In the Spring of 2005 I was betrayed.  That moment in my life was one of the hardest moments of my life.  After the dust settled, I found myself forever changed – I would never be the person I was prior to everything that happened.

I was in college at the time, and I was so hurt that I retreated for a year.  I moved back in with my parents and lived in almost isolation.  I went through my day-to-day, with limited communication outside my family, I didn’t venture out, go out or even try to meet new people.  I just tried to heal.

A year later I found myself surrounded by a group of people who were the best people I had ever known at that time.  It was then that I started to practice expressing gratitude for the life I had and the friends in my life because I knew a life that was opposite that.  Since then I continue to express gratitude to life and to the people that have helped me in any way.

The video posted on Upworthy was created by Soulpancake.  They conducted a test, based on a scientific study, that showed that expressing gratitude does generate more happiness for the person that expresses it.