Gratitude is one of the foundational Practices for cultivating a life well lived. The flowering of each other’s unique treasures and gifts is generated by mutual support, loving-kindness, and gratitude.
Nourish yourself, so your life may become a beautiful blossom of gratitude...
What is Gratitude?
Gratitude is the quality of being thankful, appreciative, and kind. Gratitude is a reorientation to appreciate what we already have, thereby allowing us to cherish our life in a way that makes us feel abundant.
Recent psychological research has revealed that feeling gratitude, expressing gratitude, receiving gratitude and thinking grateful thoughts engenders greater happiness and improves overall well being. Gratitude enhances one’s awareness of their emotions and feelings. Gratitude supports people in dealing with adversity. Gratitude cultivates resilience. Gratitude fosters connection between people and builds honouring and respectful relationships. Gratitude is a wise voice, an instrument for healing that can transform one’s relationships and life.
Alchemically, gratitude releases both serotonin and dopamine in the body, not only physically causing you and the other to feel good, but also promoting better health. Serotonin regulates the nervous system, creating a calm and balanced mental state. Dopamine is responsible for feelings of pleasure, joy and happiness, all emotions that support overall mental health and wellbeing.
Physically speaking, gratitude illuminates and awakens our body and being. Gratitude emanates from the heart and radiates outward in every direction. Gratitude has power and potential to create. The mind amplifies the feeling of gratitude through intention setting. Intentions direct this life-enhancing energy and focuses the will to serve a goal for oneself and the greater good.
What is Gratitude?
Gratitude is the quality of being thankful, appreciative, and kind. Gratitude is a reorientation to appreciate what we already have, thereby allowing us to cherish our life in a way that makes us feel abundant.
Recent psychological research has revealed that feeling gratitude, expressing gratitude, receiving gratitude and thinking grateful thoughts engenders greater happiness and improves overall well being. Gratitude enhances one’s awareness of their emotions and feelings. Gratitude supports people in dealing with adversity. Gratitude cultivates resilience. Gratitude fosters connection between people and builds honouring and respectful relationships. Gratitude is a wise voice, an instrument for healing that can transform one’s relationships and life.
Alchemically, gratitude releases both serotonin and dopamine in the body, not only physically causing you and the other to feel good, but also promoting better health. Serotonin regulates the nervous system, creating a calm and balanced mental state. Dopamine is responsible for feelings of pleasure, joy and happiness, all emotions that support overall mental health and wellbeing.
Physically speaking, gratitude illuminates and awakens our body and being. Gratitude emanates from the heart and radiates outward in every direction. Gratitude has power and potential to create. The mind amplifies the feeling of gratitude through intention setting. Intentions direct this life-enhancing energy and focuses the will to serve a goal for oneself and the greater good.
Gratefulness (Great Fullness) is the action and expression of gratitude, and is the acknowledgement and recognition of our belonging to the human race. When we embrace gratefulness into daily living, we become connected to people and the surrounding environment.
Close your eyes for one moment and express gratefulness for something in your life. See if you can feel how you become more connected to yourself and your values in addition to whatever you are grateful for.
As you feel more connected to others—family and community—you will notice how gratitude engenders belonging. If you are feeling alone in this moment—separate and not engaged with people—practice gratitude. Gratitude fosters relationships that nurture your wellbeing, bringing pleasure, togetherness and feelings of kinship. Gratitude transforms longing and isolation into connection and inclusion. Gratefulness is the acknowledgement and recognition of our belonging to the human race.
Close your eyes for one moment and express gratefulness for something in your life. See if you can feel how you become more connected to yourself and your values in addition to whatever you are grateful for.
As you feel more connected to others—family and community—you will notice how gratitude engenders belonging. If you are feeling alone in this moment—separate and not engaged with people—practice gratitude. Gratitude fosters relationships that nurture your wellbeing, bringing pleasure, togetherness and feelings of kinship. Gratitude transforms longing and isolation into connection and inclusion. Gratefulness is the acknowledgement and recognition of our belonging to the human race.
When we allow the privilege of being alive to penetrate to our core, life becomes meaningful and sacred.
Thankfulness generates a warm feeling in the entire body, an inner smile, an appreciation for what we have received from people and from life in general. Take nothing for granted. We are entitled to nothing, but deserve everything. Be thankful everything, big and small, because there is a reason for everything that shows up in your life. Take a moment to be thankful for the food you eat, for fresh water, hot water, and for the thousands of people and things that support you in your life. Thank the teller in the grocery store, the person that holds a door open for you, anyone you see helping others. Thank those that you live with for the little things, putting things away, cleaning up after themselves, taking out the garbage, being considerate with noise, etc. Thank yourself, for all of the things, large and small, that you’ve done to help others and make the world a better place to live. Be thankful for your life...
Thankful people take time to notice and see the essence and goodness in people and life around them. They see and accept other people for who they are and who they are becoming. Slowing down, pausing and taking a deep breath affords us the spaciousness to be grateful, to feel grateful and to express our gratitude.
Thankful people take time to notice and see the essence and goodness in people and life around them. They see and accept other people for who they are and who they are becoming. Slowing down, pausing and taking a deep breath affords us the spaciousness to be grateful, to feel grateful and to express our gratitude.
Be thankful for your existence. Life is precious...
Why is it important to express and celebrate Gratitude?
Living a life of gratitude brings about personal change. A practice of gratitude supports you in noticing the beauty in the world around you: simple things, like the warmth of sun shine, the sweet musky scent of the forest, the privilege of breathing fresh air, and the many ways in which the earth provides for you. And when you notice these things, you feel uplifted, regenerated and have more capacity to accomplish things in your life and give to others.
Gratitude practices build strength and resilience, as you make it a habit to focus on the positive aspects of your life rather than the struggles. As a result, you are able to find appreciation for many aspects of your life, including your work, colleagues, family, friends and lovers. Once you make gratitude a daily habit, your emotional, mental and physical health changes for the best as you reorient toward what is healthy and good in your life. All of this fosters joy and happiness for you and your relationships.
People feel and express their gratitude in multiple ways, such as: through appreciation, saying “thank you,” acts of service for others, a smile, a warm touch, acknowledgement of another’s words or actions, validation of another’s efforts, the offering of support, the giving of gifts, offering helping hands for a project, encouragement, volunteering for an organization or event, offering a kind reflection, a hug, compliments, an honouring celebration, affirmations of love, and unspoken communication through loving presence.
Express your gratitude without a destination, an outcome, or expectation. Express your gratitude with love. If expressing gratitude feels good to you, then do it. An added benefit is gratitude will
change how you see and engage life. Your life will be transformed by the practice of gratitude. The rewards will be immense when you include some or all of the following gratitude resource treasures.
Gratitude practices build strength and resilience, as you make it a habit to focus on the positive aspects of your life rather than the struggles. As a result, you are able to find appreciation for many aspects of your life, including your work, colleagues, family, friends and lovers. Once you make gratitude a daily habit, your emotional, mental and physical health changes for the best as you reorient toward what is healthy and good in your life. All of this fosters joy and happiness for you and your relationships.
People feel and express their gratitude in multiple ways, such as: through appreciation, saying “thank you,” acts of service for others, a smile, a warm touch, acknowledgement of another’s words or actions, validation of another’s efforts, the offering of support, the giving of gifts, offering helping hands for a project, encouragement, volunteering for an organization or event, offering a kind reflection, a hug, compliments, an honouring celebration, affirmations of love, and unspoken communication through loving presence.
Express your gratitude without a destination, an outcome, or expectation. Express your gratitude with love. If expressing gratitude feels good to you, then do it. An added benefit is gratitude will
change how you see and engage life. Your life will be transformed by the practice of gratitude. The rewards will be immense when you include some or all of the following gratitude resource treasures.
Writing as a Tool for Cultivating Gratitude
Write down your gratitude and positive life-affirming thoughts and feelings. Keeping a gratitude journal reinforces the goodness we are cultivating in our life. It connects us to our heartfelt feelings and leads to more positive outcomes in all aspects of our lives. Write down your intentions, experiences, insights, accomplishments, understandings, feelings, thoughts, endeavours, disappointments, celebrations, losses, and as many expressions of gratitude and love as you can imagine. Begin your journaling practice, either daily or weekly.
“Today I am grateful for...”
When you write out your gratitude list, you will realise just how much there is to appreciate. Keeping a gratitude journal has an incredibly beneficial effect upon your feelings, thoughts, and actions. A gratitude journal is one of the most useful techniques for shifting your thoughts and feelings to a more positive and joyful orientation. Writing down our gratitude connects us with what we see, how we feel, and can shift how we behave. Gratitude journaling establishes value and importance to the way we live our lives.
Post sticky notes around your home that remind you to be grateful for yourself, those you share your home with, your animals and the beauty in your home.
Write gratitude letters to people that have made a difference in your life. Gratitude is not only about being thankful for material things but it’s also about expressing gratitude to other people. Writing gratitude letters offers support and encouragement and builds other people’s self-esteem and self-worth. Additionally, expressing your appreciation to your relatives, friends, or colleagues is as beneficial as keeping a gratitude journal. You don’t need to write appreciative letters every day and yet it is good to remember to do it often. Once you start practicing it, you will see changes in how you feel about these people. You will also notice how others are affected by your gratitude and how these relationships improve and become more intimate as a result of simply sharing appreciation.
Write down some of the miracles that you observe throughout your day. With each one, take time to celebrate what happened to you. For each experience, express gratitude inwardly with appreciative receptivity, taking time to feel your feelings. Then, share those positive feelings
with loving-kindness toward others during the course of your day. Just before dreamtime, read through the miracles of life that you had noticed in your day and give thanks again before going to sleep. If you do this exercise for a week, your life will be changed. Grace, ease, and flow will naturally ensue. This is a lifelong practice for more joyful living.
Consider incorporating “thank you” phrases into all personal and professional communications. Phrases such as: “Thank you so much”, “Thank you very much”, “I appreciate your
consideration/guidance/help/time/support/insight/encouragement.” “I appreciate you.” “I sincerely appreciate...”, “My sincere appreciation and gratitude.” “My thanks and appreciation.” “Please accept my deepest thanks.” “I love you.” “Namaste.”
Another way of sharing your appreciation when you think about something someone did for you is to call that person on the phone. Let them know what they did that you’re grateful for and why you appreciated it. You can also text your gratitudes. Ideally, tell them in person if you can. Saying thank you in warm and loving ways honours and reinforces supportive and helpful behaviours and relationships.
“Today I am grateful for...”
When you write out your gratitude list, you will realise just how much there is to appreciate. Keeping a gratitude journal has an incredibly beneficial effect upon your feelings, thoughts, and actions. A gratitude journal is one of the most useful techniques for shifting your thoughts and feelings to a more positive and joyful orientation. Writing down our gratitude connects us with what we see, how we feel, and can shift how we behave. Gratitude journaling establishes value and importance to the way we live our lives.
Post sticky notes around your home that remind you to be grateful for yourself, those you share your home with, your animals and the beauty in your home.
Write gratitude letters to people that have made a difference in your life. Gratitude is not only about being thankful for material things but it’s also about expressing gratitude to other people. Writing gratitude letters offers support and encouragement and builds other people’s self-esteem and self-worth. Additionally, expressing your appreciation to your relatives, friends, or colleagues is as beneficial as keeping a gratitude journal. You don’t need to write appreciative letters every day and yet it is good to remember to do it often. Once you start practicing it, you will see changes in how you feel about these people. You will also notice how others are affected by your gratitude and how these relationships improve and become more intimate as a result of simply sharing appreciation.
Write down some of the miracles that you observe throughout your day. With each one, take time to celebrate what happened to you. For each experience, express gratitude inwardly with appreciative receptivity, taking time to feel your feelings. Then, share those positive feelings
with loving-kindness toward others during the course of your day. Just before dreamtime, read through the miracles of life that you had noticed in your day and give thanks again before going to sleep. If you do this exercise for a week, your life will be changed. Grace, ease, and flow will naturally ensue. This is a lifelong practice for more joyful living.
Consider incorporating “thank you” phrases into all personal and professional communications. Phrases such as: “Thank you so much”, “Thank you very much”, “I appreciate your
consideration/guidance/help/time/support/insight/encouragement.” “I appreciate you.” “I sincerely appreciate...”, “My sincere appreciation and gratitude.” “My thanks and appreciation.” “Please accept my deepest thanks.” “I love you.” “Namaste.”
Another way of sharing your appreciation when you think about something someone did for you is to call that person on the phone. Let them know what they did that you’re grateful for and why you appreciated it. You can also text your gratitudes. Ideally, tell them in person if you can. Saying thank you in warm and loving ways honours and reinforces supportive and helpful behaviours and relationships.
Gratitude Questions for Journaling
Who or what inspired me today?
What brought me happiness today?
What brought me comfort and deep peace today?
The questions above can be a guide to support you feeling more appreciative and focused on the good things in your life. Notice the positive interactions, small serendipities and lovely surprises. Look for them. Appreciate them. By stopping to notice these moments, you can more fully integrate gratitude into every cell in your body. Savour your gratitude and pay attention to those magical moments. Allow the feeling of gratitude to percolate and penetrate throughout your entire being.
Building Your Treasure Chest of Gratitude Through Practice
The following are some ideas on how you can live a life of gratitude.
Morning
Each morning when you awaken, take a few moments to affirm the simple things in your life that you are grateful for: the air you breathe, your family, your friends, the food that you have access to, the fresh water you have for drinking and bathing, the opportunities you have in your life to enjoy others and share yourself, the natural world around you, trees, the gift of sight, smell, hearing and touch as well as whatever may be important to you in that moment. Beginning your day by being thankful sets a positive tone to the rest of the day. Take time each morning to appreciate how abundant your life is. Life is a miracle.
Create a landscape filled with gratitude by building this habit into your day first thing in the morning. Journal your gratitudes. By writing them down, you reinforce your feelings, and over time you embody the feeling of gratitude ~ you become gratitude. It works! You need to try it to discover this for yourself. Yet this is how gratitude can truly change and transform your life. It is a Practice. Be patient. Practice gratitude. Be patient... and there will come a moment you will realise something has shifted in your life, and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Daily self-reflection is vital for everyone. It helps us focus on our projects, endeavours, assignments, and gets our creative juices flowing for the day. A morning gratitude session can
take only two to three minutes, yet it can change the entire course of our day. Remember, small acts of gratitude and thankfulness can make a huge difference.
Take a moment right now. Close your eyes for just a few seconds and silently give thanks for someone or something in your life. Notice how this simple act can make a difference in your feelings about a person or situation, however slight.
Make of your life an intentional conscious practice.
Daytime
During your day, at work or wherever you are, express gratitude to other people, offer yourself appreciation and acknowledgement, and be grateful for the simple and extraordinary things that show up in your life. The banquet table of life is always laid with various types of nourishment, awaiting you and serving you with what you need at any given time.
Night-time
You will sleep longer and better when you spend a few minutes writing down what you were thankful for during your day before going to bed. Consider creating a gratitude and appreciation ritual that prepares you for dreamtime, a restoration ritual where you remember, acknowledge and appreciate people, interactions and moments from your day. Write these down in your journal. This is a wonderful way to mark the positive things in your life and enter into your dream world, ensuring a good night's sleep.
Lay on your back, in your bed as you are preparing for sleep-time. Put one hand on your belly and lay one hand on your heart. Silently reflect upon your day, remembering the people, events, situations, experiences, and/or aspects of nature that momentarily became a part of your day’s journey. Then, focus on allowing the healing energy of gratitude to flow through every artery and vein and permeate every cell in your body. Then notice how you feel if you haven’t already fallen asleep.
Alternatively, when you are ready for sleep, rest your head on your pillow and reflect upon your day. Feel the gentleness of gratitude for your experiences that day, appreciate the people that formed those parts of your day that you remember fondly and even the ones that were challenging, but may be showing you something important about yourself or that needs adjusting in your life. Take mental note of the multitude of gifts that life is always bringing to you. Then close your eyes and be nourished and restored by your dreamtime.
You have just created your own intentional conscious gratitude practice. After several days, pay attention to the subtleties of how you feel.
Morning
Each morning when you awaken, take a few moments to affirm the simple things in your life that you are grateful for: the air you breathe, your family, your friends, the food that you have access to, the fresh water you have for drinking and bathing, the opportunities you have in your life to enjoy others and share yourself, the natural world around you, trees, the gift of sight, smell, hearing and touch as well as whatever may be important to you in that moment. Beginning your day by being thankful sets a positive tone to the rest of the day. Take time each morning to appreciate how abundant your life is. Life is a miracle.
Create a landscape filled with gratitude by building this habit into your day first thing in the morning. Journal your gratitudes. By writing them down, you reinforce your feelings, and over time you embody the feeling of gratitude ~ you become gratitude. It works! You need to try it to discover this for yourself. Yet this is how gratitude can truly change and transform your life. It is a Practice. Be patient. Practice gratitude. Be patient... and there will come a moment you will realise something has shifted in your life, and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Daily self-reflection is vital for everyone. It helps us focus on our projects, endeavours, assignments, and gets our creative juices flowing for the day. A morning gratitude session can
take only two to three minutes, yet it can change the entire course of our day. Remember, small acts of gratitude and thankfulness can make a huge difference.
Take a moment right now. Close your eyes for just a few seconds and silently give thanks for someone or something in your life. Notice how this simple act can make a difference in your feelings about a person or situation, however slight.
Make of your life an intentional conscious practice.
Daytime
During your day, at work or wherever you are, express gratitude to other people, offer yourself appreciation and acknowledgement, and be grateful for the simple and extraordinary things that show up in your life. The banquet table of life is always laid with various types of nourishment, awaiting you and serving you with what you need at any given time.
Night-time
You will sleep longer and better when you spend a few minutes writing down what you were thankful for during your day before going to bed. Consider creating a gratitude and appreciation ritual that prepares you for dreamtime, a restoration ritual where you remember, acknowledge and appreciate people, interactions and moments from your day. Write these down in your journal. This is a wonderful way to mark the positive things in your life and enter into your dream world, ensuring a good night's sleep.
Lay on your back, in your bed as you are preparing for sleep-time. Put one hand on your belly and lay one hand on your heart. Silently reflect upon your day, remembering the people, events, situations, experiences, and/or aspects of nature that momentarily became a part of your day’s journey. Then, focus on allowing the healing energy of gratitude to flow through every artery and vein and permeate every cell in your body. Then notice how you feel if you haven’t already fallen asleep.
Alternatively, when you are ready for sleep, rest your head on your pillow and reflect upon your day. Feel the gentleness of gratitude for your experiences that day, appreciate the people that formed those parts of your day that you remember fondly and even the ones that were challenging, but may be showing you something important about yourself or that needs adjusting in your life. Take mental note of the multitude of gifts that life is always bringing to you. Then close your eyes and be nourished and restored by your dreamtime.
You have just created your own intentional conscious gratitude practice. After several days, pay attention to the subtleties of how you feel.
A Seven-Day Gratitude Challenge
Can you find things to be grateful for every day? Are you willing to grow a spirit of gratitude within yourself?
Establishing a personal practice that includes gratitude is a step-by-step journey to a better life. To embody gratitude requires daily repetition, both in the form of expressing as well as receiving gratitude. Daily practice is what makes the difference. Slowly, over time, gratitude will just naturally become an aspect of who you are, changing the way you perceive the world and how others perceive you...
I recommend that for the next seven days you take a few moments each day to quietly express gratitude about anything you notice. Additionally, show your appreciation for or express gratitude with three people during the course of your day. Journal your results at the end of each day.
After seven days, see how you feel. Has anything changed? Maybe the shape of your cheeks has changed! Perhaps your life feels different in other ways... Have your relationships grown in any way with those you’ve been appreciating or sharing gratitude with? Remember, our lives change through embodied, repetitive practices.
Establishing a personal practice that includes gratitude is a step-by-step journey to a better life. To embody gratitude requires daily repetition, both in the form of expressing as well as receiving gratitude. Daily practice is what makes the difference. Slowly, over time, gratitude will just naturally become an aspect of who you are, changing the way you perceive the world and how others perceive you...
I recommend that for the next seven days you take a few moments each day to quietly express gratitude about anything you notice. Additionally, show your appreciation for or express gratitude with three people during the course of your day. Journal your results at the end of each day.
After seven days, see how you feel. Has anything changed? Maybe the shape of your cheeks has changed! Perhaps your life feels different in other ways... Have your relationships grown in any way with those you’ve been appreciating or sharing gratitude with? Remember, our lives change through embodied, repetitive practices.
Gratitude Mantras, Affirmations and Meditations
Practice mindfulness and meditation with gratitude mantras and affirmations. They will become your mandates for daily living. Explore saying to yourself, “I am thankful for everything in my life,” or “I am thankful for…” Complete this gratitude sentence with the myriad of people, situations and circumstances you value and appreciate, including yourself. It is important to include yourself in your gratitude practice and it can even be more beneficial if you do it in front of a mirror and say the words looking into your own eyes.
Mindful gratitude meditations are a lovely way of inculcating gratitude into your cellular DNA. Sit down daily and think about a few things you are grateful for. Picture each situation in your mind and be with that feeling of gratitude in your body. Doing this every day will re-pattern your thinking processes and way of being. You will naturally become more grateful, happier and empathetic toward others.
When you invoke the light within, you return home. I spend my days investing in my present and future happiness and wellbeing by thinking happy thoughts, being honest, helpful, kind, grateful, and peaceful. I am totally responsible for all the choices I make, all the thoughts I create and all the actions I take. By believing the world is full of goodness, I allow positive good things to happen and come to me. I trust the Universe is intentionally planning to support me today and I look for ways the Universe shows its caring nature. Gratitude mantras and affirmations are one way of creating the life you want to have and serving people and the common good. So begin today with your personalised mantras and begin by affirming them to yourself. Once they have become a way of being, then expressing them to others will happen naturally.
Mindful gratitude meditations are a lovely way of inculcating gratitude into your cellular DNA. Sit down daily and think about a few things you are grateful for. Picture each situation in your mind and be with that feeling of gratitude in your body. Doing this every day will re-pattern your thinking processes and way of being. You will naturally become more grateful, happier and empathetic toward others.
When you invoke the light within, you return home. I spend my days investing in my present and future happiness and wellbeing by thinking happy thoughts, being honest, helpful, kind, grateful, and peaceful. I am totally responsible for all the choices I make, all the thoughts I create and all the actions I take. By believing the world is full of goodness, I allow positive good things to happen and come to me. I trust the Universe is intentionally planning to support me today and I look for ways the Universe shows its caring nature. Gratitude mantras and affirmations are one way of creating the life you want to have and serving people and the common good. So begin today with your personalised mantras and begin by affirming them to yourself. Once they have become a way of being, then expressing them to others will happen naturally.
Gratitude Ceremonies
Create your own gratitude ceremony with invocations, routines or rituals. Take charge of your life, steer your ship in the direction you want to go, aligned with your purpose, values, and vision. Create your path to self-empowerment.
Make a gratitude box similar to keeping a gratitude journal. Make short notes of what you are grateful for and put them in the box. On special occasions read or share your gratitudes with friends and loved ones.
Leave gratitude love notes in your children’s and/or partner’s lunch box. Leave them under their pillows. Surprise them with playful heartfelt actions of delight, enchantment, and gestures of love.
Include gratitude on your vision boards, in your poetry, artistic creativity, and in your love making.
Make a gratitude box similar to keeping a gratitude journal. Make short notes of what you are grateful for and put them in the box. On special occasions read or share your gratitudes with friends and loved ones.
Leave gratitude love notes in your children’s and/or partner’s lunch box. Leave them under their pillows. Surprise them with playful heartfelt actions of delight, enchantment, and gestures of love.
Include gratitude on your vision boards, in your poetry, artistic creativity, and in your love making.
Gratitude Addresses and Tends the Shadow Self:
Healing and Transformation
Gratitude invokes healing for yourself and others. To see the divine shadow requires an attitude of curiosity and gratitude. Make a conscious choice to be curious and ask the question, “Who am I?” In order to see the truth, there must be an honest desire to see, know and understand yourself: who you are, how you behave, why you think the way you do, why you act the way you do and the origin of your feelings and reactions. Gratitude helps to clear away the debris that hinders and weighs you down from enjoying your life and fulfilling your purpose. To cultivate that attitude of curiosity and gratitude for all of your emotions opens a portal of understanding into your past as well as your reasons for being. Trauma can then be seen and healed, leading to living a more free and happier life.
Gratitude fosters healing through being more fully present and awake. When you are playing your inner gratitude recording, past feelings are less likely to arise or be triggered. Your past life doesn’t usurp your life in the here-and-now. If you are going through challenging times, then gratitude will certainly generate some light, uplift you and allow you to feel some positivity. Depending on the level of challenge and your own mental health, if you can muster some level of gratitude for the challenges you face, it will certainly help you to recognise their meaning, purpose, and the blessings they may bring.
Gratitude is accompanied by certain physical sensations. It can feel like warmth in the body, a sense of groundedness, a slowing of the breath and a sense of spaciousness in the chest and heart. Sometimes gratitude is followed by uncontrollable tears or a wild exclamation. Sometimes gratitude generates an autonomic smile which is accompanied by an unseen inner smile.
Gratitude helps you to focus and positively address adversity. All people have stress and hardship to endure. This is unavoidable. Facing these challenging elements in your life is
essential. Humility and gratitude in these moments are the most difficult but also the most powerful. Gratitude is therefore a strategy for overcoming and moving beyond the obstacles, dysfunctional thoughts, feelings and behaviours that may be keeping you in an unhappy state. Appreciation for all of the wonderful things we have or the people we know brings balance and inner peace. It is a practice that can mitigate the pain of our suffering and help us to see the positive elements in our life at any given time.
Being thankful decreases our fearfulness, allowing us to be more open and willing to receive. Infusing gratitude with love amplifies the benefits for both the giver and the receiver. It is often said that, “Love blossoms when we are able to let go of fear.” Or “Fear cannot exist where love resides.” Therefore, gratitude is also a healing balm to fear.
Remember, every life situation is a learning opportunity. Recognise and honour the challenges that arise. Feel the emotions authentically and express them to your best ability. Grieve when you must grieve. When you are ready and the time is right, ask yourself, “What is the lesson for me here?” Often, the more difficult and challenging situations arise for your own good and evolution—welcome them. Give thanks for these problems, as they may be building or strengthening you in unseen ways or reflecting to you unhealed trauma. These moments remind us that there is good in everything, despite how it looks and feels. By noticing and acknowledging these losses as blessings, you heal from the past, transform your life for the better and are more able to align with your true purpose.
Gratitude awakens your ability to renew your commitment to heal the dysfunctional self. You can intentionally re-imagine yourself and your life again and again as you purposefully move through challenges with humility and gratitude. Authenticity and grace are natural evolutions of this process.
When we realise we have agency in our lives, we can be more proactive. When we are proactive, we take more responsibility for the outcomes in our lives and thereby engage and participate more fully in what we are doing.
Gratitude fosters healing through being more fully present and awake. When you are playing your inner gratitude recording, past feelings are less likely to arise or be triggered. Your past life doesn’t usurp your life in the here-and-now. If you are going through challenging times, then gratitude will certainly generate some light, uplift you and allow you to feel some positivity. Depending on the level of challenge and your own mental health, if you can muster some level of gratitude for the challenges you face, it will certainly help you to recognise their meaning, purpose, and the blessings they may bring.
Gratitude is accompanied by certain physical sensations. It can feel like warmth in the body, a sense of groundedness, a slowing of the breath and a sense of spaciousness in the chest and heart. Sometimes gratitude is followed by uncontrollable tears or a wild exclamation. Sometimes gratitude generates an autonomic smile which is accompanied by an unseen inner smile.
Gratitude helps you to focus and positively address adversity. All people have stress and hardship to endure. This is unavoidable. Facing these challenging elements in your life is
essential. Humility and gratitude in these moments are the most difficult but also the most powerful. Gratitude is therefore a strategy for overcoming and moving beyond the obstacles, dysfunctional thoughts, feelings and behaviours that may be keeping you in an unhappy state. Appreciation for all of the wonderful things we have or the people we know brings balance and inner peace. It is a practice that can mitigate the pain of our suffering and help us to see the positive elements in our life at any given time.
Being thankful decreases our fearfulness, allowing us to be more open and willing to receive. Infusing gratitude with love amplifies the benefits for both the giver and the receiver. It is often said that, “Love blossoms when we are able to let go of fear.” Or “Fear cannot exist where love resides.” Therefore, gratitude is also a healing balm to fear.
Remember, every life situation is a learning opportunity. Recognise and honour the challenges that arise. Feel the emotions authentically and express them to your best ability. Grieve when you must grieve. When you are ready and the time is right, ask yourself, “What is the lesson for me here?” Often, the more difficult and challenging situations arise for your own good and evolution—welcome them. Give thanks for these problems, as they may be building or strengthening you in unseen ways or reflecting to you unhealed trauma. These moments remind us that there is good in everything, despite how it looks and feels. By noticing and acknowledging these losses as blessings, you heal from the past, transform your life for the better and are more able to align with your true purpose.
Gratitude awakens your ability to renew your commitment to heal the dysfunctional self. You can intentionally re-imagine yourself and your life again and again as you purposefully move through challenges with humility and gratitude. Authenticity and grace are natural evolutions of this process.
When we realise we have agency in our lives, we can be more proactive. When we are proactive, we take more responsibility for the outcomes in our lives and thereby engage and participate more fully in what we are doing.
Gratitude creates a marriage within us, between the blessings and the losses, a healthy union between the unresolved and our present path. Gratitude helps us to more clearly see the way forward, connecting us with our heart’s desire to live in peace and loving harmony with ourselves and others.
Gratitude and Relationships
Receiving and giving gratitude engenders heartfelt resilient relationships. Receive with gratitude the trees, animals, seasons, elements, fresh air, water and food, and watch how your relationship to the natural world evolves and grows. Be thankful for those that you engage with in your daily life, especially family, lovers, friends, and colleagues. Let them know how you feel about them.
Enjoy expressing your gratitude for their presence in your life. This reinforces their sense of worth and contribution. Expressing gratitude boosts your relationship and is mutually beneficial for both parties, the giver and the receiver. Partners who feel appreciated are more responsive to
their partner’s needs. This nurtures the relationship, taking it to a deeper, more intimate and more truly meaningful place. Expressing gratitude to your partner, friends, children and family sustains all of your relationships, building connection and deepening intimacy. Share your gratitude in Heart Circles. This builds and creates togetherness and connectivity as well as a team approach to living.
Enjoy expressing your gratitude for their presence in your life. This reinforces their sense of worth and contribution. Expressing gratitude boosts your relationship and is mutually beneficial for both parties, the giver and the receiver. Partners who feel appreciated are more responsive to
their partner’s needs. This nurtures the relationship, taking it to a deeper, more intimate and more truly meaningful place. Expressing gratitude to your partner, friends, children and family sustains all of your relationships, building connection and deepening intimacy. Share your gratitude in Heart Circles. This builds and creates togetherness and connectivity as well as a team approach to living.
Embodied Gratitude
All relationships benefit from doing embodied practices together, such as: dance, massage, yoga, singing, playing music, cooperative art, building and many other creative collaborative projects. They empower people and facilitate alignment between them so their interpersonal relationships
and collective spirit grows and evolves. Shared embodiment practices are the heart and soul of connection, healing, understanding and compassion. Non-verbal embodiment practices encourage the expression of energies lying beneath the surface, thereby building intimacy and bonding. These practices precipitate a shared sense of belonging and acceptance, inherently growing feelings of loving kindness which enable people to experience a sense of safety and home. This is an ancient and joyful way to build community and cultivate lifelong friendships built on trust and mutual respect. And yet this can only happen when we spend significant amounts of time with people with a shared passion or focus.
Outwardly expressing gratitude and appreciation to others sets the scene for favourable outcomes in interpersonal relationships. Include the simple as well as the extraordinary things that show up. Pay attention to how other people are relating to each other at work, your partner, lovers, friends and family members. Acknowledging other people's relational behaviours, especially with gratitude, honours who they are and strengthens their connection to each other and to you. It is a human need to feel seen and understood. The recognition and acceptance of people’s talents and gifts through appreciation, gratitude and affirmation, validates them as human beings. When you do that for another, you are inspiring them to be and to do their best.
Spend meaningful time with your loved ones. Play, have fun, and celebrate with family and friends. Spending time in gratitude with people helps you grow closer to them, opens hearts, strengthens your relational connection and gives you an opportunity to practice gratitude with people you care about. Complimenting another is an act of gratitude. Presence... listening attentively to another can also be an act of gratitude and honouring. Do all of them. Often! Thank your loved ones for all they do for you and for others. Expressing your gratitude toward them makes their day a little brighter, and can do wonders for increasing everyone’s levels of oxytocin. When you express your feelings of gratitude you build a more intimate connection between yourself and others.
Reflect on your past experiences and people that have supported you. Try to discern how they have helped shape you into the person you are today. Those relationships undoubtedly changed the course of your life. Give thanks!
and collective spirit grows and evolves. Shared embodiment practices are the heart and soul of connection, healing, understanding and compassion. Non-verbal embodiment practices encourage the expression of energies lying beneath the surface, thereby building intimacy and bonding. These practices precipitate a shared sense of belonging and acceptance, inherently growing feelings of loving kindness which enable people to experience a sense of safety and home. This is an ancient and joyful way to build community and cultivate lifelong friendships built on trust and mutual respect. And yet this can only happen when we spend significant amounts of time with people with a shared passion or focus.
Outwardly expressing gratitude and appreciation to others sets the scene for favourable outcomes in interpersonal relationships. Include the simple as well as the extraordinary things that show up. Pay attention to how other people are relating to each other at work, your partner, lovers, friends and family members. Acknowledging other people's relational behaviours, especially with gratitude, honours who they are and strengthens their connection to each other and to you. It is a human need to feel seen and understood. The recognition and acceptance of people’s talents and gifts through appreciation, gratitude and affirmation, validates them as human beings. When you do that for another, you are inspiring them to be and to do their best.
Spend meaningful time with your loved ones. Play, have fun, and celebrate with family and friends. Spending time in gratitude with people helps you grow closer to them, opens hearts, strengthens your relational connection and gives you an opportunity to practice gratitude with people you care about. Complimenting another is an act of gratitude. Presence... listening attentively to another can also be an act of gratitude and honouring. Do all of them. Often! Thank your loved ones for all they do for you and for others. Expressing your gratitude toward them makes their day a little brighter, and can do wonders for increasing everyone’s levels of oxytocin. When you express your feelings of gratitude you build a more intimate connection between yourself and others.
Reflect on your past experiences and people that have supported you. Try to discern how they have helped shape you into the person you are today. Those relationships undoubtedly changed the course of your life. Give thanks!
Giving Back: Volunteering and Serving
When you have reached an overall baseline of gratitude you are more likely to seek opportunities to be of service. That could look like volunteering for organizations you respect or for events that you want to support. It could also come in the form of contributing money, time and or energy to a cause or someone in need simply because it feels good, puts smiles on people’s faces and
makes for a better world. You have realised that you have enough and your focus becomes sharing with others.
There are a myriad of ways you can give back and express your gratitude. Service comes in many forms, such as: support, advice, guidance, active listening, appreciation, affirmation, encouragement, motivation, inspiration and echoing or reflecting back to someone their own wisdom. It only requires an open heart and presence. Serving our family and community is one of our responsibilities as humans on this earth. In giving to others, our gratitude becomes the threads of the web that weave our community together in a beautiful heart tapestry. It is an extremely rewarding and nourishing way to be, to live and to share!
In my opinion, this is one of the major reasons why we are here on this beautiful planet. When we move from a grateful heart space, serving humanity and life in general, our inner light shines, dispelling the darkness of fear.
makes for a better world. You have realised that you have enough and your focus becomes sharing with others.
There are a myriad of ways you can give back and express your gratitude. Service comes in many forms, such as: support, advice, guidance, active listening, appreciation, affirmation, encouragement, motivation, inspiration and echoing or reflecting back to someone their own wisdom. It only requires an open heart and presence. Serving our family and community is one of our responsibilities as humans on this earth. In giving to others, our gratitude becomes the threads of the web that weave our community together in a beautiful heart tapestry. It is an extremely rewarding and nourishing way to be, to live and to share!
In my opinion, this is one of the major reasons why we are here on this beautiful planet. When we move from a grateful heart space, serving humanity and life in general, our inner light shines, dispelling the darkness of fear.
Once we learn to receive with an open heart, only then are we able to give with gratitude and non-attachment. When your body temple—your cup—is filled with love, gratitude flows freely.
The Benefits that Come from Living in Gratitude
What are the qualities and attributes of the people who express gratitude?
What are the benefits of an attitude of thankfulness?
• Gratefulness is a warm state of being that engenders likeable personality traits. Through practice, lots of practice, you can become a grateful person.
• Thankful people tend to be humble. Humble people have a natural and comfortable demeanor and are easy to be around.
• Grateful people are more relaxed. They have learned to appreciate and value their life journey and are more accepting of themselves and others.
• Grateful people are more attractive. They are positive and have an energetic field that is attractive and draws people to them. They are encouraging and tend to inspire others. They are lighthouses of energy.
• Gratitude softens your edges. You become more kind, open-hearted and more empathetic to others. You become a better person...
• Focussing on gratitude helps you to be of service to yourself and others. Living in gratitude creates the felt-sense of having an abundant basket, overflowing with goodness for all. Inspiring another’s happiness will make you happy.
• Expressing gratitude helps you to overcome obstacles and therefore builds resilience.
• Gratitude enhances relationships. Gratitude opens the door to more relationships and better quality relationships. By honing your good will, positivity and appreciative commentary, you notice the goodness in people and the world around you and they reflect it back to you.
• Gratitude reminds us that we are connected. We know we are not alone, we are in this life together. We feel a palpable sense of oneness.
• Gratitude cultivates respect, reverence, and an appreciation for all life, for your life and the life of others.
• Gratitude improves your mental health. You begin to notice all of the special moments in your life, which boosts your optimism. Happiness, contentment and optimism, are bonuses that come from being more grateful.
• The practice of gratitude adds value to the world, no matter what the situation. Morphic resonance, a term coined by Rupert Sheldrake in his 1981 book A New Science of Life, is a process whereby self-organizing systems inherit a memory from previous similar systems. The more that people hold a field of consistent gratitude, the more gratitude will grow in human consciousness and become easier for future generations.
• Gratitude develops and accentuates your values. It focuses your attention on what is important, uplifting you and giving you the strength to live according to your values. • For those that are grateful there is a deep-rooted appreciation for the diversity of life.
• Expressing gratitude is celebratory. It is an honouring, acknowledgment and a valuing of another or nature.
What are the benefits of an attitude of thankfulness?
• Gratefulness is a warm state of being that engenders likeable personality traits. Through practice, lots of practice, you can become a grateful person.
• Thankful people tend to be humble. Humble people have a natural and comfortable demeanor and are easy to be around.
• Grateful people are more relaxed. They have learned to appreciate and value their life journey and are more accepting of themselves and others.
• Grateful people are more attractive. They are positive and have an energetic field that is attractive and draws people to them. They are encouraging and tend to inspire others. They are lighthouses of energy.
• Gratitude softens your edges. You become more kind, open-hearted and more empathetic to others. You become a better person...
• Focussing on gratitude helps you to be of service to yourself and others. Living in gratitude creates the felt-sense of having an abundant basket, overflowing with goodness for all. Inspiring another’s happiness will make you happy.
• Expressing gratitude helps you to overcome obstacles and therefore builds resilience.
• Gratitude enhances relationships. Gratitude opens the door to more relationships and better quality relationships. By honing your good will, positivity and appreciative commentary, you notice the goodness in people and the world around you and they reflect it back to you.
• Gratitude reminds us that we are connected. We know we are not alone, we are in this life together. We feel a palpable sense of oneness.
• Gratitude cultivates respect, reverence, and an appreciation for all life, for your life and the life of others.
• Gratitude improves your mental health. You begin to notice all of the special moments in your life, which boosts your optimism. Happiness, contentment and optimism, are bonuses that come from being more grateful.
• The practice of gratitude adds value to the world, no matter what the situation. Morphic resonance, a term coined by Rupert Sheldrake in his 1981 book A New Science of Life, is a process whereby self-organizing systems inherit a memory from previous similar systems. The more that people hold a field of consistent gratitude, the more gratitude will grow in human consciousness and become easier for future generations.
• Gratitude develops and accentuates your values. It focuses your attention on what is important, uplifting you and giving you the strength to live according to your values. • For those that are grateful there is a deep-rooted appreciation for the diversity of life.
• Expressing gratitude is celebratory. It is an honouring, acknowledgment and a valuing of another or nature.
Gratitude is a virtue, the mother and father of all others.
What are the Transformational Health Benefits that come from Making Gratitude a Practice?
• Gratitude improves physical health and acts as an inspirational influence, supporting you to be more active and exercise frequently. Exercise releases endorphins which also elevate your mood.
• Gratitude improves psychological health, increasing life-affirming feelings and decreasing feelings of depression. Feeling and expressing gratitude helps you to self-regulate and stay emotionally balanced. The things in your life you’re thankful for become inspirational energy. You can then use these aspects of your life as a resource for addressing pain points or areas in your life that are challenging.
• Gratitude strengthens the immune system. When you feel more balanced, centred and grounded in your life, your breath flows and this fortifies your immune system. People who consciously practice gratitude tend to take care of their health and wellness and are healthier overall.
• Feeling grateful helps decrease stress levels. The practice of gratitude is healing, reducing burnout, alleviating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and ameliorating health conditions that arise from socio-economic pressures and busy life. When you quietly and inwardly express gratitude, this generates a high vibrational energy field in which healing can take place within you. You feel more satisfied with your life and make better choices.
• Gratitude calms the busy mind, decreases anxiety, and causes a relaxation response. Gratitude cultivates inner peace, tranquillity and peace of mind. When the mind is relaxed and free from worry, it is difficult for negative thought processes, such as obsessiveness, judgement and expectation to take hold. Gratitude acknowledges what is observed and felt with a loving perspective. It generates an acceptance of people as they are and life as it is, with less judgement, agenda, and need for anything to be any different.
• Grateful people sleep better. Less worry means deeper sleep.
• Gratefulness and happiness complement each other and help to improve your overall well-being: emotionally, physically, psychologically and spiritually. Gratitude makes a person feel happier and being happy can also make you feel grateful. They reciprocate and feed off of one another, elevating your mood so you live a more engaged and fulfilling life. Being grateful makes you feel happier and more optimistic. You see possibilities rather than challenges and problems. Feeling happier will support you in moving forward with all of your endeavours. You will have more successful experiences and engage life in fuller ways.
• Gratitude improves psychological health, increasing life-affirming feelings and decreasing feelings of depression. Feeling and expressing gratitude helps you to self-regulate and stay emotionally balanced. The things in your life you’re thankful for become inspirational energy. You can then use these aspects of your life as a resource for addressing pain points or areas in your life that are challenging.
• Gratitude strengthens the immune system. When you feel more balanced, centred and grounded in your life, your breath flows and this fortifies your immune system. People who consciously practice gratitude tend to take care of their health and wellness and are healthier overall.
• Feeling grateful helps decrease stress levels. The practice of gratitude is healing, reducing burnout, alleviating symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and ameliorating health conditions that arise from socio-economic pressures and busy life. When you quietly and inwardly express gratitude, this generates a high vibrational energy field in which healing can take place within you. You feel more satisfied with your life and make better choices.
• Gratitude calms the busy mind, decreases anxiety, and causes a relaxation response. Gratitude cultivates inner peace, tranquillity and peace of mind. When the mind is relaxed and free from worry, it is difficult for negative thought processes, such as obsessiveness, judgement and expectation to take hold. Gratitude acknowledges what is observed and felt with a loving perspective. It generates an acceptance of people as they are and life as it is, with less judgement, agenda, and need for anything to be any different.
• Grateful people sleep better. Less worry means deeper sleep.
• Gratefulness and happiness complement each other and help to improve your overall well-being: emotionally, physically, psychologically and spiritually. Gratitude makes a person feel happier and being happy can also make you feel grateful. They reciprocate and feed off of one another, elevating your mood so you live a more engaged and fulfilling life. Being grateful makes you feel happier and more optimistic. You see possibilities rather than challenges and problems. Feeling happier will support you in moving forward with all of your endeavours. You will have more successful experiences and engage life in fuller ways.
• Gratitude affirms life and develops a positive outlook toward the future.
• Gratitude ignites your imagination, inspiring many creative ideas. You can give free rein to your visionary archetype. Your dreamer can explore the playground of the known and unknown.
• Grateful people tend to feel more fulfilled, at ease, content, stable, and grounded. Thankfulness generates acceptance of where you are in your life, and what you own, and supports a general enjoyment of the realities of your everyday life.
• Feeling more gratitude decreases your innermost fears. When you redirect your mind to all that you have to be grateful for, fears subside and thoughts are reoriented toward the positive. When you let go of your fears you make more space for receiving and giving of love. Being grateful puts you into a state of abundance. Abundance means that you are thankful for what you have, right now, in this very moment. Many fears are future oriented. Gratitude brings you to the present moment.
• Gratitude helps you to shift from material accumulation and compulsive doing to a state of appreciation for what you have. You switch your focus from the things you want and want to accomplish to feelings that energise and leave you satiated. Being becomes more your way of living and doing relates to sustaining yourself and being creative
• Expressing self-appreciative gratitude builds self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-worth. This helps you to stand tall, be the person you are meant to be, and have the confidence to pursue and achieve your goals.
• Gratitude fosters leadership as well as social engagement. This supports both you and others to realise their dreams and live to their full potential.
• Gratitude increases and fortifies your ability to trust, yourself, other people, and everyday life situations. Gratitude reduces fears and promotes more favorable outcomes for your projects and ventures. Gratitude and trust decrease your need to be in control, allowing time and space for things to naturally occur. Gratitude will strengthen and enhance your ability to manifest your dreams.
• Gratitude improves romantic relationships and fosters better sensuality and sexuality. Appreciation inspires more of the same... The more we appreciate our partners, the things they do for us, and the ways in which they touch us, the more we encourage that behavior and nourish the relationship. Your partner feels seen, understood, and appreciated, which are core values that sustain all healthy relationships.
• Living gratefully elevates your mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health. You feel more vibrant and alive. You feel more at peace, lighter, warmer inside, softer, more sensitive, and more satisfied with your life. All of these feelings are connected with an optimistic outlook, that empowers you with life-affirming vitality and the ability to enjoy each moment. Gratitude is a state of mind and body that influences your feelings. Grateful mindfulness and thoughtfulness has a causative effect upon other people, and your surrounding world.
• Gratitude ignites your imagination, inspiring many creative ideas. You can give free rein to your visionary archetype. Your dreamer can explore the playground of the known and unknown.
• Grateful people tend to feel more fulfilled, at ease, content, stable, and grounded. Thankfulness generates acceptance of where you are in your life, and what you own, and supports a general enjoyment of the realities of your everyday life.
• Feeling more gratitude decreases your innermost fears. When you redirect your mind to all that you have to be grateful for, fears subside and thoughts are reoriented toward the positive. When you let go of your fears you make more space for receiving and giving of love. Being grateful puts you into a state of abundance. Abundance means that you are thankful for what you have, right now, in this very moment. Many fears are future oriented. Gratitude brings you to the present moment.
• Gratitude helps you to shift from material accumulation and compulsive doing to a state of appreciation for what you have. You switch your focus from the things you want and want to accomplish to feelings that energise and leave you satiated. Being becomes more your way of living and doing relates to sustaining yourself and being creative
• Expressing self-appreciative gratitude builds self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-worth. This helps you to stand tall, be the person you are meant to be, and have the confidence to pursue and achieve your goals.
• Gratitude fosters leadership as well as social engagement. This supports both you and others to realise their dreams and live to their full potential.
• Gratitude increases and fortifies your ability to trust, yourself, other people, and everyday life situations. Gratitude reduces fears and promotes more favorable outcomes for your projects and ventures. Gratitude and trust decrease your need to be in control, allowing time and space for things to naturally occur. Gratitude will strengthen and enhance your ability to manifest your dreams.
• Gratitude improves romantic relationships and fosters better sensuality and sexuality. Appreciation inspires more of the same... The more we appreciate our partners, the things they do for us, and the ways in which they touch us, the more we encourage that behavior and nourish the relationship. Your partner feels seen, understood, and appreciated, which are core values that sustain all healthy relationships.
• Living gratefully elevates your mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health. You feel more vibrant and alive. You feel more at peace, lighter, warmer inside, softer, more sensitive, and more satisfied with your life. All of these feelings are connected with an optimistic outlook, that empowers you with life-affirming vitality and the ability to enjoy each moment. Gratitude is a state of mind and body that influences your feelings. Grateful mindfulness and thoughtfulness has a causative effect upon other people, and your surrounding world.
How Can Gratitude Change Your Life?
There are specific reasons why gratitude can change your life. When you listen and truly hear the feeling messages within the words of gratitude you say, there are some amazing things that will begin to happen for you every time, and over time.
• Gratitude can change your life because by its very nature it improves the quality of it. Learning the power of a thankful attitude expands your mental and emotional wellbeing. When gratitude becomes a way of being for you, your entire outlook on life changes. Your interactions with other people change and this will certainly affect your future.
• Regularly expressing gratitude makes you realise that you’re not alone and support is close at hand. Then from sharing whatever it is that you’re going through, this will pass. You’ll become a better person, more empathetic to the challenges that others face.
• Gratitude helps you to succeed with projects, and assignments, and be in the right livelihood. Meaning and purpose are also core values that all humans seek. Feeling good about how you spend your time and your work changes the quality of your life.
• Gratitude is a powerful inspirational source that nourishes and nurtures you. This energy will change your life because regularly recognizing simple beauty and small miracles will uplift and energize you to do and create more.
• The practice and expression of gratitude align you with your purpose which will naturally change your life for the better.
• Gratitude transforms your disposition and your state of mind. Appreciation is a positive trait, a way of being that naturally gives support and encouragement. It has the power to change your perspective about challenges and perceived problems you might face. Gratitude creates an energetic field within and without, a new way of seeing things. It is an affirmative stance that more easily recognises the beauty in other people and all aspects of life.
• Thankfulness engenders an honoring and reverence for oneself and for others. When you imbue yourself with gratitude, you open up inner pathways for more goodness to enter into your life experience. Whenever someone does an act of kindness for you or gives you a gift, these are opportunities to feel, think, and be grateful.
• Gratitude can change your life because by its very nature it improves the quality of it. Learning the power of a thankful attitude expands your mental and emotional wellbeing. When gratitude becomes a way of being for you, your entire outlook on life changes. Your interactions with other people change and this will certainly affect your future.
• Regularly expressing gratitude makes you realise that you’re not alone and support is close at hand. Then from sharing whatever it is that you’re going through, this will pass. You’ll become a better person, more empathetic to the challenges that others face.
• Gratitude helps you to succeed with projects, and assignments, and be in the right livelihood. Meaning and purpose are also core values that all humans seek. Feeling good about how you spend your time and your work changes the quality of your life.
• Gratitude is a powerful inspirational source that nourishes and nurtures you. This energy will change your life because regularly recognizing simple beauty and small miracles will uplift and energize you to do and create more.
• The practice and expression of gratitude align you with your purpose which will naturally change your life for the better.
• Gratitude transforms your disposition and your state of mind. Appreciation is a positive trait, a way of being that naturally gives support and encouragement. It has the power to change your perspective about challenges and perceived problems you might face. Gratitude creates an energetic field within and without, a new way of seeing things. It is an affirmative stance that more easily recognises the beauty in other people and all aspects of life.
• Thankfulness engenders an honoring and reverence for oneself and for others. When you imbue yourself with gratitude, you open up inner pathways for more goodness to enter into your life experience. Whenever someone does an act of kindness for you or gives you a gift, these are opportunities to feel, think, and be grateful.
Embodying Gratitude Through Practice
Birthing and Blooming the True Flower of Life: Gratitude
Gratitude is a foundational pillar for building a beautiful body temple that cultivates caring within yourself. It is a self-caring and caring for others that nourishes and sustains. When your inner sanctuary is infused with gratitude your life thrives. Then, embodied gratitude outwardly spreads into the ethers, to be shared with and received by those near and far.
Gratitude will transform your life because it will shift your point of view. You will begin to see everything in a new light and from a new perspective, which will thereby transform your attitude. That is why it is so important to be grateful no matter what is happening in your life. Even if you’re going through turmoil, practice gratitude. It will become medicine for your body, mind, and soul.
The reality is we get to be here, on this earth, as a contributing participant toward this evolutionary mystery. The world around you might be controlling and seek to limit your freedom. Yet you are always inwardly free, no matter how the outside world tries to intercede or convince you otherwise. Cultivating gratitude frees your mind. It allows your spirit to rise unhindered and your emotions to flow freely. It supports you in being you... the wonderful and unique expression of you.
Reflect upon the wonders of your life, the simple opportunities that are yours: fresh air, going for a walk, helping others, singing a song, saying “I love you,” and being grateful.
For one moment think about running water. Water is both necessary and beautiful. It sustains us and makes up our core constitution. If you are blessed with having clean water whenever you want, to drink, to cook, to bathe and to clean, then you have much to be grateful for. Three out of four people on our earth don’t have fresh running water...
Enjoy every moment you live, the diversity of people, the beauty of nature, the world around you. Gratitude allows for life changes to manifest and to be embraced and embodied. It supports our evolution and serves humanity. Take action. Make gratitude a foundation stone upon which you build your life.
An ever-grateful attitude awaits each one of us. When you embrace gratitude, the sun shines within and you see with a new awareness and perspective; one that is thankful, appreciative and affirmative. These are some of the ways you can cultivate your Gratitude Spirit. I am sure there are others!
The practice of gratitude is a doorway into kindness and many other wonderful qualities, states of being and experiences. The practice of gratitude helps cultivate compassion in your feelings, thoughts, and actions. The practice of kindness cultivates loving presence, a way of being in the
world in which all of you shows up. The three pillars of compassion: gratitude, kindness, and loving presence, are interrelated. When these three beautiful virtues are practiced regularly, developed and matured in our inner thoughts and feelings and generously expressed outwardly, then we align with our highest self and true life’s purpose.
Gratitude is a way of being, a way of life that nurtures and nourishes all things in the universe. Know that when you keep yourself healthy, appreciative and affirmative by taking good care of yourself, this is also an expression of gratitude, to Life itself. Celebrate life and being alive by expressing your gratitude. If you express it regularly, every day, you become gratitude. We are living in times when there is a need for families and communities to create a new culture that is birthed out of loving kindness, gratitude, joy and devotional service. Become a gratitude emissary and ambassador for the joy it brings you and others. That would be a wonderful contribution to this world...
Gratitude will transform your life because it will shift your point of view. You will begin to see everything in a new light and from a new perspective, which will thereby transform your attitude. That is why it is so important to be grateful no matter what is happening in your life. Even if you’re going through turmoil, practice gratitude. It will become medicine for your body, mind, and soul.
The reality is we get to be here, on this earth, as a contributing participant toward this evolutionary mystery. The world around you might be controlling and seek to limit your freedom. Yet you are always inwardly free, no matter how the outside world tries to intercede or convince you otherwise. Cultivating gratitude frees your mind. It allows your spirit to rise unhindered and your emotions to flow freely. It supports you in being you... the wonderful and unique expression of you.
Reflect upon the wonders of your life, the simple opportunities that are yours: fresh air, going for a walk, helping others, singing a song, saying “I love you,” and being grateful.
For one moment think about running water. Water is both necessary and beautiful. It sustains us and makes up our core constitution. If you are blessed with having clean water whenever you want, to drink, to cook, to bathe and to clean, then you have much to be grateful for. Three out of four people on our earth don’t have fresh running water...
Enjoy every moment you live, the diversity of people, the beauty of nature, the world around you. Gratitude allows for life changes to manifest and to be embraced and embodied. It supports our evolution and serves humanity. Take action. Make gratitude a foundation stone upon which you build your life.
An ever-grateful attitude awaits each one of us. When you embrace gratitude, the sun shines within and you see with a new awareness and perspective; one that is thankful, appreciative and affirmative. These are some of the ways you can cultivate your Gratitude Spirit. I am sure there are others!
The practice of gratitude is a doorway into kindness and many other wonderful qualities, states of being and experiences. The practice of gratitude helps cultivate compassion in your feelings, thoughts, and actions. The practice of kindness cultivates loving presence, a way of being in the
world in which all of you shows up. The three pillars of compassion: gratitude, kindness, and loving presence, are interrelated. When these three beautiful virtues are practiced regularly, developed and matured in our inner thoughts and feelings and generously expressed outwardly, then we align with our highest self and true life’s purpose.
Gratitude is a way of being, a way of life that nurtures and nourishes all things in the universe. Know that when you keep yourself healthy, appreciative and affirmative by taking good care of yourself, this is also an expression of gratitude, to Life itself. Celebrate life and being alive by expressing your gratitude. If you express it regularly, every day, you become gratitude. We are living in times when there is a need for families and communities to create a new culture that is birthed out of loving kindness, gratitude, joy and devotional service. Become a gratitude emissary and ambassador for the joy it brings you and others. That would be a wonderful contribution to this world...
Note to the Reader:
The banquet table for this amazing life is always laid, ready to serve you with what you need. Gratitude, gratefulness, and thankfulness echo back an appreciation for life in all of its forms. Thank you for reading this article.
How can you grow your gratitude? To develop a daily embodied gratitude practice requires that you lovingly tend your feelings and expressions of gratitude through repeated practice. Use some of the treasure chest of ideas previously described in this article. Please write and share
with me when you discover other ways you have invoked gratitude that are not included in this article. I would love to hear from you.
This article was written for those who choose to lead from the heart with loving kindness, express gratitude in each moment, and intentionally locate themselves at the centre of any life enhancing change process. Gratitude teaches you that life is about taking good care of yourself and helping others. That’s when your light shines. In your work, relationships and outlook on life...
with me when you discover other ways you have invoked gratitude that are not included in this article. I would love to hear from you.
This article was written for those who choose to lead from the heart with loving kindness, express gratitude in each moment, and intentionally locate themselves at the centre of any life enhancing change process. Gratitude teaches you that life is about taking good care of yourself and helping others. That’s when your light shines. In your work, relationships and outlook on life...
Engender an Attitude of Gratitude.
