The Spirit Level - Gratitude - The Ultimate Superpower

We all hear of superfoods - Goji berries, chia seeds… the list goes on and changes like the seasons. Fortunately, emotions don’t follow these trends, but as we head into the season of gratitude, let me highlight why it is your Superpower and why it’s the ingredient you’ll want in your morning mental smoothie.

November is the month of gratitude. Being American, I used to celebrate Thanksgiving, and as an American in France, if there’s one of us within 100kms, we tend to gather together to continue the tradition, but that is a rare occurrence and to be quite honest, I’m not a fan of turkey or tofurkey for that matter…

Even though Thanksgiving, in the pilgrim sense, isn’t celebrated here, there’s still an inherent rhythm of giving thanks that comes with this season. It’s the time of reaping the rewards of our hard work, the harvest that will get us through the winter months ahead.

Saying thank you is only a small part of being grateful. In fact, many times we say it automatically, almost by reflex, because we were raised to be polite. When said with feeling and heart, gratitude is so much more powerful than good manners.

Let’s look at other ways that gratitude affects our lives. When we truly feel it, it moves through the body like a quiet current — a sense of joy, relief, or love that hums in the nervous system. Not the jumping up and down, cartwheels kind of emotion, but a soft, steady buzz that expands and warms from within.

What is it about gratitude that’s so magical? We feel it when we watch a sunset, when we pause long enough to see beauty outside our own busy reality. It has the power to transform moments of doubt, fear, or anxiety, not by erasing them, but by offering perspective. It surfaces in order to remind us of what’s happening for us, not to us, might simply be something we don’t understand “yet”. When we acknowledge that minor difference, something changes. We begin to trust that life, even when it’s messy or uncertain, is working toward our greater good.

Consider gratitude your magic wand, but instead of saying abracadabra, it requires awareness to work. Close your eyes and try feeling gratitude for something that hasn’t happened yet. Many people use this technique to draw in what they most desire. It’s one of the quiet keys to manifesting something that, at the moment, may seem out of reach.

When we allow gratitude to fill us, it raises our vibration and shifts our thinking from “I hope”to “It is possible.” Whether it’s better health, new opportunities or simply peace of mind, gratitude opens that door. What tends to block us from receiving what we want is usually wrapped in clouds of doubt and fear. But gratitude and fear cannot coexist in the same moment. One contracts, the other expands. By focussing on the little things I am thankful for, my mind relaxes. By thinking of gratitude for what’s to come, my mind feels excitement.

It’s not only magic of our future. Events in our past and traumas can shift under the light of gratitude. We learn to appreciate the moments that made us strong, resilient and who we are today.

We never know how something will play out in our future. That one delay could be the thing that changes or saves your life. That meeting that didn’t go to plan could be leaving the door open to a bigger opportunity that’s yet to come. That guy who cut you off in traffic… the scenarios are endless and always unfolding. Yes, I’m a fan of the film Sliding Doors. Not so much the film as the concept, although secretly…both on a rainy day.

Even past trauma and painful experiences… when we thank the experience — not for the pain, but for the wisdom it offered — we release its hold on us. Gratitude doesn’t erase the story; it rewrites its meaning.

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." MELODY BEATTIE

So, while it may be the season to give thanks, every day is a day to be grateful.

I’m as grateful for the people in my life as the people I have yet to meet.

Thank you for reading. I am grateful for your presence and membership here at Platform 13.