Expressing gratitude has a wide range of positive effects on our lives. By cultivating and stating appreciation for all that is good and wonderful in the world, we can experience more and more joy in our lives.

This increased happiness is created in two ways. Firstly, by noticing and appreciating the good in our lives, we enjoy these blessings, rather than taking them for granted as we can so easily do. Secondly, an attitude of appreciation acts as a magnet for drawing even more positive things into our lives, as we express gratitude for the good things we already have.

One extremely powerful way to increase feelings of wellbeing, abundance and joy, as well as connection with our Selves, the Universe, and those around us, is to adopt a simple mantra of 'thank you.'The power of thank you cannot be overstated.

Expressing gratitude needs to be more than just an occasional activity; we need it to become a constant background to our lives. The expression of gratitude doesn!|t always need to be verbal; a deep inner feeling of appreciation radiates to all around us and increases others!| joy as well as our own.

The words thank you can be used in many ways, and are one of the simplest and most versatile tools for expressing gratitude.

• 'Thank you'can be a prayer of gratitude. For the incredible gift of life, a simple expression of gratitude can foster feelings of deep connection with our Divine life source. We can also gain peace and increased feelings of security by thanking our Higher Power for the support and love that surround us always. Expressing our appreciation for the miracles in our lives reinforces our feelings of joy and wonder, and allows more and more miracles to unfold.

• 'Thank you' allows us to acknowledge the blessings and gifts that are always around us. This expression of gratitude can simply be a silent moment of appreciation for the small and large blessings that are too easily overlooked. Remembering to be thankful is the key. Making a list of things we are thankful for each evening can be a very effective way of focusing on the good things in our lives, and ending the day with a feeling of abundance and wellbeing. Doing this not only allows us to truly enjoy the blessings in our lives, but creates a positive magnetic energy that draws even more good to us.

• Expressing gratitude helps us to value ourselves and the choices we make and actions we take. Try giving yourself credit for as many things you have done each day as you can, however small those things may seem. The more you appreciate yourself for your actions, the better and easier it will feel to keep taking more, and larger, positive actions.

• Try replacing fears, worries, or feelings of lack with the use of 'thank you' as a mantra (a word or phrase repeated over and over). Expressing gratitude in a non-specific repetition can be very effective in calming a troubled mind, and overcoming fear and negativity.

• Expressing gratitude as an affirmation is a powerful way to attract more of what we want into our lives. By affirming that we are grateful for all that is manifesting in our lives, we allow ourselves to become centered in an increasing cycle of abundance and joy.

• 'Thank you' can also serve as a reminder to keep giving back. When we feel blessed, grateful and abundant, we want to share those blessings. By allowing our joy to spill over into the lives of those around us, the flow of goodness increases, as we give and receive with joy.

• Expressing gratitude, in action or words, to those around us for the gifts, joy, and learning that they bring us, helps to complete the positive cycle of energy. We allow others to feel appreciated, and we also reinforce our own feelings of appreciation by expressing them.

By expressing gratitude, and experiencing a sense of deep thankfulness as the backdrop to our lives, the joy and fulfillment that we can create and share becomes unlimited.