The Montana Rancher’s Guide to Rewiring Your Mind & Beliefs with Gratitude
Simple Gratitude Practice Reprograms Your Mind (No Struggle Required)
If you ever find yourself wandering the rolling plains of Montana, you might come across a man named Quincy O’Hai.
He’s not your average rancher. Yes, he tends to the land, the cattle, and all the hard-worn beauty of ranch life, but behind that rugged exterior is a man who’s walked a much quieter, deeper path.
A couple of decades ago, Quincy had his "awakening."
You won’t hear him shouting it from mountaintops or selling it as a 10-step program. You’d have to sit with him before he’d even mention it. But if you’re lucky and ask the right question, Quincy might share one of his most profound insights.
That’s precisely what happened to me.
I was looking for a way to "get off the train" of beliefs that keep us stuck. I wasn’t interested in everyday beliefs like "I’m not good at X" or "I need Y to be successful." I wanted something more profound. I was searching for meta-beliefs — those foundational beliefs that control everything underneath them.
I asked the question in a meditation group, and Quincy responded.
At first, I thought, “Here we go, another 'do this and all your problems will vanish' tip.” But what he shared was simple, practical, and honestly… kind of genius.
Here’s the method from Quincy O’Hai — and it’s not just a one-time thing. It’s something you live with daily.
The Painless Deconditioning Technique
(According to Quincy O’Hai)
1️⃣ Make a Gratitude List
Take out your journal, phone, or even a sticky note. Write down at least 10 things you feel grateful for right now. These can be big or small. A cup of warm coffee. A laugh you shared with a friend. The roof over your head. If you feel stuck, you can just start with the basics.
2️⃣ Keep It Close
Don’t let that list collect dust. Keep it somewhere you’ll see it daily — in your phone notes, on your bathroom mirror, or at your desk. The list isn’t meant to be made and forgotten. It’s meant to be lived with.
3️⃣ Review It Daily (And Update It Often)
Here’s the part that makes it painless. You don’t need to carve out hours to "practice" it. Just glance at the list in the morning. Then again at lunch. Maybe once more before bed. If you notice something new you’re grateful for, add it to the list. If an old one feels stale, swap it out. This way, your gratitude list becomes a living, breathing document.
4️⃣ Practice Gratitude for Challenges
This one might feel counterintuitive, but it’s crucial. When a challenge or setback arises, instead of reacting with frustration, see if you can find one thing about it to be grateful for. Maybe the challenge taught you something. Maybe it made you more patient. This shift, Quincy says, is one of the most powerful moves you can make.
5️⃣ Embrace Uncertainty with Enthusiasm
This is where it gets deep. Instead of seeing uncertainty as something to fear, Quincy invites us to lean into it enthusiastically. Why? Because uncertainty is where all possibilities live. It’s the fertile ground where gratitude grows the strongest.
Why This Technique Works
Quincy didn’t just share the technique — he shared why it works.
He explained it like this:
“This exercise is training your brain, which is your interface with the Universe, about what to attract into your life.”
Read that again. Training your brain, which is your interface with the Universe.
When you make gratitude a daily habit, you’re reprogramming your mind. You’re telling it, “This is what I care about. This is what I want more of.” And like any good system, it responds.
You might notice more joy in simple moments. You might see new opportunities where there were none before. You might even notice that you start believing different things about yourself — not because you forced it, but because your mind learned to see the world through the lens of gratitude.
Why It’s Different
Here’s the part that surprised me most: it’s painless.
Most techniques for "deconditioning beliefs" sound like work. Shadow work. Self-inquiry. Inner-child healing. While all of these are powerful in their own right, Quincy’s method isn’t about digging or forcing. It’s about noticing. It’s about living with gratitude daily until the old beliefs fade away on their own.
There’s no fight. No struggle. Just the soft, persistent light of appreciation, gently unraveling the mental knots we tie ourselves in.
A Parting Note from Quincy
This technique is from Quincy’s new book, "New Awakening," which is still in progress. But this insight alone feels like it could fill a chapter. He’s proof that awakening doesn’t have to come from a monastery or mountaintop. Sometimes, it comes from a rancher in Montana who learned how to train his brain to see the world differently.
Start with this if you’ve been searching for a way to shift your beliefs — not just the small ones, but the big, cascading meta-beliefs.
Make the list.
Keep it with you.
Look at it daily.
It works. It’s working on me right now.
If you give it a try, I’d love to hear from you. What shows up on your gratitude list today?
Please just hit reply and tell me.
Gratefully,
Harpreet