Being in the flow of life is an incredible place to be and I have discovered a way to keep myself in that flow almost all the time. When I say being in the flow, I mean that things in the world around me keep turning around to my favor. The secret to staying in that magnificent flow? It’s gratitude, specifically a gratitude practice that you do each day and send out to others.

Here’s how it works and how it enriches life in so many miraculous ways:

First, let me share that I didn’t always live in the flow. I didn’t always trust in the richness of gratitude or anything like that. In fact, I went through times in my life where I felt beaten down and that life was hitting me with one whammy after another. Something important would break at the absolutely worst time. A friend would be disloyal, leaving me heart-broken. A client would pull back on a promise they had given me about upcoming contracts and move to another provider.

I used to take these things personally and feel them deeply, that I was not worthy of nice things happening to me or things going well. And when I was stuck in that feeling of lack, it just got worse. Something else would break. I would lose my keys. The new dog next door would never stop barking. And I would ask, why me?

The Turning Point

But the turning point came when I was inspired by a little thought in my head! A thank you a day. Send out a thank you note each day. Really? It seemed like a pretty wild idea. I couldn’t imagine what that would accomplish, but I had nothing to lose. I was stuck. I was sad about a recent loss, and life was not flowing well at all. I told myself, it wouldn’t take too long each day, just about five minutes. I could do it. And I did.

Once I started my thank-you-a-day-practice, it felt good. My mood lifted as I lifted my pen. I relived the nice action someone had done for me, feeling grateful and blessed for their kindness. The words of thanks flowed onto the little note card. I addressed the envelope, put a stamp on it, and dropped it in the mail on my way to work. I did this each morning for about a week and the world around me began to brighten up almost immediately.

Before long, I became aware that my life was flowing so much more smoothly. Traffic suddenly cleared in front of me. An old friend reconnected out of the blue and it was magical to see her again. The client who was hesitating to sign the contract called to say they were fully committed and ready to proceed! They even thanked me for my patience in waiting for them and made a valuable referral to a new contact in the industry. Really? Wow. I asked myself: why was all this goodness and richness flowing to me all of a sudden? What had I done to make this happen?

It was the daily practice of gratitude! Yes, it had to be. Those notes I was sending had shifted me into a flow of richness and love that continues to expand. I have notebooks full of the good things that have happened over the years since then. I call those serendipities my daily miracles and I experience at least one every single day!

The Life Transformation

Four years later, I am more convinced than ever that sending my daily thank-you notes has completely transformed my life. Not only are my relationships enriched and flowing better, but my health is consistently on track, I wake up happier each morning, and the flow of clients and contracts keeps expanding. My work life is the point where virtually every meeting turns in my favor. I keep meeting people who are an exact match to the products we offer, the timing is perfect, and they are thrilled with what we are able to do for them. I love being in the flow like this.

I could not have foreseen the hidden benefits of spreading thanks, but they are no longer hiding! My little daily practice has now become a book, a website, a movement and a passion project that I love telling the world about. The other people who have tried it find it works for them too: they send out their daily notes of thanks and they enter the flow of life. They send out goodness and warm feelings and that is what they get in return — people and things and opportunities respond in kind.

The Shift in Perspective

Does this mean your life will be perfect every minute of every day? Is my life completely perfect? No. That would be unrealistic. But what has happened is that my view of my world has changed. I have faith now that whenever something unfortunate happens, big or small, that it’s short-lived and it must have happened for some other good reason. I shake it off and I keep being grateful for what I do have. And sure enough, another door opens in a surprising way that is magical and marvelous. This has been happening consistently in my life for years now and it’s really such a simple thing to do.

You can join this flow of life and I highly recommend it. Trust in the richness of gratitude. Write and send a thank you note each day to some deserving soul and see what happens! If you need inspiration or a push to get started, visit my website or pick up my book. Once you start, I would love to hear about how this is working out for you. Thank you for sharing your thoughts below and thank you for spreading thanks in your corner of the world.

Elena Anguita is a change agent, speaker, and author of Spread Thanks! Create Miracles Through The Power of Ink who supports education and passionately believes in the transformative power of gratitude. You can connect with Elena on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and SpreadThanks.com.

Image courtesy of Juan Vargas.