Change the World

Did you know that by simply expressing gratitude that you can make the world a better place?

Expressing your grateful feelings is like putting fuel in the engine that powers change. Expression and action don’t have to be magnanimous either. You can use small deeds to show thankfulness. The butterfly effect proposes that small deeds on one part of the world can enact great change on another side of the globe. Thanksgiving harnesses this power. Quiet words, an anonymous letter, simple gifts that say, “thank you,” or a gentle act of kindness can make someone’s day better and spread goodness everywhere.

A recent scientific study found a basic good deed can chemically alter your body to give you more happiness. When you do something kind, it releases a burst of serotonin in the person on the receiving end. Serotonin is a natural mood enhancer found in your body. It is serotonin that is usually depleted in people who suffer from anxiety or depression. By saying thanks, you can help lift someone out of the pit of despair. You actually affect someone’s chemical makeup when you act out of abundance. You have the power to change other people by your gratitude.

Here’s another amazing fact about that study – the serotonin level rises in both the giver and the receiver. The person who offers the gesture also gets a boost. Your thankfulness cycles back and immediately thanks you on the molecular level. By giving thanks, you can make yourself and another person better. But, that’s not all.

Scientists took this study an extra step and discovered if someone watches or learns of the kindness, their levels of “happy” chemicals spike, as well. Yes, your gratitude shown by kindness matters and makes a difference. Using the principles in this book you can change your world and maybe even the whole world. When you take time to be thankful, you are setting in motion a chain of events, that has no end.