Yesterday was day one of an experiment.
I am going to say the words “Thank you” as a mantra 108,000 times. One hundred and eight thousand times.
At first glance, that’s a lot. And it is. Nevertheless, I broke out my calculator. My long mala beads are 108, and I would say “thank you” four times per bead, so that’s 432 times per time around. Approximating that to 400, three times around the mala is 1200. 108,000 divided by 1200 is: 90 days.
I may not even need 90 days to get this done. It takes me about 30-45 minutes to do 1200 (1296) “thank yous”. But that’s not really the point.
What will undertaking a massive experiment in gratitude be like? How will I change? What will I learn about myself? What will I learn about others?
I got this idea from Ken Honda, who is considered the “zen millionaire of japan.” He teaches classes about “happy money,” which is the title of his book. In it he says, there are two kinds of money: “happy” and “unhappy” money. “Unhappy” money is money that comes with emotions of frustration, resentment, bittnerness, sadness, stress and the like. “Happy” money comes with emotions of joy, gratitude, and all kinds of good feelings. The way to make “happy” money is to do things that give you joy and give other people joy. Another way to do this? Thank your money. Show it appreciation and gratitude when it comes in, and thank it on the way out.
Of course I, like everyone need to make money just to survive. But this idea of infusing one’s flow of money with joyful, appreciative energy really hit my mind. I can find joy through money? I can help others find peace and joy through money? Of course! Money is just energy; it’s just a symbol.
So in order to cleanse the flow of my money, and really to cleanse the flow of my mind, heart, and spirit, I am saying “Thank You” a minimum of 1,296 times per day for 90 days. I will say it more, because of natural interaction with people (and I like to thank people when I receive help, or money, or opportunities, or really anything), but the baseline is 1,296. Three times around the mala, four times per bead. Three months. 12-13 weeks.
Thank you for reading! Please join me again next week for a check in to see how this practice is going.