What we appreciate tends to persist and grow in our lives. It’s exactly the same as watering a plant because the universe is alive and growing and so are we. Appreciation is like Miracle Grow. It nourishes and feeds, it helps something to take root and get strong. Try it for yourself: If you want something in your life to expand, appreciate that something in thought, word and deed for the next three weeks, and silently send it your good thoughts, prayers and energy. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Like anger, gratitude is an energizing and organizing emotion that motivates us toward a particular way of thinking or acting. Because of this, it’s is a good antidote for sadness. While sadness can make us feel as though we’re falling apart, gratitude can help pull us together. We still need to feel the sadness, we just don’t want to get stuck in it. Making a gratitude list or cultivating an attitude of gratitude in no way implies that we aren’t accepting and processing our pain, nor should it mean this. It simply allows us to stand on firmer ground when we do feel our pain. Gratitude helps us organize and mobilize our thoughts and emotions in a positive direction. And it helps us appreciate the life we already have