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Last year I wrote a note about this weird thing I call the “Discipline of Gratitude” – and it got a bigger reaction than almost anything I've ever published… so I decided to re-run it here now that I've got an “official” blog.

And I couldn't think of a better day to publish it than on Thanksgiving…

This is something I do my best to practice every day… but of course I’m not perfect (by ANY stretch of the imagination.)

But I've noticed a direct correlation between the amount of GRATITUDE I have during the day and how those days go for me.

I’ve also noticed that the more gratitude I have in my life, and the more I hang out with other people with lots of gratitude in their lives… well, the better and more graceful my life is.

And the more I'm grateful, the better I get at it.

So with today being Thanksgiving (at least in the U.S… if you’re outside the U.S., this holiday might be one of our greatest contributions to the world)… well, I couldn’t think of a better day to send this to you. I know that I felt inspired again just reading it – and I thought it might do the same thing for you…

Because I just had an incredible day. It was a day filled with family and close friends, good food, games and friendly (but fierce) competition, lots of time spent outdoors… all the ingredients for my perfect day.

It really left me feeling grateful… something I’ve been feeling a lot lately.

After all, my life has changed radically since I started my online business… when I started out, I just hoped to make $10,000 a year to help pay the bills.

Well, I’ve done a bit better than that. 🙂

My business has grown way beyond even my wildest dreams. In fact, when I look at the magnitude of it all, I just have to laugh at what’s happened – it’s almost hard for me to believe…

And that’s just the start of it. I’ve got a wonderful family – a great marriage and fantastic kids. And we’re all healthy and strong.

We live in a beautiful place – out in the mountains in Colorado – in fact, we live exactly where we want to live.

And I’ve got amazing friends who help turn my life into a crazy adventure.

I've got a fantastic team that makes my vision for my business happen with style and grace.

And that business has enabled me to help people from all over the world start and grow their businesses.

(That means a lot to me – I think that entrepreneurs are going to be the saving grace in this world… and I’m proud to say that I’ve helped a LOT of entrepreneurs start or grow their businesses.)

There’s a lot of people who have been able to quit their jobs and start successful businesses by following my teaching. I think that's really cool, and it's something I'm hugely proud of.

I could go on and on… but you get the point. Things are going pretty well. 🙂

So yes, I’m grateful. Very grateful.

And that’s important – because I’ve learned that being grateful is one of the most critical life skills you can have.

I call it the “Discipline of Gratitude”…

Now I know that’s a lousy name, because it sounds like a lot of work. But stick with me, because it’s actually really simple and easy… and all the benefits are pretty much automatic.

It’s just a matter of consciously taking time on a regular basis to acknowledge everything you have to be grateful for.

And trust me, we all have LOTS to be grateful for.

Please humor me on this… just take a few minutes right now, and reflect on FIVE things that you're grateful for. If you want to be an overachiever (and feel even better), than think of ten things that you're grateful for.

Now this is even more powerful if you actually speak those things out loud instead of just thinking about them. And it’s even better if you write them down.

Go ahead… do it right now. I’ll still be here when you get back.

When you’re ready, scroll down.

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So how did that feel? Do you feel happier? Lighter? More alive?

This really is a wonderful exercise to do each morning when you wake, or at night when you go to bed.

But here’s the magic part – when you exercise the Discipline of Gratitude you will not only be happier… but you’re going to start to achieve more in your life.

Now I know this is starting to sound really “out there” and “woo woo” – in fact, I almost deleted this entire note because I know a lot of people won’t think this has anything to do with business and marketing.

But trust me, this is powerful stuff. I have experienced it over and over in my life.

It comes down to this: you can go through your life with a chip on your shoulder, looking to blame other people and wondering why things aren’t coming easier to you… or you can go through your life feeling grateful for all you have.

It’s your choice.

But I’ve been around a LOT of super-successful people, and they pretty much all fall on that “gratitude” side of things.

Bottom line – if you want to achieve great things in your life (and great success), then the Discipline of Gratitude is one of the key life-skills you need to master.

The good news is that it’s also one of the easiest. And you'll be a lot happier for it. 🙂

Have a happy and loving Thanksgiving.

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