The Power of ‘Modeh Ani’

“Thankful am I”.

These are the very first words that observant Jews recite upon waking each morning.

In Hebrew: “Modeh ani”.

Not quite a prayer or request for anything in particular, but rather a brief expression of gratitude to our Creator for the blessings bestowed upon us.

Of course, you obviously don’t have to be Jewish or even believe in a Creator of any kind to express gratitude.

My point is, I find this simple daily ritual helpful for getting ready to face the adventures of a new day. Something anyone can practice. Say it in your own language and in the words of your choosing.

It’s also a reminder that expressing gratitude isn’t just something to do once a year around a table with family and friends.

It’s something that should guide each day of our life.

While I like to imagine that hard work and years of study over many years have led to the opportunities I’ve benefited from, I am also clear-eyed enough to know that much of what I think is within the realm of my control or influence actually isn’t.

I can think of numerous instances where just being at a certain place at a specific time made all the difference.

If I wasn’t standing at that certain spot in the classroom at business school, I wouldn’t have ended up chatting with the classmate who casually informed me that McKinsey was holding a recruiting dinner downtown, an event I had not been invited to, but which I decided to crash anyway—and which led to me getting hired eventually.

If I hadn’t decided to live in the graduate student dormitory at Yale, I probably wouldn’t have gone to the dining hall there, and therefore wouldn’t have met my wife.

So yes, I am very well aware of the role of luck and fortuitous timing in my life.

Which is even more reason to say “thank you” to whoever or whatever it is that allows me to watch my two children make their way in the world: My son getting promoted at his job on Wall Street; my daughter navigating her freshman year at college.

And to say thanks for being able to help my wife produce her YouTube program—now in its 12th year—where she interviews preeminent classical musicians from around the world on video. To-date, over 50 in-depth conversations with pianists, cellists, violinists, clarinetists, and conductors.

To say thanks for still having my parents.

And, after some health challenges a few years back, to say thanks for being alive.