I'd like to talk for a few minutes about gratitude

There's now a lot of research that suggests that gratitude is good for us (No surprise there)

And, as an emotion it is very easy to invoke

Unless you are living the worst possible life, it should be easy to find something for which you're grateful

And it can be very skillful and wise to do this

Now one reflection I find myself doing when I'm in some ordinary contracted state of mind

Let's say I'm stressed-out by something not going well

I'm reacting to some hassle

I could be caught in traffic and late for an appointment

I sometimes think of bad things that haven't happened to me

I might think that I haven't been diagnosed with a fatal illness

I'm not caught in a war zone

And I think of all the people on earth in that moment who are suffering those sorts of dislocations in their lives

And then I reflect that if I were in their shoes, I would be desperate to get back to precisely the situation I'm now in

Just stuck in traffic and late for an appointment, but without any real care in the world

Just stuck in traffic and late for an appointment, but without any real care in the world

I noticed this at dinner the other night with my family

Everyone seemed to be in a fairly mediocre frame of mind

We were all in some way disgruntled or stressed-out

I had a million things I was thinking about

And I suddenly noticed how little joy we were all taking in one-another's company

And then I thought: "If I had died yesterday and could have the opportunity to be back with my family..."

I thought of how much I would savor this moment right now

And it totally transformed my mood

It gave me instantaneous access to my best self

And to a feeling of pure gratitude for the people in my life

Just think of what it would be like to lose everything and then be restored to the moment you're now in—however ordinary

You can reboot your mind in this way, and it need not take any time

The truth is, you know exactly what it's like to feel overwhelming gratitude for your life

And if you have the freedom and the free attention to listen to this lesson right now

You are in an unusual situation

Just stuck in traffic and late for an appointment, but without any real care in the world

Just stuck in traffic and late for an appointment, but without any real care in the world

There are at least a billion people on earth at this moment who would consider their prayers answered if they could trade places with you

There are at least a billion people who are suffering debilitating pain, or political oppression, or the acute stages of bereavement

To have your health—even just sort-of

To have friends—even only a few

To have hobbies or interests, and the freedom to pursue them

To have spent this day free from some terrifying encounter with chaos is to be lucky

Just look around you, and take a moment to feel how lucky you are

You get another day to live on this earth

Enjoy it!