Over the years 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 and the better and more graceful my life is. I also preach this to my students. Kids in this country, for the most part don’t know how good they have it. How lucky they are and how grateful they should be for all they have! The simple niceties of life are considered luxuries in other countries. Plus most parents today will do anything for their kids!

Here is another side effect of being grateful, the more gratitude I have, the more I have a feeling of being happy for even the smallest joys of life. Teaching dance can sometimes be a challenge and being grateful makes the grind less daunting.

The Discipline of Gratitude…

Now I know 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.

I challenging you to take a few minutes right now, and reflect on FIVE 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.

So how did that feel? Do you feel happier? Do you feel Lighter and 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' 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.

You can also try this with your students. Have them sit down and write a list of what they are grateful for. Children, especially teens have a tendency to get caught up in the trivial stuff that in the big picture is really nothing at all. When they write down all that they have they, it will put all that they perceive that they don’t have into perspective.

I have had the privileged to be 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 and what a great gift to pass on to your students.

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