what it will feel like when those certain things happen. They will then be delivered, but they will very likely be delivered in a way – or by a person – that are a far cry from actual control over any specific individual.

You can’t impose ill-will onto Others

Just like you can’t control other people’s actions, you can’t wish for bad things to happen to other people, either. Also, based on the fact that you will be attracting things that resonate with you, it is far more likely that you will end up with some ill-will in your life, rather than the other person.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: If you truly want something negative to befall someone else (and shame on you for thinking that!) it is because you want to feel a certain way. You want to feel vindicated, vengeful, righteous, or whatever. Although most people would consider those to be negative emotions, again, the LOA is about resonance. By focusing on feelings such as that, you will eventually attract the circumstances that will allow you to feel that way. You may not like it when it actually happens, but that is a discussion for another day…

You can’t make someone love You

Relationships are all about you, not about the other person. By trying to impose your will of “love” onto someone else so that they will love you, the vibrations that you will be sending out into the universe will be those of lack, loneliness, low self-esteem, etc. If you continually send out those vibrations – even if you don’t realize that you are doing it – all you will attract are more opportunities to continue to feel that way.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: If you want someone to love you, it is because you want to feel a certain way. You are likely looking for feelings of confidence, safety, nurturing, passion, happiness, and similar concepts. In order to bring those things into your life, you need to focus on those feelings. The LOA will then deliver opportunities for you to feel those things, although for the record, there is a very real chance that those opportunities will not be with the person that you tried to make love you.

You can’t force your children to Change

What parent wouldn’t want to just wave a magic wand and have their children suddenly start doing well in school, having good health and social relationships, and start building a great future for themselves? Ask yourself this, however: Is that what YOU want, or what the child wants?

Law of Attraction Equivalent: Once you get past your own selfish desires, if your goal is truly the happiness, health, and success of your children (for them, not for you), then that is what you need to focus on. By using the power of the LOA to benefit another human being, you will attract opportunities for that human being to benefit from your efforts. However, that individual needs to accept the opportunities that are presented to them. You can only lead them to the door; they have to open it.

You can’t make other people Understand

Most people who learn great things or become “enlightened” immediately want to start spreading the wealth. They want other people to know what they know, and by educating the masses, will be doing their part to make the world a better place. Here’s the thing, though: People will only attract the knowledge of better days and levels of enlightenment when they are ready to. The fact that you personally understand the LOA is completely irrelevant to someone who isn’t ready to learn about it.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: You are looking at an example of the LOA equivalent right now! I understand the Law of Attraction, so rather than going outside and grabbing people off the street, and then forcing them to sit down and learn about it, I just put my knowledge out there. I write these words with the sincere intention for them to be of good use to other people, and then I just send my words out into the world and release them. You can do exactly the same thing, whether that be via blogging, writing books, podcasting, praying, or even just sending out good thoughts to the world. Put the intention out there, and then let it go.

You can’t ignore Reality

If something that you consider negative happens, then it happens. Ignoring it will not make it go away. You can’t sit there on the side of the road after having run out of gas and say, “But how
did this happen? I was using the Law of Attraction to keep my gas tank full!”

Law of Attraction Equivalent: Again, it boils down to knowing when to take action. If you consistently use the LOA principles in order to always have plenty of gas in your car, then you will be presented with opportunities to do exactly that. They may come in a myriad of different forms, but I guarantee you that none of those forms will include watching your gas gauge plummet, yet doing nothing about it. Remember, it is all about knowing when to take action on the clues that the Law of Attraction puts before you.

You can’t attract what you don’t truly Want

This is a really tough one for a lot of people because everyone thinks that they know what they want, at least in a general sense. Here’s a newsflash for you, however, again compliments of James Arthur Ray: If you really wanted it, you would already have it! If your life right now includes a lack of financial abundance, a lack of career opportunities, continual bad relationships, etc., that is because deep down inside you are attracting those things, even if you aren’t consciously aware of doing so.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: It’s called “conscious creation” for a reason! You need to consistently focus on the things that you think you want, because by failing to do so, your subconscious will simply keep creating and recreating the scenarios that have led you to where you are right now. Unless you take the action of consciously focusing – consistently and passionately – on a life different than the one that you are presently leading, nothing will significantly change.

You can’t suspend Disbelief

If someone thinks that anything is possible with the Law of Attraction, so they jump off of a building and think that they can “attract” a miraculous rescue before they hit the ground, what do you think is going to happen? Although seemingly miraculous rescues are possible, the LOA did not work for that jumper because deep down inside – again referring to the subconscious – that person did not truly believe that someone or something was going to keep them from hitting the ground. So, of course, no miraculous rescue manifested itself.

Law of Attraction Equivalent: If you truly want to change your belief system about any given thing, then you need to do exactly that. Once again, we refer back to the fact that you have to consciously create the life that you want to be living. So, if you want to change your belief systems about anything from empty gas tanks to jumping off of buildings, you need to immerse yourself in the study of concepts that will allow you to reprogram beliefs that have likely been buried in your subconscious for decades.

You can’t do Nothing

I saved this one for last because I think that it sums up everything that has already been stated.

The Law of Attraction is not some mystical, “wave a magic wand” type of ability where you can just sit on your throne manifesting all of these wonderful people and experiences into your life. You must TAKE ACTION!

In addition, as with all methods of attaining our desires, we must take consistent action. One session of intense visualization, or reading through some affirmations once in awhile is not going to cut it. If you truly want to harness the universal power of the Law of Attraction, then you need to practice its principles on a regular basis, preferably every single day.

By sitting around and thinking that you can just “wish” your way to success, all you will do is cause yourself to believe less and less in the power of the Law of Attraction, which will in turn cause it to be less and less effective in your life.

Here’s the best part, though: All of the principles that are used to invoke the Law of Attraction will also serve to make a better life for you, even if you are not a believer. So if you know for a fact that you can improve your life, it costs little or nothing to do so, and no one else even needs to know that you are doing it, my only question is this:

Why wouldn’t you do that???

In November 2006 I put together a post about Ho’oponopono after listening to a very informative conference call with Dr. Joe Vitale. I have just listened to a second call, this time with Mabel Katz, 10-year Ho’oponopono veteran who is the author the book ‘The Easiest Way: Solve Your Problems and Take the Road to Love, Happiness, Wealth and the Life of your Dreams‘, which is based on the Ho’oponopono principles and how to apply them to your life.

I was impressed not just with the amount of knowledge that Mabel Katz has about Ho’oponopono, but more importantly, with her understanding of how to incorporate it into your life in order to achieve success. Briefly, here are some of the highlights from the call that I felt were worth sharing.

There are 4 general phrases that most people are familiar with when it comes to using Ho’oponopono, and in no particular order they are: “I Love You”, I’m Sorry”, Please Forgive Me”, and Thank You”. How and when to use those phrases was one of the first questions that was answered on the call.

The answer was that in order to get the benefit of using these phrases in order to do what is called “cleaning,” you should focus on what feels right for you, not what someone else says that you should do. Understanding why you use the phrases is far more important than exactly how you use them.

The purpose behind using these phrases to “clean” is nothing more mysterious than what Law of Attraction proponents would call the “art of allowing”. In laymen’s terms, it means to recognize something that you do not wish to have in your existence, give yourself permission to see it and form an opinion about it, make an intention about what you want to happen, and then just let it go.

Many people have also called this process “Letting go and letting God,” which is the same concept.

When using the Ho’oponopono phrases, you should focus on releasing your negative thoughts and emotions, rather than getting hung up on the process itself. You must truly give yourself permission to not just let go of your negative feelings, but to let go of your attachment to a resolution as well!

For instance, if you are fighting with your children (See? Ho’oponopono for the kids!), then you must allow yourself to recognize the contrast of that conflict as being a part of you, not a part of them. You cannot be a quality parent to your child if you don’t recognize your own inner struggles first. One you have done so, then you can truly “let go” of your desire for conflicts to be resolved.

Now, make no mistake. Letting go does not mean that you do not want something, but rather that you are giving yourself permission to be happy even if it doesn’t happen.

As the old saying goes, what we resists, persists. If you are attached to being a great parent and raising your children to be model members of society, then you will be clinging to the fear that you might not succeed. Then, being the Master Manifester that you are, you will allow that lack of success to come into your life.

We sabotage our success by even having expectations! Whenever we “hope” that some solution will present itself, by hoping, we have unconsciously given ourselves permission to believe it is possible that the solution will not manifest.

Always remember that your primary job in life is to simply be happy.

You cannot be happy if you need someone to do something, or if you need some circumstance to manifest before you can experience happiness. You can only truly be happy when you are able to say “Yes, I want this to happen, but I will still be happy even if it doesn’t”.

Not very many people truly and 100% honestly have the ability to do that, which is why so many people meet with only limited success when trying to use tools such as Ho’oponopono or the Law of Attraction.

Yes, you can have desires. However, if you want to call upon the power of what or who you personally consider to be all powerful, you have to be willing to let go of your attachment to whether or not you actually get what you want.

Yes, it is difficult to not care whenever your rent is late, you don’t have the money to get your car fixed, or if you are concerned about the health of a loved one.

However, if your true desire is to resolve those situations, then you must recognize that healing or fixing negative circumstances is really all about healing or fixing you. From your point of view, you are the center of the universe. You always have been and you always will be!

If you want to incorporate the 4 key phrases into your use of Ho’oponopono, here is an outline that you can follow whenever you come upon a negative set of circumstances:

“I Love You” - Recognize the fact that it truly is all about you, and that you are so very worthy of as much self-love as you can muster!

“I’m Sorry” – You are apologizing to yourself because, as the conscious creator of your life, if you become aware of negativity, you are the one who created it. This apology is not about blame, however, but rather about recognizing the contrast that you have allowed into your existence.

“Please Forgive Me” – Again, you are forgiving yourself, not the people or circumstances who have brought this negativity into your life. You are both the people and the circumstances. It’s all you.

“Thank You” – Simple gratitude. You are thanking yourself not only for bringing the contrast into your life to begin with, but for now allowing yourself the opportunity to “clean” that negativity away, effectively erasing it from your very existence.

So, does all of this sound wishy-washy, completed unfounded in any scientific proof, and generally unbelievable?

Well, then, it won’t work for you! Consider concepts such as Ho’oponopono, the Law of Attraction, and even religious beliefs as being the same thing as strong political views, or even parenting styles.

If you don’t believe in a certain way of life, then trying to force yourself to live that lifestyle will never work. It’s simply not who you are.

However, if you do believe in concepts such as these, or if you are willing to open yourself up to the fact that there are concepts or belief systems that have not yet been a part your experience, then Ho’oponopono is definitely worth you taking the time to learn more about.

Here are links to resources where you can get more information:

My previous post on Ho’oponopono

Mabel Katz’ book, ‘The Easiest Way‘

Dr. Joe Vitale’s book, ‘Zero Limits‘

Audio Recordings of the Beyond Manifestation weekend

Here’s what’s funny, though. I honestly can’t remember the last time that I felt more relaxed and welcome.

We were visiting the family of a married couple that we are friends with and by the end of the weekend it seemed like we were ALL part of the family. Despite the fact that it seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere, I honestly didn’t want to leave.

We did a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, but it wasn’t even that we had some great agenda of mind-blowing activities. We pretty much just sat around and talked, played some games, visited some of the locals, enjoyed some great food and drinks, and got some sleep.

The Gratitude that my wife and I feel towards our friends and their family for including us in their holiday is impossible to measure and I found myself asking my wife to be sure to send them an honest to goodness Thank You card, something that I almost never do.

It was one of the best Thanksgiving holidays that I have ever had, and I want to share some of the highlights and pictures with each of you. I hope that your holiday was equally full of heart-felt gratitude and that you are going into the rest of the holiday season motivated and happy just to be living each moment.

In the meantime, here are some of the things that I learned while I was in Hayesville:

1) You can get a very tasty and filling meal for dirt cheap at the Hayesville Family Restaurant, whose employees wear shirts that say “H.F.R.” I’ll leave it up to you to decide what that stands for…

2) When the host is a master carpenter, it is possible to party in a house whose BASEMENT included: a pool table, a pottery wheel and kiln, a full-size entertainment room with big-screen TV, a full bar with refrigerator and an ice maker, 2 bedrooms, and 2 bathrooms. And that’s just in the basement.

3) When you are experiencing southern hospitality, you can hang out in the main living area of a huge, beautiful house, but most of you will just sit at the breakfast bar because that’s where the coffee and the conversation will flow for so long that you’ll quickly realize that you chit-chatted clean through the lunch hour and you haven’t even had a shower yet.

4) You can bring the family dog along for the fun, but that won’t stop some of the local college kids from bringing their own adorable puppy to the party, and then going to the Flea Market the next day to buy a Jack Russell Terrier. Yes, the Flea Market.

5) Apparently the Pursuit of Trivia is big business in those foothills and I’m proud to say that when the gals challenged the guys to a late-night game, we brought home the trophy despite the fact that I don’t remember ANYONE getting very many of the questions right!

6) No matter how much you’ve had to eat, you’ll still want to stop by the roadside stand to pick up some homemade apple butter and boiled peanuts. Don’t eat too much, though, because you might just end up eating a Jambalaya later that same day that’ll make you sweat and beg for more at the same time.

7) College football lasts all day long when you’ve got enough channels on the big screen to switch around on. And, with the bar, the refridgerator, and 2 separate bathrooms all within 20 feet of the TV, you can (and will) sit there ALL day watching it!

The average age-range at a party in Hayesville goes anywhere from around 13 years old to over 60, and every single person interacts and has fun with every other person there. In fact, if you’re not careful, you’ll pick up an adopted family or two before you leave.

9) The average side road through the hills is not very wide, so when you are on the way home be sure to watch what you say about that person who is coming at you from the other direction and taking up too much space on the road. After you curse them, you JUST might find out that it was one of your relatives making a late run for the party you just left!

And finally,

10) You have not witnessed friendship, hospitality, or good old-fashioned happiness to be alive until you have spent Thanksgiving dinner with people who have literally known each other for DECADES and would still give each other the shirt off their backs. Or, they would give YOU that shirt, too, even though they’ve only known you for a few hours.

Welcome to the South. I hope you enjoyed your visit!

Not quite to Hayesville, this was one of our stops for food on the way. A full-service Chick-Fil-A family restaurant called The Dwarf House. It even had a tiny dwarf door that you could walk through!

One of many spectacular pictures taken from the back deck of the house where we ate Thanksgiving Dinner. The weather was incredible considering that it was late November.

Another shot from the same location right before the sun dropped behind the hills.

Two of the locals who have been doing what they do there in Hayesville forever and a day. They entertained us with some great music. That was AFTER one of the other locals gave us a private air show in his bi-plane!

This was our botched attempt at getting pictures of horses. We couldn’t get any good shots while we were driving, so we decided to just take pictures of cows and hope that no one would know the difference…

Our last night in Hayesville we attended the 50th birthday party of one of the family friends. Ironically enough, this 50th birthday party was where I witnessed my first keg stand! For the record, there was a 70-plus year old woman who stepped up to the keg, but her husband pulled her back before she got lifted up. She got an “A” for making the attempt, though!

Based on what I know, I would recommend that you DO spend more time learning about and practicing Ho‘oponopono, and if you take that advice, Dr. Joe Vitale is the man who you want to learn about it from. Dr. Vitale’s passion on this subject is amazing, and as of this date (November 7, 2006) he already has a book in the works on this very subject called Zero Limits.

The basic idea behind Ho‘oponopono stems from the meaning of the word, given to us by the Hawaiian culture. Loosely translated, Ho‘oponopono means “to set things right”, or, in more simple terms, to fix stuff!

Everyone has things that they want to have fixed, and Ho‘oponopono is not only a powerful way to fix literally everything that you can imagine, but it is so ridiculously simple to use that there is really no reason to not take advantage of this powerful technique.

The basic concept behind Ho‘oponopono is going to first require you to realize the immutable fact that your entire existence comes from within, not from outside of yourself.

John Assaraf does a great job of vocalizing this concept during part of his teachings in the movie ‘The Secret‘. John says “There is no ‘out there’ and ‘in here’”, and that is the very truth of our Universal existence.

We are all one with all things at all times. That may be tough to grasp for some, but it’s true. We are all simply extensions of “source energy”, which is the very “stuff” that the entire Universe is made out of.

So, if we are made out of this source energy – which we are, and based on Quantum Mechanics, we are all creators of our own existence (which we are), then one very simple truth rears it’s head for all to see, and it is quite undeniable:

Everything is your Creation!

Everything that you see, hear, feel, smell, touch, think, remember, or emotionally react to – these are all things that YOU have created. And yes, that includes the good, as well as the bad. Each of these things exists because on some level you want them to exist, which takes us back to Ho‘oponopono.

If everything that you perceive in the world exists BECAUSE you perceive it, can you guess what amazing and God-like power you have at your very fingertips?

That’s right. You can either make more of it, or you can make it go away!

No, I’m not talking about creating thousand dollar bills out of thin air, or wishing away annoying in-laws. However, it is indeed possible for you to create your life so that you HAVE thousand dollars bills, or that your in-laws are no longer an annoyance to you.

That tip alone is probably worth the price of admission, right?

How is all of this done via Ho‘oponopono? By simply accepting responsibility.

When you truly grasp and get your head around the fact that you are literally creating every single piece of your existence – from the smallest molecule up through the tallest skyscraper, from the most heart-felt Love to the most gut-wrenching hatred – then you realize that you can effect change over each and every one of those things because you are responsible for them being there to begin with.

You do this simply by showing Gratitude for the things in your life that you are thankful for and that you want to grow and flourish, and by showing Forgiveness for the things that you want to go away or diminish.

Now, let’s see if you have been paying attention:

If you are responsible for all things in your existence – the good as well as the bad – and you have the power to diminish or to allow those things to grow simply by showing Gratitude or Forgiveness, who are you showing Gratitude and Forgiveness TO?

……

……

……

Okay, time’s up. It’s YOU! If you created something that is wonderful, you are thanking yourself for doing so, thus ensuring future occurrences of that same positive behavior. If you created something terrible, then you are forgiving yourself for doing it, thus making sure that it doesn’t happen again in the future.

Here is where it gets tough to swallow, but these concepts are just as true on a “microcosm” level as they are on a “macrocosm” level:

You are responsible for everything that is part of your existence. I always like the bad news first, so I’ll share that courtesy with you (thus creating more courtesy for myself, if you’ve been paying attention):

Terrorism is your fault. Murder is your fault. Famine and disease are your fault. School shootings are your fault. Taxes are your fault.

OUCH! That hurts, doesn’t it? You bet it does. But here’s the good news:

Love is your fault. Childbirth is your fault. Families are your fault. Friends are your fault. Medical miracles are your fault. Firemen are your fault. Pets are your fault. A child’s curiosity is your fault. Unadulterated JOY is all YOUR fault!

Are you starting to see your power now? You can do it all. In fact, you ARE doing it all. Right now, at this very moment as you read this. You are both creating and destroying your world, because it is all YOU.

When you go to bed tonight and you can’t sleep, you created that. When you pass out face down on your pillow and get the best night’s sleep of your life, you created that, too.

When you get out of bed in the morning and it’s raining so hard that you can’t even see your car in your own driveway, that is your creation. When you get up in the morning and you are greeted by a dawn that could literally be the dawning of Time itself (and it is), that is also your creation.

It’s all you. All the Good, all the Bad, and everything in between. And you can control these things by learning to control your Gratitude and your Forgiveness reactions to them with <a href="http://www.todayisthatday.com/blog/recommended/beyondmanifestat
ion.php”>Ho‘oponopono.

Different practitioners have different methods of invoking the power of Ho‘oponopono, but since I believe in Dr. Joe Vitale (after all, he is MY creation), I am utilizing his methods of invoking Ho‘oponopono, which can be summed up in the 4 phrases that he uses whenever he wants to invoke Ho‘oponopono, which is also called “cleaning”:

“I Love You”

“I’m Sorry”

“Please Forgive Me”

“Thank You”

That’s it! By creating a mantra of saying those 4 things pretty much as often as you can day after day and week after week, you will quickly come to the realization that by Loving yourself, by Apologizing to yourself when you have done something wrong, by Forgiving yourself for that wrong-doing, and by Thanking yourself for the opportunity to create Good, as well as to stop creating Bad, that you can create your life to be “right”.

Remember that the loose definition of Ho‘oponopono is “to set things right”. Since you are the sole creator of your entire existence, you have the power to create whatever “right” world that you want to live in, and you can do it by simply saying and believing those 4 simple phrases.
I know that for some of you, all of this may seem incredibly hard to believe. You refuse to grasp the fact that you are literally the very creator of the entire existence that you live, and that you can easily manipulate that existence with 4 sets of words.

So here is one more test for you:

If you don’t believe any of this, who created that disbelief?

Think about it.

And yes, I Forgive You.

If you are interested in Ho’oponopono, be sure to check out Joe Vitale’s DVD’s ‘Install and Transcend the Secret‘ and ‘The Missing Secret‘.

One of the reasons why it has not been a mainstream self improvement tool in the past is because it seems like common sense, so people don’t recognize a need to experience Gratitude on a much more fundamental level than simply being thankful for normal, every day things.

Even for people who tend to be more thankful than others, they still tend to slip into the mode of Gratitude being a non-descript part of their personality, rather than letting it shine through and become an active part of their daily lives. So active, in fact, that rather than getting buried with your other personality traits, it can and should become as second nature to you as breathing or blinking your eyes.

As with so many other things in our lives, it all goes back to the Law of Attraction – which is working for each of you right now, whether you believe it or not. We all constantly send out a vibration to the Universe. That vibration can only be one of two things – positive or negative. Positive vibrations bring great things into our lives, negative vibrations bring not so great things into our lives.

So ends the Law of Attraction Primer 101, but here begins your education on what any of this has to do with Gratitude. The emotion of Gratitude is one of the most positive emotions that you can experience, which means that it will attract the highest degree of positive things into your life each time you experience it.

In a way, it is like saying “thank you” to the higher power that gives and takes all things in our existence. Regardless of your religious or non-religious beliefs, there is one constant that can’t be denied, and that is that there is SOME power that is controlling all things.

By showing Gratitude to that power – regardless of what you call it – you are expressing the fact that you realize that you have been given some sort of a gift that has made your life a better place to be. That gift may be very large or very small, but your ability to show true, heartfelt Gratitude for that gift will ensure that more of the same continues to come to you in the future.

However, here is where a lot of people get tripped up. By saying “thank you” so many times in our lives, we tend to get numb to saying it. It’s just a habit, not a philosophy. Much like when someone says, “Have a nice day”. Our normal response is something along the lines of, “Thanks. You, too”.

Were you really all that grateful to that person for wishing you well, or was that just their job since they were your cashier or an employee somewhere? For that matter, did they even really mean it when they said it to begin with, or was it just a habit that they have, or an instruction that they were given?

If they didn’t really mean it, then why are you grateful that they said it? For that matter, if they didn’t really mean it, why did you return the favor by saying the same thing to them???

You and a complete stranger have just participated in a totally meaningless exchange of dialogue that didn’t mean squat to either one of you, yet both of you did it without even thinking about it.

Here’s a $10,000,000 tip for you, and don’t forget to tell your friends that you heard it here first:

That type of exchange is NOT going to bring you the positive repercussions that TRUE Gratitude will bring you. Let’s try it again with a better example:

You walk out of that same hypothetical store or building, and you have already forgotten the entire exchange. In fact, you have already moved on to thinking about the fact that you forgot to fill up your dog’s food dish before you left the house 9 hours ago, and you suddenly realize that your poor dog is probably starving!

You are so caught up in feeling horrible for starving your (blindly grateful) dog, that you don’t even realize that a car in the parking lot just ran right through a stop sign because the driver is looking at the coffee he just spilled in his lap. In fact, he doesn’t see YOU, either, and you are so racked with guilt about not feeding Fido that you are oblivious to the fact that you are about to be hit by a car!

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the same person who just told you to have a nice day has come running out of the building because you left your cell phone inside and he wanted to give it back to you before you got into your car and left.

That same person that less than 3 minutes ago you exchanged meaningless gratitude and “have a nice day” wishes with DOES see that you are about to be hit by a car. He yells at you just in time for you to see the car, almost have a heart attack, and then jump out of the way just in time to avoid getting plastered.

Here comes the big question: What is the very first thing that you say to that person?

THANK YOU!!

Only this time, guess what? You mean it! In fact, you mean it so much that you start scouring your brain trying to think of a way to express just how grateful you are to this person. You want to buy them dinner! You want to go in and tell their boss to make them Employee of the Month! You want to name your first born child after them!

Why? Because you are filled with GRATITUDE! This person just saved you from serious injury, if not from actually dying, and you cannot imagine enough Gratitude existing in the world for you to express to him how grateful you truly are.

And what about this person who was just trying to give you your phone back? He is smiling from ear to ear and feeling for all the world like every bad thing that happened to him today was well worth it if it meant that he could do you this huge favor and receive so much positive energy in return. In fact, he isn’t just happy, but he is filled with Gratitude, too!

Both of you are so happy and filled with Gratitude that there is a huge cloud of positive energy emanating from you, and by referring back to the Law of Attraction, what do you think is going to happen? You are going to attract MORE positive energy. In fact, you will attract so much that you are going to feel the need to give it away!

On your way home you give the whino on the corner $5. You help old Mrs. Grouchmeir take her garbage cans up from the curb. You buy Girl Scout cookies even though you never eat them. Then, when you get home, Fido is definitely grateful to see you, and not only do you give him a big bowl of food, but you decide he deserves a nice long walk tonight, too.

And why did all of this happen? Because you are grateful to be alive! You just had a brush with a seriously negative situation, and because someone else was trying to do something nice for you, both you and that person got to experience happiness and Gratitude. That in turn caused you both to want to spread that cheer to every other person that you saw that day.

THAT, my friend, is the power of Gratitude!

Ya gotta FEEL it, though, and it has to happen every single day, several times a day. Just “going through the motions” of Gratitude won’t get you very far. However, truly, honestly feeling Gratitude on a heartfelt level at every possible opportunity could literally save your life some day!

In the meantime, it will at least cause you to attract positive things into your life on a regular basis, and maybe Mrs. Grouchmeir won’t be so grouchy anymore after this!

Well, I guess that’s about all I can say about Gratitude right now, so there is only one thing left to close with:

Thanks for reading!!