Blog #58 Healing Power of the Attitude of Gratitude

When we feel down in the dumps or find ourselves feeling stuck, how do we cope?

Do you turn to junk food, self-medication, shopping, sleeping or surfing the net for hours?

One healthy, powerful, and easy strategy to rise from this temporary emotional state is to practice daily gratitude.

Gratitude turns our feeling of lack into knowing we have limitless abundance as the spiritual beings we are.
Gratitude is so much more than just saying thank you; it is feeling it in your heart.
Gratitude changes our perspective of our world, to see things with a deeper appreciation with awe and wonder

But yet we wonder how we can find the positive when everything seems so bleak at times or we feel so stuck. Gratitude can be demonstrated in many ways. It can be shown with merely a simple, verbal “thank you” or it can be given in a more loving personal ways, such as a loving note, letter, or sending flowers or a simple phone call.

To improve our gratitude, reflect on how better you can show your appreciation to others. When verbally expressing gratitude to someone, consider reflecting on how they made you feel and all that has been shared. Then share your gratitude!

Few examples sending a thank you note:

‘Your birthday gift to me makes me overjoyed. I appreciate the length you went to in order to find this limited edition book by my favorite author. I value that you know me so well and did this especially for me. I so appreciate everything you do’

‘You are such an amazing loving friend to take the time to listen and support me through this very challenging time of having a broken heart over losing my sweet kitty. I love and appreciate our friendship for all these years so very much.’

Often when we consider what we are grateful for, the simple and profound life experiences, circumstances, and events come to mind. We may feel grateful for our upbringing, family, job, good health, and the opportunity for education and spiritual growth. Recognizing and being grateful for these experiences is important for our gratitude practice on all levels in our life.

Having deep gratitude in the simple everyday pleasures that often go unnoticed; it may be a great book we read, laughter with a friend, watching the Sunrise, or even the joy of eating ice cream in the sunshine on a summer day. Whatever these simple pleasures may be, consciously expressing our gratitude for them can help us grow in our joy and awareness.  

Gratitude appears to have a domino effect. If a person experiences gratitude, they are more likely to recognize the help and appreciation and then later return that gratitude in kind.

Gratitude is an element in many religions. For example:

• Buddhism – Gratitude is indicative of the concept that everything is interconnected. For Buddhists, awareness of their interdependent and interconnected existence evokes gratitude for the web of life that sustains us all.

• Judaism – Individuals practicing Judaism may start the day with Modeh Ani, a short Hebrew blessing thanking God for life.

• Christianity – Christians demonstrate gratitude to God by saying a blessing. These blessings are said in a prayer for food, family, life, sleep and many other blessings to God.

When I was practicing Buddhism for seven years, gratitude was one of the most powerful transforming daily practices. I would see results every day in almost everything I was doing. I found it allowed me to be more happy and joyful in my work, college, friendships, acquaintances and close relationships. Like the example I like to share, of the Teeter Tooter affect, if our gratitude is high, then our criticism and judgement will be low. We are happier and more able to share our love and joy and see and appreciate the world with more wonderment.

A fantastic spiritual psychic tool to clear your resistance or criticism to find that inner gratitude is to do a healing meditation, create a new grounding cord for yourself and connect it to your 1st chakra –have it be a big nice hollow tree going all the way to the center of the Earth. Then allow yourself to release any worries, doubts, fears, and uncertainties down the grounding. Breathe and feel the freedom in your space.

Next, out in front of you visualize a beautiful pink rose and just put a fire cracker under it and explode it. Boom! Then an orange rose and explode it, Boom! Then a blue rose, explode it, then a yellow rose Boom! Allow yourself to begin to feel the release of all the different energies that have been in your way and feel and experience the love and gratitude right here and now in present time for everything in your life.

Create a big gold Sun and call into it everything you would like to create for yourself, all the gratitude for everyone and everything including yourself. Just fill yourself up from the top of your crown to the tips of your toes and out into your aura and fill this powerful gold into every cell and molecule. Breathe and own your space in deep gratitude.

One key to a happy life is a continuous attitude of gratitude. It can have a powerful healing snowball effect. We don’t need to wait for a holiday to show our appreciation. We never know the positive effects our gratefulness or a simple thank you will have on others and the future impact it will bring.

Gratitude is a perspective – it is a Choice!

 “Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift.” John Ortberg

Keeping a gratitude journal, or writing a letter, going on a gratitude visit in person or on the phone, and doing a gratitude meditation of love and healing are the simple daily acts that will change your life forever.

Gratitude is to pay it forward in kind to everyone you meet or talk to every day; and being grateful for everyone and everything including God, your love’s, family, friends, pets, incredible Mother Nature… and especially for yourself.

With deep love and gratitude, thank you to all of you!

The Beautiful Sunset photo my brother Rick Smith & Jenny Rosa shared with me, taken in Crescent City, CA.