Inner Peace Tip - Living a Life of Gratitude and Grace

As you walk through your day, do you practice gratitude and grace? When things are going our way, this can be an easy task. When life is difficult or stressful, being grateful and being graceful about it can be quite the challenge.

I notice that when things are running smoothly for me, I sometimes forget to be grateful. Often, I catch myself saying out loud, “Thank you” for the beautiful sunset or the new friend that I met. It’s curious how easy it is to forget to be grateful when life is going smoothly and our way (smile) and grateful when life is the pits.

Through all of my learning’s, teachings and experiences, I am reminded to be equally, if not more so, grateful for those experiences, situations or people that can be challenging. This can be particularly hard because one may say to themselves, “I’m grateful for the way that my life is pushing all of my buttons, for what reason?” Yet, it is during these difficult moments that we often grow the most. It’s when we are able to surrender to the moment and the situation and gracefully step into it, that we notice with gratitude how to stand up in this world with a backbone.

Have you ever experienced a situation that was so difficult that you felt you couldn’t possibly get through it? Yet, when you collapsed into the situation and consented to what was, you found a strength that you didn’t realize that you had? That is a wonderful reminder of being in gratitude when everything in you, told you that you couldn’t possibly get through it. That is your greatest gift.

During this period of tremendous shifts, challenges and transitions, all of us, to some extent are being pushed and pulled in directions we may not always like. Yet, when we can utter those words, “I am grateful”, even if we don’t believe it at the time, can prove to be our greatest ally.

I invite you when you are faced with a situation that is not to your liking, to say, “I am grateful for this moment” perhaps repeatedly and notice how the situation changes for you as you gracefully step into the present.