Each one of us has an unique place in the universal scheme of things – and we need to accept it with deep gratitude. And no matter what is this place, we need to avoid all mental tendencies to escapism.

I am sure we all know people who wish to be someone else, or to live someone else’s life. The more they think along these lines, the worse they feel about themselves and their current position. Unknowingly, they abuse the creative energy of their imagination which could be applied to transformation of their circumstances. So, it is in our best interests not to escape (for it is impossible anyway), but to assume the full responsibility for who we are and where we are.

“But I have no chances to succeed at my place”, could someone say. Such one mistakenly assumes that success depends on favorable conditions. The power of success resides within each one of us. It is the universal force which propels us toward the successful accomplishment of divinely inspired goals. This force often brings to us the necessary help from outside and makes us aware of “times and seasons” when we need to act – yet its main activity is within, not without. A person that is not mentally prepared for success, won’t achieve much even in the best circumstances.

So, don’t despise the place where you are now – be grateful for it. As we mentioned before, gratitude is joy and rapture which we experience when we discern inherent goodness of a thing, a person, or an event. When we moan and complain about our “lot in life”, we make ourselves blind to divine goodness – and divine opportunities all around us. Gratitude is the great eye-opener.

Be grateful for your place is the universal scheme of things. In other words, enlarge your mental horizon and put yourself into the universal framework. Do not think of yourself in the small way. You are a child of the universe, and your life has universal meaning.

This is something that you have simply by the right of existence. You don’t have to earn it. You don’t have to be chosen for it. If we are alive, we belong to the universe – and the universe with all its treasures belongs to us.

We do not have to perceive the world as a dangerous and threatening place. As we become enlightened, we come to the realization that many of the things we’re afraid of were created by our fears. Our fears became materialized – but our love and gratitude will dissolve those morbid creations. It has been said that all things work together for good of individuals that love the good and recognize their place in the universal scheme of things.

There is no way to prove it rather than to act upon this formula – just like there is no way to learn to swim rather than to step into water. Courage to live lovingly and gratefully comes from spiritual awareness, and it has to be daily reinforced by our actions.

Be grateful for all the blessings which you have right now, right where we are. Let your thoughts and self-talk be positive, loving, generous. Keep positive images in your mind – and you will create a mental magnet which will attract to you greater good and fulfill the desires of your heart. Gratitude is neither submission nor resignation – it is the great transformative power.

The mistake of moaners and complainers is that they are mostly unaware of their power to create greater good. They miss the vital dynamism and the flexibility of life. They see their circumstances as static – as something which is imposed on them, either by God, or by “fate”, or by the society. When they awaken, they will see that their troubles are but results of ignorance.

“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor’, said Henry Thoreau. He was profoundly right.