The Power of Gratitude

At our March AoP Summit, we asked participants what possibilities they were interested in. Sixty-seven percent indicated “Emotional Wellbeing”. Research has consistently shown that gratitude is strongly associated with greater happiness and positive emotions. I recently had a dear friend pass who was diagnosed with stage-4- pancreatic cancer and was given only a few weeks to live. Instead, she lived another 30 months, and while undergoing a myriad of treatments, she made a significant shift by beautifully integrating a practice of gratitude into her life. Even when I was at her bedside in her final days, she was so grateful for her life and very much at peace with where she was going next.

Inspired by her, I became more curious about gratitude. I realized my weak attempts at a gratitude journal were not cutting it. I could not access the power of gratitude without a consistent, intentional, heartfelt approach. I’m learning gratitude, and deep appreciation has the power to immediately lift our spirits, creating a greater sense of both well-being and our own possibility.

xx Kathleen