+1 #945: Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Optimize plus one. As we've discussed, a mantra is literally a tool of the mind. By repeating a mantra over and over and over again, spiritual teachers say it takes hold in our subconscious and subtly shapes our mind. Eknath Eswaran is a huge fan and advocate of mantras. He sold me on their power years ago, and I've experimented with many, but I haven't really found one that stuck until now. I think I might have found my new go to mantra.

Here it is. Thank you, as in thank you, thank you, thank you, followed by thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, followed up by thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Repeat.

Especially when you find yourself triggered by something or someone.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

It's actually kind of weird what happens when I do that. I go from feeling stressed, annoyed, whatever, to feeling truly grateful. I don't even have to do anything other than kickstart the mantra. After a few reps, my mind comes up with things for which I can be grateful. In the midst of whatever might be challenging me at the time, gratitude just kind of bubbles up. Bubbles of gratitude.

Like thank you for the challenge itself.

Which is giving me the opportunity to actually practice these ideas. And thank you for all the amazing things you have done for me, oh, person who is currently pushing my buttons and etc. Etc. Etc. It's almost weird how powerful it is. Perhaps that's why Meister Eckhart once said, if the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.

And that's today's plus one. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.