The Power of Gratitude: How to Live A Lifestyle of Thankfulness Beyond Thanksgiving

A peaceful morning can truly transform our perspective on the world around us! Just that simple moment—whether it’s the steam rising from your favorite mug or the gentle light streaming through the blinds—can lead us to explore gratitude as more than just a holiday habit. It can become a beautiful way of life that positively shifts our mood, mindset, and energy! By blending insightful research with timeless wisdom, we’ll uncover how practical and meaningful gratitude can be.

Together, we’ll look at some fascinating science that shows how gratitude can reshape our brains, enhance our sleep quality, boost our immune system, and strengthen our relationships. Plus, we’ll connect this to a universal spiritual principle supported by teachers from various traditions: gratitude paves the way for abundance. When we express thanks in advance, we harmonize our attention, emotions, and actions with positivity, even during uncertain times. Along the way, we'll identify three common obstacles to gratitude—comparison, entitlement, and distraction—and discuss how they can cloud our perspective and sap our energy.

To help make gratitude a part of your daily routine, I’m excited to share five simple practices you can start today! These include morning alignment before you even step out of bed, mood-boosting journaling, heartfelt expressions of appreciation, finding gratitude in difficult moments, and nightly reflections to rewire your brain toward positivity. We’ll conclude with a guided moment to cultivate gratitude in your body, reminding ourselves that every breath is a precious gift and every challenge presents an opportunity to grow.

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:47):
Welcome to Transformative Living Radio,
where we explore the power ofintentional change for personal
growth and fulfillment.
I'm Andre Flax, your host andcertified life and leadership
coach.
It was an early Saturday morningnot long ago when I sat quietly
at the kitchen island.
It was a morning that most of uswould have called ordinary.

(01:10):
The sun was spilling softlythrough the blinds, the smell of
herbal tea steaming in front ofme, and I could hear the faint
sound of life waking up outside.
Cars passing, birds calling, thehum of the day beginning.
Now there was nothing specialhappening.
I wasn't celebrating a win ormarking a milestone, but

(01:31):
something in that stillness hitme.
I thought, how often do I rushthrough moments like this,
missing the quiet gifts thatwere already right in front of
me?
That morning, I just said thankyou.
No elaborate prayer or request,just gratitude.
In that instant, I sensed ashift.

(01:51):
Not in my situation, but withinmy spirit.
The feeling of gratitudetransformed my internal
environment.
You see, gratitude isn't onlyfor mountaintop moments or
miracle breakthroughs.
It's a way of being.
A daily attitude that remindsus, even in ordinary, there's
something extraordinary to bethankful for.

(02:14):
So in today's episode, I want totalk about how to build a
lifestyle of gratitude.
Not just seasonal thankfulnessor a list of blessings written
down once a year, but aspiritual and scientific
approach that changes how wesee, feel, and experience
everything around us.
So grab a pen and a pad, and ifyou're ready, let's begin.

(02:40):
Hello and welcome to anotherempowering episode of
Transformative Living Radio.
I'm Andre Flax, your host andcertified life and leadership
coach.
As we approach the Thanksgivingholiday here in the United
States, I thought it would beappropriate to talk about
thankfulness, not in thetraditional sense, but in a
spiritual and scientific way oflife that transforms how we see,

(03:04):
feel, and experience everythingaround us.
Science tells us that gratitudechanges the brain.
Research from UC Davis andHarvard shows that people who
practice gratitude regularlyexperience more optimism, better
sleep, stronger immune systems,and deeper relationships.
Gratitude literally rewiresneural pathways to make us more

(03:29):
attuned to the positive aspectsof life.
Now, way before neurosciencecaught up, spiritual teachers
had already knew this truth.
In fact, in the Gospel of John,Jesus gave thanks before he
multiplied the loaves and thefishes.
Think about that.

(03:51):
That's the principle.
Gratitude precedes increase.
Neville Godd and Ernest Holmesboth taught that gratitude is
the evidence of faith.
It's the vibration that alignsyou with abundance.
When you give thanks in advance,you're saying to the universe or
to God, I trust that what I seekis already in motion.

(04:13):
And that trust is powerful.
You see, gratitude elevates yourfrequency, it opens your heart
and pours more of what youappreciate into your life.
As Ernest Holmes once said,quote, there is a law of
gratitude, it operates throughevery life and blesses all it
touches.

(04:34):
When you make gratitude yourspiritual practice, it becomes a
lens through which you seeeverything, even adversity.
It reminds you that life is nothappening to you, but for you.
Now, if gratitude is thelanguage of abundance, then
comparison, entitlement, anddistractions are the static that

(04:55):
blocks the signal.
So let's break down the threeenemies of gratitude.
The first is comparison.
Comparison whispers, you'rebehind.

(05:23):
You see, gratitude can't grow inthe soil of comparison because
it constantly says it's notenough.
Next, entitlement.
Entitlement is another thief.
It's the belief that you deservesomething before you appreciate
what you already have.
Entitlement closes the door togratitude because it turns

(05:47):
blessings into expectations.
And then there's the third enemycalled distraction.
This is perhaps the biggestbarrier in our modern day world.
We're constantly moving,scrolling, and reacting.
But gratitude requiresstillness, it thrives in
awareness.

(06:07):
As in Psalms 46, it reminds usto be still and know that I am
God.
You see, stillness allows theheart to open and see the divine
in the ordinary.
Now here's the truth thesunlight of gratitude is always
shining.
But if clouds of comparison,entitlement, and distraction

(06:28):
block your view, you forget thatit's there.
So how do we turn thankfulnessfrom something that we do during
the holidays into something thatwe live?
How do we make it our defaultsetting even in the hard times?
Well, let me give you five dailypractices grounded in both
spiritual and scientificevidence that can help you

(06:51):
cultivate a lifestyle ofgratitude.
Practice number one is morningalignment.
Before your feet hit the floor,name three things you're
thankful for.
You see, studies show thatstarting your day with gratitude
shifts the brain's chemistrytowards optimism.
Spiritually, it signals theuniverse that you're ready to

(07:13):
receive more of what youappreciate.
Practice number two is gratitudejournaling.
Dr.
Robert Emanz, a leadingresearcher on gratitude, found
that writing down threeblessings a day for two weeks
increases happiness and reducesdepression for months
afterwards.
He said, simply put, when wewrite it down, we anchor it.

(07:37):
Now, practice number three iscalled verbal appreciation.
You see, with gratitude, youjust can't feel it.
You have to speak it.
So tell people you appreciatethem.
Gratitude spoken out loudreinforces neural pathways and
strengthens relationships.
Proverbs 1821 says, Life anddeath are in the power of the

(08:01):
tongue.
When you speak gratitude, youspeak life.
Practice number four isgratitude in adversity.
This is where spiritual maturityshows up.
When challenges come, shift fromasking why me to asking what is
this teaching me?

(08:21):
You see, gratitude doesn'tignore pain, it transforms it
into wisdom.
Dr.
Joe Dispenza explains that whenwe feel gratitude during
difficulty, we signal the brainthat healing or breakthrough is
already on its way.
Practice number five is nightlyreflection.

(08:43):
End your day by asking thissimple question.
What went right?
By doing so, this questionrewires your subconscious before
sleep, training your brain tonotice the positive rather than
focusing on what went wrong.
Do these five practices daily,and gratitude will stop being
something you practice, it willbecome who you are.

(09:07):
Now, as we wrap up this episode,I want to leave you with this
thought.
Gratitude or thankfulness is notseasonal, it's spiritual.
It's not something we expressonly on good days, it's how we
transform ordinary days intoextraordinary ones.
When you live in gratitude, youstep into a divine flow, a

(09:30):
rhythm of grace where peace,joy, and abundance naturally
multiply.
You begin to see that even inwaiting, even in uncertainty,
there's beauty unfolding.
So right now, wherever you are,I want you to pause.
Take a slow, deep breath.

(09:51):
Think of three things rightwhere you are this moment that
you're thankful for.
Now let that feeling movethrough your body like light.
Let it center you, calm you, andremind you you already have more
than enough.
Now, as you go about your day, Iwant you to remember this.

(10:13):
Gratitude isn't about thankingGod for what you have, it's
about trusting Him and whatyou're going through.
It's living from the awarenessthat every breath is a gift,
every sunrise is a newbeginning, and every challenge
is an invitation to grow.
Well, that's our show for today.

(10:34):
We hope that you found thisepisode both insightful and
inspiring.
Join us each week for practicaltips, actionable insights, and
inspiring stories to help youtransform your life.

SPEAKER_00 (10:45):
We hope you can join us.
We'll see you soon.
To experience a free coachingsession with Andre Flax, click
the link in the show notes tobook your coaching session today
or contact him at Andre atTransformativelivingRadio.com.
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