Does gratitude deliver happiness? Gratitude is the great multiplier. Being grateful for all the good things in this life comes easy for me, and it always helps to perk me up if things sometimes look dim. However, being grateful for something you wanted that you did not get…that took much more effort for me.

Several years back I went after a job that I was certain was the perfect fit for me. It was just what I thought I needed. When the job went to another person, I was very surprised and disappointed to say the least. After the shock of not getting what I thought was my perfect job had passed, I thought about how can I become grateful for not getting the job I wanted?

It took some time but I did manage to become truly grateful for not receiving that job realizing that there must be something better coming for me. It took some work on my part and a lot of faith but once my gratitude kicked in my whole world changed when I discovered to head into a whole a new career path.

After seeing the result of being grateful for not getting something I wanted I began going back in time and looking at situations that caused me pain. Divorce, a life living separated from my children, could I actually become grateful for these painful experiences?

Once again, it took courage to look close at these past events in my life in a new way, painful events, but once I succeeded to be grateful for the pain, I was able to see the positive side of pain. Pain acts as a catalyst and changes us. I was able to become truly grateful.  Understanding my past pain has given me the ability to help others. Once I felt true gratitude for my past pain, the truth emerged.

My whole world changed in a matter of weeks and I began a new path as a writer. There is a power much larger than us at work in our daily lives and with trust in that power comes a knowing that whatever is in front of us now, is meant to be.

Acceptance minimizes the pain. If someone told me thirty years ago that I would be truly grateful for the past horror of my life, I would not believe them. But today, grateful I am.

On a happiness survey I took several years back the question was asked if I would make the same decisions now that I know the outcome of my life. That question really threw me into a head spin because I feel I made the best choice for my children then but now knowing the pain it caused me, I am not sure I’d have the strength to make the same choice again.

Grateful I am, but the survey question still remains unanswered. Only God knows the answer to that question and I am OK with that. All I know is that gratitude is the key that changed my life.

Have you ever had the experience of being grateful for something you wanted but did not receive? I hope you have that experience because from my perspective, gratitude is the link that keeps us connected to power.