Dear Success Seeker,

In last month's newsletter I came clean and announced, "After 23 years of business coaching, I now realize that mindset and thought patterns are far more important than strategy." Radical stuff!

This month I will continue the 'power of the mind' theme by diving into one of the most incredible ways to program your mind for greater abundance, success and happiness. I'm referring to harnessing the power of gratitude.

The concept of gratitude is not breaking news and it sounds quite straightforward. However this topic has many levels and nuances. Most proponents of gratitude emphasize the positive thinking aspect but this is just the surface layer. I'm best known for diving into the meat of topics, so let's dig in!

Gratitude refers to our ability to feel and express thankfulness and appreciation.
Extensive research has shown that individuals who experience and express gratitude are happier, healthier and less stressed. However the power of gratitude goes far beyond feeling good internally. It can also help you achieve the success and material riches you are seeking.

The bottom line is that the fastest and most effective way to change your reality is to change your mind. What's great about this is that you have absolute control in this area. You can do it under any circumstances; it is instantaneous and it's free of charge. I'm going to show you three ways to change your mind to an attitude of gratitude. Every one of them is extremely powerful and the deeper you go, the more life-changing they become.

The first and most well-known aspect of gratitude involves shifting your outlook towards life and the world away from a negative, pessimistic view to a positive, abundant perspective. An undeniable law of the Universe is, 'what you focus on increases' so by simply shifting your attention to the positive aspects of a particular situation your experience life will automatically improve. Over time your external circumstances will follow suit thanks to the Law of Attraction.

You can find plenty of information and practices related to this level of gratitude in your local bookstore and on-line. Keeping a gratitude journal or writing a list of things you are grateful for each day is surprisingly powerful. So is expressing gratitude to others and looking for the positive in difficult situations. These practices alone will change your life.

But there's a second, more transformative level of practicing gratitude. At this level, instead of thinking about what you are grateful for you actually experience it in your body. Try this exercise now. Bring to mind something or someone you are grateful for. Create a mental list of all the things related to that person or thing for which you are grateful. Now close your eyes and go beyond thinking; feel the gratitude in your body. Breathe it in and allow it to expand. With practice you will notice a feeling of being lifted up that raises your energetic state. This increases and reprograms you for greater success at a cellular level.

Here is the third and least-known way to apply gratitude. It involves celebrating and using negative experiences to increase your level of gratitude. For example, in Canada we currently have a federal election campaign underway. It is easy to have negative thoughts about what is going on and some of the people involved. Here we can apply the first level of gratitude. Be grateful for the fact that we live in a democratic country, that we have elections and that there are people who are willing to get involved in politics and take care of things so we can focus on what we enjoy.

But there's a deeper level. When you catch yourself having judgements or being negative, you may feel self-critical and disappointed. But getting down on yourself for being negative just adds to your negativity. So flip it around. Celebrate the fact that you have become aware of an area where you still have healing to do. Awareness is the first step in all change; you can't change something until you realize it exists! So be grateful for your awareness and resolve to transform the area of negativity you have identified.

So there you have it. Embracing and practicing gratitude is truly the fastest way to accelerate your internal and external experience of life. Apply the three levels discussed here and I promise you will be amazed and delighted by the transformation that occurs!

Your Coach,

Andrew Barber-Starkey, Master Certified Coach
Founder and President, ProCoach Success System