Recently, I’ve been listening to a CD of a workshop presentation given by Lorne Ladner, Ph.D., at the 2005 Psychotherapy Networker Conference. The presentation is called “Buddha in the Consulting Room” and focuses, in part, on the power of gratitude and compassion.

As I listened, I was reminded of the impact a practice of gratitude can have on our lives. It’s a practice I follow with some rigor, as I have found that taking the time to feel gratitude – and to express it outwardly when appropriate – greatly enhances my sense of well-being in the world. I generally take the time to write thank you notes, make thank you calls, and express my gratitude in person when I have the opportunity to do so. On my walks across Central Park each morning, on my way to my office, I am often filled with gratitude for being able to be among the trees, to hear the birds, to watch the dogs play, and generally to have a deep immersion in nature first thing in the morning. By the time I get to my office, I’m often so filled up and my heart so open, that the morning walk fuels me throughout the day.

The practice of gratitude doesn’t require us to overlook those things that are going wrong or are challenging in our lives. Instead, it offers us an opportunity to choose where we want to focus our attention while still encompassing the wholeness of our experience. It’s the glass half-full/half-empty example that we’ve explored before. Whether we focus on the half-full or half-empty character of the glass, the same amount of water is there no matter which emphasis we may choose. An important discovery is that, when we focus on the half-full interpretation of the glass, our mood improves and we tend to feel better.

And so, for this week’s experiment, I invite you to focus on your practice of gratitude. If you already have it well in place, notice what happens if you increase it just a bit. If you haven’t been doing a gratitude practice, notice what happens if you pay attention to as little as one thing, or person, a day for which you are grateful. No matter how difficult things may be, there will always be something in the mix that can elicit a sense of gratitude, even if a small one.

As with all the experiments, play with this one and allow yourself to bring curiosity along as your companion. The point is to discover what quality of internal experience emerges for you as you focus on gratitude. If you find that the practice elicits mixed feelings, welcome them and explore what they bring into your awareness. There’s never a right answer or right way to do these experiments. There’s just the next opportunity to bring awareness to your process and expand your capacity to make choices that enhance your relationship with awareness.