There’s a game people like to play. It’s actually a cool thought experiment and conversation starter that I recommend at your next social gathering, which likely will be tomorrow’s Thanksgiving feast.
The game kicks off with the following question: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
The answers, I suspect, will be quite revealing. Some will choose what can be considered more “conventional” superpowers, e.g. flight, x-ray vision, invisibility, superhuman strength, speed, telekinesis, etc. You know, the stuff of Marvel Comics.
Others will choose superpowers of the sort open to only a few humans, e.g., genius-level IQ, elite-level athleticism, perfect pitch, a four-octave vocal range or one of many other high-performance human traits that few in the species possess.
At a recent gathering of friends, this “superpower” question was posed to me. After a bit of reflection, I revealed that the superpower I would most like to have is one that I already have, and it is one that is actually easily attainable to everyone.
That superpower is… gratitude.
Think about that for a moment. You see, regardless of how much struggle there is in life (and the struggle is real, I grant you), if you’re reading this, then you already have it better than 99.999999% of all humans that have ever walked the planet.
Consider that you live in the most prosperous country the world has ever seen. And that you’ve lived most of your life in the post-WWII shadow of peace and prosperity that, although punctuated with strife, cold war, religious fanaticism and encroaching collectivist ideas, represents the best time in human history to have ever breathed.
In a now famous essay, “How Capitalism Changes Conscience,” New York University psychologist and author Jonathan Haidt wrote about just how great we have it in the West, and that was mainly due to the transformation caused by the ascent of free markets.
“Billions of people are rising out of poverty as globalization connects them to international markets and makes it possible for them to engage in work that creates far more economic value than small-scale farming ever could. In a few decades, billions of people will be as wealthy as Americans are today,” writes Haidt.
If you are not grateful for this reality, then I suspect you know not the meaning of gratitude.
Now, while a lot of things in life are hard to know for certain, one thing I can confidently say I know is that I am grateful for all that the world has allowed me to experience.
Personally, I am grateful for my good health, a good brain, good genetics, a safe and secure upbringing that was filled with intellectual nurturing and an expectation of achievement.
Professionally, I am grateful to be able to do what I love doing best, and that is communicating ideas in the service of increasing freedom.
As I’ve said many times, money equals freedom.
What this means is the more money you have, the more freedom you have. So, think of me as your “freedom multiplier” this Thanksgiving, because the more money I can help you gain and keep, the more freedom we can both enjoy.
Most of all, I am grateful to you for allowing me to play a small role in your life. Without your support, engagement, encouragement and readership, I wouldn’t be as grateful as I am to be alive.
So, this Thanksgiving, cultivate the superpower that is there for the world to see, if you let it. The superpower of gratitude.
And in the name of the best within us, here’s to a most-beautiful, bountiful and grateful Thanksgiving holiday.
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It’s Right in Front of You
“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness — it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.”
–Brené Brown
Paying attention and being grateful: two virtues that I think are indispensable to a life well lived. If you practice paying attention and being grateful, I can assure you much more happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you.
Wisdom about money, investing and life can be found anywhere. If you have a good quote that you’d like me to share with your fellow readers, send it to me, along with any comments, questions and suggestions you have about my newsletters, seminars or anything else. Click here to ask Jim.
In the name of the best within us,
Jim Woods
