Last week we explored the basic definition of gratitude and how to cultivate an attitude of appreciation. Today let’s dive into what life might look like if you adopted a PHILOSOPHY of gratitude.
It isn’t just about a response to what you have in your life right now. It's taking gratitude to the next level and applying it directly to your life!
It’s choosing to be grateful that you are alive.
Louise Hay, who I like to call the Queen of Affirmations, was a master of this. She tells a story about waking up and the first thing she does is thank her bed for having such a wonderful sleep.
Adopting gratitude as a philosophy is also about embracing life fully, acknowledging that life loves you, and that everything that happens is happening for your good. (Even when that might feel difficult to accept.)
Part of doing this is about fostering trust, that life isn’t happening to you, but for you. Gratitude can act as a bridge to help cross that chasm of doubt and help deepen into trust.
Here are a few ways to help you do this:
Gratitude as an Instrument of Reception
Think about utilizing gratitude as a way to be more receptive, to help you open up to be a better receiver of all of the love, beauty and goodness that wants to come to you.
Having gratitude is a way to support you in connecting to your greater self, and the divinity within.
Gratitude as a Compass
Another way to look at gratitude is as an orientation.
When you orient your life toward gratitude, it opens you up to love and success in a larger, more holistic way.
Again, how to practice these ideas?
Well, I know you’re still doing your 5 gratitude statements every evening and identifying the people, situations, and circumstances you’re grateful for.
Why not start your morning in a similar way?
Have your first thought be one of gratitude.
Be like Louise and thank your bed, or the sun, or your pillow, your partner, or your body...
Try it and see how it impacts the rest of your day.
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Image courtesy of Annie Spratt via Unsplash