The gift of gratitude

Do you spend more time focusing on what’s missing or focusing on what you have? If you train your brain to be constantly seeking what’s missing and what’s wrong, you’ll never be able to sustain happiness, joy and fulfillment. What’s wrong is always at hand. There’s always something to be concerned about, stressed about, worried about.

Yet what’s right is also always at hand. Choosing to focus on what’s right rather than what’s wrong is called gratitude, and it’s an essential gift of life. Gratitude is the antidote to the two emotions that most commonly mess up our lives: anger and fear. You can’t be grateful and angry or grateful and fearful at the same time. So train your brain to practice gratitude. Train it to see and appreciate the good in life. Step back and live in the moment. In this podcast you’ll hear from two inspiring people who did just that.

When Zach Skow’s liver failed at 28 years old, his dogs gave him the will to live. He stepped up to the plate and dedicated himself to his health, his dogs and to a higher purpose. He says, “I was stuck in my own head, focused on selfish things. I needed to put my fear and anxiety aside and put myself into service.” Zach saw firsthand the benefits of gratitude: Within a month of discovering his purpose, he got radically better – no longer needing a liver transplant.

Zach founded Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue – a nonprofit that gives second chances, both human and canine. Now he lives every day focused on hope and gratitude, committed to giving as many second chances as he can. You’ll hear his story of overcoming fear and embracing gratitude, and how he’s helping others do the same, even in the most dire circumstances.

Lauren Finkelstein had a great career in television and media in New York City. But after enduring a suicide bombing while in Jerusalem, her father’s death and the attacks of September 11th, she began to feel that everything she knew and promoted was pointless. She wanted a more meaningful life.

So Lauren turned these tragic events into a mission to give back, driven by gratitude. She started Save One Person, a nonprofit that helps to match up organ and bone marrow donors with those who need them. Like Zach, she knew there was something bigger out there for her, and she connected with her higher purpose. Lauren says, “Gratitude is what keeps me alive. Gratitude is what keeps me in action. Gratitude is everything.”

Lauren and Zach didn’t let their tragic experiences be the end of their story. They chose the gift of gratitude, and turned those experiences into the beginning of an even better story. You too can rewrite your story. How will you choose gratitude today?