GRATITUDE

WHY IS IT AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT?

When you are down, gratitude is the furthest thing from your mind. It doesn’t make its presence known in the middle of a challenge. It’s hard enough to deal with a difficult circumstance, let alone feel grateful inside of one.

Hard, but not impossible.

Gratitude doesn’t ask you to be grateful for what is happening.

It simply asks you to notice that your difficulty is not the whole story.

Gratitude is an active appreciation of things. It’s a mindful awareness of what is now - and what is good. It doesn’t focus on what’s missing, what should be, or what could have been. It notices what is, and shines a light on the good that is here and now.

Gratitude occurs in the moment. You look around you and notice that, despite your difficulties, some things are still good. You see them out, even if they are small. You focus on them . . and appreciate them.

Gratitude says thank you for what IS here. When you say thank you often - and mean it - it transforms the way you experience your life. Your circumstances may remain the same. Your challenges may still be present. But they are no longer the only thing you see.

Gratitude widens the aperture and expands the picture. It changes the lens. . . and the view.

Gratitude notices what’s here rather than concentrating on what is missing, incomplete, or flawed. It transforms ordinary moments into special moments. Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what you have into enough.

The ordinary becomes extraordinary.

The insignificant becomes meaningful.

Life begins to feel richer and more complete.

Sound crazy? It’s not.

Of course you want something to be different. Of course you hate what you’re going through right now. You may desperately want change, relief, or improvement - gratitude doesn’t ask you to pretend otherwise! It simply asks you to notice the good. Gratitude shifts your attention. What you focus on becomes more prominent in your experience. Gratitude helps you count your blessings in the middle of a challenge. It allows you to experience the fullness of life - even for a fleeting moment, even in the middle of your pain.

So how do you do this? You simply notice:

the little things, like the smell of the coffee or the warmth of the sun.

the bigger things, that make your life good.

the great things, that are uniquely yours.

the splendor of life, with all its unexpected joys, delights, and surprises.

Gratitude doesn’t erase every loss. It doesn’t solve every problem, or turn every challenge into a gift. It changes what you experience alongside those things. You can be ok without having to add/change/delete anything. What a concept.

That may be the real magic of gratitude. Nothing outside of you has to change. Yet something inside of you does.

That’s why it’s an essential element.