A Practitioner’s Perspective

by Randy Southerland

It might be a stretch to say a single episode of a talk show changed my life—but it absolutely changed my thinking. And that change in thinking transformed my life.

I’m not a big fan of talk shows. Unless they feature comedians, I usually skip them. (These days, my favorite is Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney—if you have Netflix, check it out.)

But years ago, friends kept insisting I watch The Oprah Winfrey Show. At its peak, Oprah’s show was more than just daytime TV—it was a cultural phenomenon. Running from 1986 to 2011, it featured intimate conversations about self-improvement, spirituality, and personal transformation. Its success catapulted Oprah into global fame as one of the most influential (and one of the richest) women in the world.

One afternoon, I finally tuned in. I don’t remember the guests, but something Oprah said at the top of the show stayed with me: “Until you can be grateful for what you have now, you’ll never have more.”

That simple statement struck a deep chord. I hadn’t expected a talk show to offer wisdom that would stay with me for years—but this one did.

Oprah wasn’t the first to champion gratitude as a key to abundance, but she arguably brought the concept to more people than anyone else. From that moment on, I began to notice gratitude everywhere—in books, conversations, even in the way I experienced everyday life.

I discovered Eric Butterworth’s Spiritual Economics: “Gratitude is more than a virtue; it is a powerful spiritual force in consciousness.”

That line reinforced what I had begun to understand: Gratitude isn’t just a fleeting emotion—it’s a spiritual tool.

We often associate gratitude with receiving something—someone gives us a gift, a kind gesture, or a helping hand. But we can also feel grateful for conditions we don’t control: good health, the beauty of a sunny day, the freedom to live as we choose.

Gratitude, when consciously practiced, becomes a lens that brings into focus the riches already present in our lives.

I started looking for things to be grateful for. And I began to find them. I didn’t suddenly have everything I wanted—then or now—but I recognized how much I already had to appreciate. That simple shift in thinking changed the way I experienced life.

Did gratitude magically bring me more? Not quite. But it opened my eyes. I believe gratitude doesn’t cause good things to happen—it allows us to see the good that’s already on its way. And accept it.

Over time, I’ve come to see that gratitude is a journey—just like spirituality. It’s a place we sometimes visit, drift away from, and then return to with fresh eyes. That may be one of gratitude’s greatest gifts: you can always come back to it. No matter where you are in life, gratitude is there, waiting to enrich your experience—again and again.