I started a Lifesaving Gratitude Group on Facebook a few months ago. My book launch crew suggested it as a way to build an audience for the book.

It was designed as a way to promote something I’d written. Instead it’s become my morning inspiration.

It’s surprising when things turn out differently, and exponentially better, than you expected in the beginning.

Surprisingly in a good way.

That’s how gratitude tends to work. You think things are going one way and then you express gratitude for them, despite your gut feeling that you’re about to get kicked in the head by life. And suddenly, they make a turn toward triumph. Or at least toward something positive and redeeming.

I’m learning more about gratitude every day. Studying it and talking about it and writing about it have made me more aware than ever what a Superpower it is.

I dreaded yesterday morning. I had a client who was unhappy with how a transaction had turned out and I had put off a phone call with them until Monday morning. Something in my old self thought, “Well, Mondays are hell anyway. I’ll just pile this on the rest of the Monday ickiness.”

But when I woke up, I said my prayer of gratitude, “Thank you, thank you, thank you” and then I called an old friend for whom I’m eternally grateful (this is a powerful exercise, by the way. When you’re facing a challenge, first call someone who loves you. Judy Camp taught me that trick.).

Then I went on Facebook and read the comments from the members of the Lifesaving Gratitude Group, including stories of a weekend birthday party, a Colorado vaccine visit, and a note from someone who was enjoying the book. By the time my client called, I was ready, and I was bordering on grateful to hear from him.

And the call went just fine. Something I had dreaded through the weekend was basically a problem-solving conversation rather than one in which he proclaimed me the worst Realtor in the world.

Our brain wants to take us to a negative place when we’re facing a challenge.

Our job is to fill that negative place with less negative thoughts and more positive ones. By beginning my day with three positive actions, I became a resource to my client and less of an ogre to myself.

Today I’m grateful for the Lifesaving Gratitude Group, for the resilience and spirit of the members.

Stephanie is an amputee, but almost always comments on how grateful she is for the day she has had or the one she’s facing. Liz has chronic health problems, but is our most frequent contributor. My cousin Tonya in Dallas, someone I haven’t seen in over a decade, shares a mix of funny and inspiring events and ideas.

Troo, a cousin I’ve never met unless our paths crossed at Grandma Ayres’ house in the seventies, is quick to give us a high five while caring full-time for her mother who suffers from severe dementia. People far and wide are inspired to share something daily that brings us back to the reality of our lives – the reality that gratitude is the answer to every problem.

It’s that simple.

I thought I would be lifting these folks up with my book. What an ego I have!

They make my days better and easier every minute with their expressions of gratitude.

Join us in the group if you’d like. We can’t wait to hear what you’re grateful for.

Here’s the link to the group: Lifesaving Gratitude Facebook Group