That being said, in practice, it’s harder than just being grateful for everything in our lives. Sometimes, we get a nasty 2x4 experience and it’s not easy to say thanks to the universe for the not-so-gentle wake up call. But, even in those moments of struggle where we cannot seem to find anything for which to be thankful, we can remember what Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
All things. Even those magical hit-you-in-the-face experiences. You know what I’m talking about. The things we want to forget but can’t seem to let go. The time you forgot to bring your homework to school, the time you let your team down at work, the call with the bad news that shook your life, the time you chose to do nothing and it backfired. They all advanced you in some way.
But gratitude can make you happier. It’s powerful that way.
Even if it doesn’t directly shape your circumstances right away, it changes you from the inside.
When I decided I was ready to move to California, I timed the exact right moment to step into my boss’ office to put in my two weeks notice. It would be on a Friday. Unfortunately, my boss ended up calling me in early and letting me go before I even had the chance to follow through with my plan!
I was absolutely mortified. Nobody fires ME! My ego was inflamed and my emotions were pumping. It took me a while to finally calm down, but once I did, I kicked it into high-gear.
I took full advantage of this extra time off from work. I looked at all my options in California, giving myself the opportunity to truly get the best fit, rather than just what was available. Although nobody truly wants to be laid off, I look back on this experience fondly, knowing that it worked out for the absolute best.
There are times where life will shake you to your core, but it is in those moments that you can turn to gratitude. Gratitude helps reinforce our practice of fostering happiness from within rather than seeking it externally.
The power of gratitude can even overcome the most fundamental false belief we carry within us: our “not-enough-ness.” You know, that little voice in the back of our heads that acts up and reminds us how unimportant and unworthy we are? We try to tackle the vicious cycle of insufficiency, but we never really dig in deep enough to solve the cause.
There are some steps which you can take to step into the power of your gratitude and it starts with releasing:
- Release Your False Beliefs
In the class, Principles of Financial Freedom, we do a process called Fear to Faith, and one of the parts of that process is a prayer called the Releasing Prayer. I encourage you to try it out on your path to a more grateful life:
It is a three line prayer made by the one praying.
The first line says,
I release my belief in___________.
This is the false belief we were invested in.
The second line is,
I release my need to ________________.
This is the way we act out in the world, the thing we do to try to push away the feelings that false belief sets up in us.
The third and last line says,
I am grateful God is the ___________, I am.
This process will help you identify your false belief, identify how we try to cover it up, and reinforce the Truth that we are the good God is, in form.
- Keep a Daily Gratitude Journal
I find that writing down my thanks helps embed the feeling of gratitude in me. This process could be as easy as writing out the title on the top of a page in your journal “Today, I am grateful for” and each day write one sentence. You’ll see how quickly your attitude starts to shift as you cultivate a long list of reasons to be grateful. As an alternative, you can create a gratitude jar. Grab an empty (and clean!) jar and tear up some colorful paper. Each day, write one reason to be grateful and toss it into the jar. It’s pretty fun to see it fill up and it becomes a cute piece of decor as well.
- Express Your Thanks to Someone Daily
With the help of technology, this can be as easy as shooting over a text to a friend (feel free to sprinkle in emojis or a well-chosen gif). If you’re feeling old-school, pick up a cute card and write a quick note of thanks to someone. My daughter makes this a regular part of her work life. For her summer internship, she wrote out an individual letter of thanks to everyone on her entire 40+ person team! You’ll be surprised how much of an impact it can have on the person receiving your thanks and of course, as a bonus, you’ll start feeling more grateful as well!
- Express Gratitude Towards Yourself
Ah, the toughy. Most people are their own worst critics, which likely boils down to that false belief I mentioned earlier. So, what can we do to thwart that? Well, try standing in the mirror and point out the things about yourself for which you are grateful. Been working out? Be thankful that your body is strong and capable. Love your smile? That’s right you do, you light up a room! Have you recently completed a project at work? You go, Glen Coco! Love to push yourself? Your tenacity is boundless! There are so many things about yourself, you can go all-out!
Pulling It All Together
Completing these steps on a daily basis (or choose your favorite) can lift your level of gratitude and start to change you. It is the cultivation of this gratitude that deconstructs our false belief of not-enough-ness. The Power of An Idea says, “Gratitude is not only a virtue but it also is part of a practical philosophy of daily life” (p. 26.1). It is our spiritual practice to raise the set point of gratitude to include even those things that we may not necessarily label as “good” because we are gratitude powered beings. We welcome all situations into our experience as we dwell in a state of gratitude.
I invite you to be grateful today, one step at a time, and feel its power transform you.
Want even more gratitude inspiration? Check out Gratitude Power on Vision's YouTube channel!
Want even more gratitude inspiration? Check out Gratitude Power on Vision's YouTube channel!
Let me know in the comments what you are doing to foster gratitude in your life!
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