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Some of the richest people have gratitude practices. Should you?

Last updated on April 12th, 2022 • Gratitude Journaling

Gratitude practices — like journaling things you are thankful for — have been proven to increase happiness and life satisfaction. But can it actually make you rich?

Gratitude practices — like journaling things you are thankful for — have been proven to increase happiness and life satisfaction. But can it actually make you rich?

Gratitude practices — like journaling things you are thankful for — have been proven to increase happiness and life satisfaction.

But can it actually make you rich?

In the The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace Wattles writes, “The grateful mind is constantly fixed upon the best. Therefore, it tends to become the best; it takes the form or character of the best and will receive the best.”

Most of us agree that gratitude is a good thing. The question is: can it create what wasn’t there before? Tangible things…like opportunity…or a great space to live in…or actual personal wealth.

If you are looking for evidence, here are 10 wealthy people who are logging the things they are grateful for. And it seems to be paying off — in a big way:


Oprah Winfrey — Net worth: $3.2 billion

Well-known, media mogul, award-winning television host, actress, and author Oprah Winfrey is one of the most influential people on the planet.

Well-known, media mogul, award-winning television host, actress, and author Oprah Winfrey is one of the most influential people on the planet.

In her article, What Oprah Knows for Sure About Gratitude, Winfrey writes: “For years I’ve been advocating the power and pleasure of being grateful. I kept a gratitude journal for a full decade without fail — and urged you all to do the same. Then life got busy. My schedule overwhelmed me. I still opened my journal some nights, but my ritual of writing down five things I was grateful for every day started slipping away.”

Winfrey recounts that when she let the demands of her career push out the practice, her joy started to wane. She shares, “Recently, in the process of building a television network, I got so focused on the difficulty of the climb that I lost sight of being grateful for simply having a mountain to climb. Only when I began feeling gratitude for the opportunity to serve a new audience in a new way did a shift happen. Viewers started saying the most amazing things — things that aligned exactly with my vision of what OWN can be.”


Tony Robbins — Net worth: $480 Million

Tony Robbins is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker known for his seminars, and self-help books

Tony Robbins is a philanthropist, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker known for his seminars, and self-help books including Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within.

Not only does Robbins have a personal gratitude practice, he also encourages others to do the same.

“I believe the ultimate path to enlightenment is the cultivation of gratitude. When you’re grateful, fear disappears. When you’re grateful, lack disappears. You feel a sense that life is uniquely blessed, but at the same time, you feel like you’re part of everything that exists and you know that you are not the source of it. In that state, you show up differently for the people around you.”


Cindy Crawford — Net worth: $100 million

Cindy Crawford is an internationally known American supermodel and actress.

Cindy Crawford is an internationally known American supermodel and actress. In an interview with New York Magazine’s The Cut, Crawford shared how a gratitude moment is part of her daily routine.

“I live in Malibu at the beach so the first thing I do is go out and get in the Jacuzzi. I look at the ocean as the sun is coming up and watch that every morning. That’s the time before anyone needs anything from me, so I can walk through my day and see where something might slip through the cracks. It’s also when I can have that gratitude moment. And when I get out I have a green tea.”


Kelsey Grammer — Net worth: $60 million

Kelsey Grammer is an actor, comedian, television producer, director, and writer, who is best known for his two-decade portrayal of character “Frasier Crane” on the sitcom Cheers and its spinoff, Frasier.

Kelsey Grammer is an actor, comedian, television producer, director, and writer, who is best known for his two-decade portrayal of character “Frasier Crane” on the sitcom Cheers and its spinoff, Frasier.

The talented star of screen and stage has suffered much hardship in his life, including the murder of his father and sister and a struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. Grammer shared with Vanity Fair, ” “Every one of us is going to experience some terrible loss. I just got a big dose. For every story you hear that’s tragic, there’s another that’s equally tragic or more so. I think you come to look at it as part of life.”

In a Time magazine article, Grammer told the interviewer “I hit my knees every day and express gratitude.”

Chris Pratt — Net worth, $40 million

Chris Pratt is an actor who moved from a supporting role in the sitcom Parks and Recreation to a blockbuster action hero with credits such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World in addition to dramatic roles like Passengers.

Chris Pratt is an actor who moved from a supporting role in the sitcom Parks and Recreation to a blockbuster action hero with credits such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World in addition to dramatic roles like Passengers.

Pratt is a devout Christian thanking Jesus at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards, and gratitude is part of his daily practice. 

“Usually before I eat a meal I’ll list the things for which I’m grateful,” Pratt once told Hollywood journalist Jeanne Wolf.


Willie Nelson — Net worth, $25 million

Willie Nelson is a legendary country music singer-songwriter, as well as an actor and activist.

Willie Nelson is a legendary country music singer-songwriter, as well as an actor and activist.

The critical and commercial success of the albums Shotgun Willie, Red Headed Stranger and Stardust, made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music.

Nelson has earned his net worth through his musical career, songwriting and his many roles in television and films, as well as the writing of his autobiography and other books.

Nelson is quoted as saying, “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”

"When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around." - Willie Nelson


Bob Proctor — Net worth, $20 million

Bob Proctor is a Canadian American author, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker

Bob Proctor is a Canadian American author, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker who has a net worth of $20 million. Proctor begins each day listing 10 things he is grateful for.

“Expressing gratitude instantly shifts your energy. It puts you in harmony with your source of supply so that the good in everything moves toward you.

Many people express gratitude first thing in the morning or before going to bed at night. Well, here’s another time to express it: whenever you feel overwhelmed with problems.

You see, if you have challenges in your life that are dominating your thinking — a shortage of money, a business problem, a relationship problem — you will have a tendency to focus on the problem. And by doing that, you add energy to the problem. And then the problem grows.

The next time things don’t seem to be going your way, just stop what you’re doing, and think about all of the things you have to be grateful for. I know that’s a pretty tall order, but if you do it, everything will start to shift in an instant. Just like snapping your fingers. When you change the way you look at the problems, the problems will change.”

“Expressing gratitude instantly shifts your energy. It puts you in harmony with your source of supply so that the good in everything moves toward you." @BobProctor


Eckhart Tolle — Net worth: $15 million

Eckhart Tolle is a spiritual leader and author

Eckhart Tolle is a spiritual leader and author who has a net worth of $15 million dollars.

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”


Will Arnett — Net worth: $12 million)

Will Arnett is an actor and comedian known for his roles on Arrested Development and in popular movies such as Blades of Glory, Show Dogs, and plays Batman in the LEGO Movie franchise.

Will Arnett is an actor and comedian known for his roles on Arrested Development and in popular movies such as Blades of Glory, Show Dogs, and plays Batman in the LEGO Movie franchise.

“Every single morning, I write a gratuity list. I write down ten things I’m grateful for every day — and it always starts with my kids,” shares Arnett.

Dr. John Demartini — Net worth: $10 million

Dr. John Demartini is a researcher, educator, and public speaker. He is the author of The Gratitude Effect.

Dr. John Demartini is a researcher, educator, and public speaker. He is the author of The Gratitude Effect.

Martini writes, “Gratitude is the key that opens up the gateway of your heart that allows the untapped and inspiring potential of love to radiate out and cleanse your mind of any clouding uncertainties that could block you from living your most amazing and extraordinary life and dream. When you are grateful for what you have you get more to be grateful for. Your life is fulfilled to the degree of your gratitude.”

“Gratitude is the key that opens up the gateway of your heart that allows the untapped and inspiring potential of love to radiate out and cleanse your mind of any clouding uncertainties that could block you from living your most amazing and extraordinary life and dream. When you are grateful for what you have you get more to be grateful for.” John DeMartini

Research says, this doesn’t just work for people who are already wealthy. It can make you into someone who can create it.

Robert A. Emmons, PhD, the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude

Robert A. Emmons, PhD, the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, and the founding editor-in-chief of The Journal of Positive Psychology.

Emmons scientific research in collaboration with Michael McCullough, PhD, psychologist at the University of Miami uncovered scientific proof that “when people regularly engage in the systematic cultivation of gratitude, they experience a variety of measurable benefits: psychological, physical, and interpersonal. The evidence on gratitude contradicts the widely held view that all people have a set-point of happiness that cannot be reset by any known means: in some cases, people have reported that gratitude led to transformative life changes.”

In his book, Thanks! How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, Emmons writes:

“An implicit assumption that many of us hold is that happiness depends on happenings — by what happens in our lives. We believe that success in life — whether in the boardroom or the bedroom — makes people happier. “

“Yet a recent review of the scientific literature on happiness revealed that happiness yields numerous rewards for the individual and precedes these outcomes. This means that happiness makes good things happen. It actually promotes positive outcomes. The benefits of happiness include higher income and superior work outcomes (for example, greater productivity, higher quality of work, greater occupational attainment), larger social rewards (such as more satisfying and longer marriages, more friends, stronger social support, and richer social interactions), more activity, energy, and flow, and better physical health (for example, a bolstered immune system, lowered stress levels, and less pain), and even longer life.”

From living in a garage, to being rich.

Illustration of Jen Sincero, Author of You Are a Badass at Making Money

Jen Sincero, author of You Are A Badass at Making Money, shares her very personal story of moving from living paycheck-to-paycheck to having real wealth.

She writes, “I can speak with great experience because I know what it’s like to be broke, and I now know what it’s like to be rich,” she says.

“We’ve been raised to believe that if you work really hard, you’ll make a lot of money — and that’s true — but this mindset stuff will make the work that you do so much easier. It’s about working smarter, not harder. Gratitude is what builds up the emotional reservoir that helps you kick serious ass.”

What if you’ve been sitting on a hidden practice all along that could dramatically increase your personal wealth?

Some Of The Richest People Practice Gratitude

Could it really be as simple as pulling out a piece of paper each day to list what you are grateful for?

One thing is for sure, it doesn’t cost you a dime to try it and find out.


Want tips on how to journal? Get the free ebook on How to Journal with 28 ways to journal and hundreds of resources so you can find the method that is right for you.


If you liked this article, you may also like: The Skeptic’s Guide to Gratitude Journaling by Rosemary Bointon.

Or the community discussion on OutwitTrade: Why Is Gratitude Important For Recovery, Success, Mental Health And More?

About Cathy Hutchison

Cathy Hutchison helps people get more joy, meaning, and freedom in a world of demands through the practice of visual journaling.

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cathy.hutchison

Cathy helps people banish overwhelm,
boost creativity 🎨
and reconnect with their ♥️
through visual journaling. 🖌
Get the free Quickstart guide 📗 here

CathyHutchison | VisualJournal
One of my favorite tools for visual journaling is One of my favorite tools for visual journaling is watercolor crayons. Here, I'm using #neocolorII by @carandache with an #aquabrush. To do this, you have to use a water resistant pen. I'm using a #pittartistpen by @fabercastellusa. #yourvisualjournal #artjournaling #journaling #watercolor
Playing with Posca markers in my pocket sized expe Playing with Posca markers in my pocket sized experimental journal. #yourvisualjournal #artjournaling #posca #arteveryday
Ten years ago, I started carrying a notebook with Ten years ago, I started carrying a notebook with me everywhere. I began taking notes, capturing insight, managing to-do lists, and working through ideas in a combination of words and doodles. 

This practice became a game changer for me. My notebook is my ally in living an intentional life. 

The sheer volume of information we process and decisions we make at a rapid pace is daunting. Getting things out of my head and in front of my eyes creates clarity. 

If this idea intrigues you, check out YourVisualJournal.com. It’s a passion project for me to share this practice with anyone who wants to try this out.

#journaling #yourvisualjournal #bujo #bulletjournal #dotgrid #leuchtturm1917 #notebook #sketchnotes
This year at BFF weekend we created #fairyhouse s This year at BFF weekend we created #fairyhouse s to leave at one of the trails in the hill country. We had so much fun creating then placing them
I was playing with ideas for my new course. #yourv I was playing with ideas for my new course. #yourvisualjournal #sketchnotes
The doodles on the edges of this page are inspired The doodles on the edges of this page are inspired by a mural in the Starbucks I was sitting in. The quote is from Benjamin P Hardy--and I love it that I made a mistake in the middle of it given the quote! ​​​​​​​​
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Creativity is risky business. It requires vulnerability and courage--with a high probability of mistakes and failures along the way. #yourvisualjournal #artjournal #artjournaling #watercolor #watercolorjournal #arteveryday #journaling #journallove
This was a great little book that shares the proce This was a great little book that shares the process of developing ideas. #yourvisualjournal #booksofinstagram #journaling #journal #sketchnotes
I got inspired by @oshupatterns through her @domes I got inspired by @oshupatterns through her @domestika course to play with #poscamarkers. It was so fun to use paint pens in this way. They dry fast and layer well. Super fun! #yourvisualjournal #journaling #artjournaling
When using watercolor crayons and an aquabrush it When using watercolor crayons and an aquabrush it helps to use a water resistant pen. I go through a lot of @fabercastellusa Pitt Artist Pens #journaling #yourvisualjournal #sketchnotediary #sketchnotes
I love my Mother's Day present! Thanks @bethutch ❤️#neocolor2 
There's something about a new set of crayons that is magical! (Plus if you see my most recent post, you can tell that I'm working with pieces parts big time!)
I'm re-reading @gregorymckeown 's Essentialism. I I'm re-reading @gregorymckeown 's Essentialism. I totally forgot about the chapter on our inner childq. So good. ​​​​​​​​
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#journal #journaling #journalingideas #visualjournaling #dailyjournal #journallove  #handwriting #penandpaper #journalcommunity #dotgrid #yourvisualjournal #artjournaling #artjournal #watercolorjournal
Today I misread my calendar and got to my meeting Today I misread my calendar and got to my meeting spot an hour early. The angels must have known how much I needed to just sit and journal. ♥️ What a gift of unstructured time ​​​​​​​​
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#journal #journaling #journalingideas #visualjournaling #dailyjournal #journallove  #handwriting #penandpaper #journalcommunity #dotgrid #yourvisualjournal #artjournaling #artjournal #watercolorjournal
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Some links on this site are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The author receives a  small (really small) commission if you happen to buy something.  Funds are used to support journaling supplies & four crazy sweet Aussies who bark for treats every time I come in the door. (To be fair, I have a pattern of giving in to them.) I write about all kinds of journaling, and if Bullet Journaling is your thing, I’m here to support you. But if you want to go deep, go to the original source–Ryder Carroll, who created the system, and started it all at bulletjournal.com. I use the method daily which is why I started writing about it here.
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