The Universal Password

The Universal Password

by Mary Owens

Have you ever tried to access something on your phone or computer and been unable to get there because you can’t remember your password? It happens to me all the time. It’s frustrating, time consuming, and there is a feeling of spinning your wheels when the answer is there, but it’s not accessible for you.

I have found that life can be similar. Reaching for certain feelings or states of being can feel unattainable, sometimes. Whether it’s peace, joy, or contentment, there seems to be a secret to accessing these things.

The secret password, I believe, is gratitude.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines gratitude as the quality of being thankful, and readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

We live in a busy world. Constant input from phones, TV, and social media filling our brain with messages to filter and process. The current pandemic has divided our nation, and caused a disruption in our world. We see all sorts of negativity in many places. The feedback from all of this can feel smothering to any type of hope or happiness we may have.

There will always be something clouding an otherwise sunny day. We have to find a way out from under the cloud, and I believe the way out is through gratitude. Maybe it starts small by being grateful that you caught a green light when you’re running late to work. Whatever you can find to be grateful for, I challenge you to focus in. Say it out loud. Journal about it. Tell a friend,  even if you think it seems strange. Gratitude spreads. Light attracts light. Maybe it just starts with one thought from you, but if you allow it to permeate and settle in, there will be more gratitude to follow.

Whenever I need a reminder of this, I think of my husband. When people ask him how he is doing, his response always is, “I can’t complain.” My husband is a quadriplegic man who is dependent on other people for everything - even scratching an itch. He has chosen a life of gratitude. Finding a way to be grateful for small things that many of us would take for granted has blossomed into a way of being for him.

There is truly no way to be grateful and complain at the same time.

So, if you want to unlock what we are all searching for in this life - contentment, joy, love, peace, or happiness - the password is gratitude.

Practice it. Use it daily. And when it becomes a natural way of being, many more positive feelings will follow.