Gratitude Changes Your Life

When we are filled with feelings of love a smile rests on our face and thoughts of gratitude float through our mind. It also works the other way around; when we think thoughts of gratitude, we trigger a smile and increase the flow of love within us. And as we all know too well, another chain reaction occurs just as easily when we frown, complain about life or focus on feelings of doom and gloom.

It’s easy in our society to take things for granted, focus on what we don’t have or what’s not working, and gripe about our irritating co-workers, family members or neighbours. It’s somewhat contagious and can even be competitive to enter into the battle of who’s had a worse day, a worse week or a worse year. A negative tone is already set for us to match the minute we pick up a newspaper or turn on the radio or TV to hear the news. We get a huge dose of nothins no good, no how, no way, and we bring this attitude forward into our day, sharing it with everyone we greet. Unless of course, we choose to read something inspirational, listen to uplifting music or reflect on things that make us beam inside and out.

The choice is always ours to set our own tone and we can do this at any time, anywhere and with anyone. We can focus on what we don’t like about another person, a situation or circumstance, or we can shift our attention to what we do like, what we’re thankful for, what opportunities are available, or if it’s a really tough time, what lessons we need to learn. When we free ourselves from negativity and open into gratitude, every cell of our body vibrates with healing energy, we feel alive and inspired, and we discover new opportunities and possibilities wherever we go.

How Much Gratitude Do You Have?

• If you had a gauge to measure your attitude from the place of positive, neutral, or negative, where would it rest most of the time? What about in specific situations or with certain people in your life?

• Who or what is in control of your gauge? What events, situations or people trigger you into a negative mood? What triggers a positive mood?

• What stops you from being neutral or positive whenever you want? What do you need to do in order to take back control of your attitude and mood?

Increase Your Gratitude:

• Make a list of all the things, people and circumstances you are grateful for in your life. Try to fill a whole page or more. How do you feel reflecting on these? Put this in a place you can access easily to lighten your mood when it drops.

• Make a list of the things, people and circumstances you are not grateful for – the ones that you are feeling negative about. With each of these, ask yourself what you need to do, think or feel in order to shift into a neutral or positive attitude (is forgiving yourself or someone else needed, letting go, acceptance, humour etc.). Commit to doing something healing for yourself with each of these.

• Sit with your eyes closed and reflect on a few things you are grateful for. Notice the light feeling of gratitude energy flowing within you. Increase the volume of this feeling and let it vibrate down to every cell of your body and the spaces between the cells. Sitting in this state for 10 – 15 minutes a day will be highly rejuvenating.