1 Million Dollars in 365 days…

While one can argue that there are many secrets to a successful life, some of these “secrets” are plainly there for all to see. You may have already stumbled upon them, without realising the sheer power they can offer you.

This particular “secret” that I will disclose with you now, has helped me through so many periods of my life, where it looked as though there was no silver lining. Sometimes when things don’t go your way, despair can take over your soul and suddenly you lose perspective. It is this perspective that helps us frame our world in a more meaningful way. Perspective allows us to escape the daily grind of our supposedly mundane lives and helps to define our purpose and ultimately, our journey.

So what is this secret that will propel you to success? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you gratitude…

How can something so simple have such a profound effect on your success?

Well, I believe there are two reasons:

1. When you are grateful for the things you have, the life you lead, you are saying “thanks” to the creator / higher power / universe or whatever you believe in. You are saying “I love what I’ve got so far and I appreciate it, so give me some more!”
2. Being grateful can instantly change your mood, and make life seem that much better, no matter what’s just happened.

As I mentioned, gratitude gives us perspective in our lives. Even when you are stressed and having a “bad day”, by taking 1 minute to think about the things that you are truly grateful for, you can shift your energy to more empowering thoughts and instantly make yourself feel better.

In fact, why not do it right now? I’m sure there’s never been a better time! What have you got to lose? And I personally guarantee that you will feel MUCH BETTER after completing this short exercise. For the next 60 seconds, just think about the things you are grateful for in your life.

I’ve learnt just  how important being grateful is. I have become more aware of being grateful and use this strategy on a regular basis to keep myself empowered and positive. At times, when I feel myself slipping (yes this happens to me too!), I think about what I am grateful for, and I instantly get back on track. Now I’m doing this right now - so I hope you are too!

What am I grateful for?

• My family (my beautiful wife & two children, my parents, brother, grandparents etc etc)
• Being in a position to write this blog, and interact with an audience on an international level - the power of the internet!
• Being surrounded by like-minded people that support me, no matter what crazy goals I come up with!
• Everything that has happened in my life so far - it has made me who I am today.
• Owning our beautiful home with our garden & amazing views
• Being able to afford to give 10% of my earnings to Charity
• The ability to run & learn how to run far! Please support my marathon here!
• Being able to spend time with my wife & children
• That I feel so passionate about my purpose in life
• That my wife and I love each other more and more as every day passes

It’s funny where you can actually areas of your life to be grateful for. Again - going back to perception. Say you are angry because you have a huge tax bill to pay? How can you be grateful about that? Well, if you have such a big tax bill, then you can be grateful that you earned money to enable you to get a tax bill!

It may seem strange, but how many people out there would kill to have a job and earn money? Here you are complaining about a tax bill, when there are people in our world that would trade anything to receive a paycheck and would happily pay any amount of tax as at least they earned some money!

Gratitude has certainly helped shaped my life and the way I do things. It has given me perspective on how I lead my life and the decisions I make. It is constant reminder of the wonderful life I live and that there is so much for us all to achieve. So please, take what you can from this post - and next time you’re feeling down - just think about all the things you are grateful for!