Giving Thanks worked for me

Researchers are recently saying that giving thanks is good for your emotions. Oprah has been encouraging us to have an attitude of gratitude for years. But the Bible and other ancient religious texts have been telling us the same thing for thousands of years.

For example, Psalm 100 encourages believers to make a joyful noise to God and to acknowledge He is good.

Was He requesting that praise as an ego boost? I'm thinking not.

Does this spirit of gratitude actually change our present, or just the awareness of it?

Several years ago when I was feeling perpetually gloomy I did a little "thankfullness experiment." Every day as I was walking to work I would only think about things I was grateful for, not the things that were lacking in my life.

Several weeks into the experiment I noticed that my outlook on life was MUCH better. It wasn't scientific and I wasn't following a doctor's prescription, but it worked for me.

Either way, Buddha was indeed right when he said:

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him."

What are you thankful for today?