If you want to evaluate a man’s mental state, look at his attitude of gratitude. There are some people that even if you give them the whole world, they will still not be grateful. A man that is mentally stable and healthy believes strongly that there is always something to be thankful for. It is not happy people who are thankful; it is thankful people who are happy.

Gratitude is the awareness and expression of the of blessings that one has in the form of qualities, lessons, people, achievements, possessions, support, privileges, experiences, and gifts. It is only a great fool that will not be grateful! I believe strongly that the best way to end the year and start another will definitely be with gratitude. Instead of complaining about the things we were unable to achieve, let us count our numerous blessings. When you truly begin to count your blessings, you will lose all your complaints!

There is a version of wealth that does not come from getting what you want but in appreciating what you have. Brené Brown said, “What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude”. Gratitude is an essential component in living a fulfilling and abundant life and aligning yourself to receive all the good the universe has to offer. Naomi Williams said, “It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.” We must look for platforms to appreciate people that have contributed immensely to our lives. William Arthur Ward said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” Don’t just be grateful, be grateful promptly because the value of gratitude diminishes with time. Be grateful openly and be grateful generously. Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with the heart of gratitude.

Gratitude is perhaps the greatest form of attitude. Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others”. Gratitude will always turn what you have into enough. Being grateful changes your focus from what you don’t have to what you do have. An attitude of gratitude will take you to your next altitude. Gratitude is the open door to abundance. There is a direct correlation between gratitude and abundance. When we are grateful, we will continually attract things to be grateful for. Gratitude shifts your focus from what your life lacks to the abundance that is already present. In addition, behavioral and psychological research has shown that giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient. It strengthens relationships, it improves health, and it reduces stress. Michael Bernard said, “Nothing new can come into your life unless you are grateful for what you already have”.

I admire people with high expectations but a time will come when you have to learn to trade your expectations for appreciation. I learnt this great lesson from one of my mentors-Anthony Robbins. If you trade your expectations for appreciation, you’ll immediately feel grateful. And it is when we are grateful that we feel rich and wealthy, regardless of how our lives look financially. The unique ability to trade our expectations for appreciation is very vital to attracting wealth and special favour.

Doris Day said, “Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty”. Gratitude is the greatest multiplier. I have observed that people that complain don’t always reach their destinations in life, like the biblical story of the Israelites with uncontrollable penchant for complaining in the wilderness. It is sympathetic to know that virtually all of them didn’t reach the promise land. Gratitude helps us to see what is there instead of what is not. We will always have reasons to complain, but a wise man sees more reasons not to. Charles Spurgeon said, “It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness”.

John F. Kennedy said, “We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives”. Learn to celebrate the people in your life. They are in your life for a reason. List out seven people that have been so instrumental to your development and send them messages telling them how they’ve added so much value to your life. Be intentional about appreciating the people in your life; stop taking them for granted. An attitude of ingratitude can literally block love, blessings, and destiny from finding you. Don’t be the reason you don’t succeed!

The value of gratitude depreciates with time, learn to appreciate and apologize promptly! This is the strength of great leaders. Great people always look out for platforms to appreciate people that have contributed immensely to their success. Great people have a culture of celebrating others. They understand perfectly that a person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected.

In order to have an attitude of gratitude, you will have to be intentional about being grateful. You must have a gratitude ritual that makes you intentional about gratitude. You can be intentional about gratitude by doing the following:

•Gratitude Walk: A gratitude walk is essentially walking with a calm state of mind. It is about focusing on being present and feeling grateful. You can take a twenty-minute ‘gratitude walk’ very early in the morning just to appreciate God for His faithfulness. Gratitude walks are an activity said to be thought up by Tony Robbins. It is pretty simple. Go outside and take a walk. Walk slowly, at a comfortable pace and then begin to mention all the things you are grateful for. The path you choose, familiar or different, is not the point — it is about the experience on the journey. Twenty minutes is the perfect amount of time, but a longer walk is even better. And don’t forget to leave the cell phone at home — this is no time for distractions, only appreciative thoughts.

• Gratitude Journal: One of the best ways to enjoy the marvellous benefits of gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal, diary or book where you daily write out things to be grateful for. Whether you decide to write in it at night or first thing in the morning is up to you. Write down what you are genuinely grateful for every day. Aim to record at least 10 items. If you get stuck, remember to list the simple things that often get overlooked such as the bed you sleep in, a hot shower, the clean air you breathe, or just the chance to live another day. Make sure you don’t close the day until you have expressed your gratitude in words or messages to people that have in any way bless you that day.

• Gratitude Day: Designate a day in a month as ‘gratitude day’, preferably the first or the last day in the month to appreciate God for His faithfulness. Check yourself not to ask God for anything rather than to profusely appreciate Him for all He has done for you. Although ‘World Gratitude Day’ is celebrated yearly September 21. The celebration of Gratitude Day allows both individual citizens and organisations within wider society to celebrate the broad meaning of gratitude in a variety of ways. Apart from this yearly celebration, individuals can dedicate the first, last or 21st day of every month to show special gratitude to people in their circumference of influence.

• Gratitude Dinner: You can also design a ‘gratitude dinner’ with family and friends whereby you come together to have dinner and share stories of God’s faithfulness. During the ‘gratitude dinner’, you must intentionally avoid discussions around challenges, set-backs, disappointments, failures and any form of shortcomings. Throughout the dinner, there must be a strong focus on all the good things that the Lord has done. Having a meal together and enjoying some family time is very important and crucial towards maintaining a good mental health.

Cultivate the habit of starting and closing your day with gratitude. When you wake up early in the morning, make sure you start your day with gratitude and not with technology. The advent of technology and social media has greatly encroached into our times for giving quality gratitude to God and people that have significantly impact our lives. Beware!