Gratitude

I think gratitude is another one of those buzz words that people like to use all the time without really thinking about the experience of gratitude or what it means to be truly grateful.

In my experience, gratitude is something we are taught to have. When I was younger, I can remember always being told to be grateful for what I have because others aren't so lucky. As I got older, I was told that unless I'm grateful for what I have I'll never be able to get more.

All this has done is created toxic patterns of comparison to others and trying to force myself to say I'm grateful for things and make my gratitude list every day so that I can have what I really want.

This is not sincere gratitude. This is some sort of fake it until I make it attempt at manifesting my dream life because everyone told me I must have gratitude before I can have more.

Well, I have learned that indeed gratitude does, in fact, act as some sort of magical force that somehow brings to me all that I could ever need or want without ever feeling a lack. I have also learned that gratitude isn't as simple as writing down a list of things I'm grateful for every day.

When I am feeling grateful, I can feel it in my whole body. I feel a sensation that is like a buzzy tingly feeling that makes me feel giddy and I am involuntarily grinning. I promise you, in all the years I spent diligently writing down my gratitude list, not once did I feel that feeling.

I share this because a lot of people put the message out there that we must have gratitude and we should have a gratitude practice. I am all for being grateful, I think it's so important for an abundant existence, but it must be genuine. Going through the motions of a gratitude practice is not going to give you the full experience. It's something you must really feel inside and out. It's an emotional burst from the heart when, in the moment, you realise you have all that you could ever want or need.

So, sure, start a gratitude practice. Spend time trying to find that feeling of gratitude. But I would strongly encourage you to be cautious of getting stuck in the trap of auto pilot gratitude when you're writing down the same shit over and over. I.e. "I'm grateful for my house, I'm grateful for my job, I'm grateful for my family", etc., etc. It's good to be grateful for these things, but are you really feeling it, or do you just know that that you're SUPPOSED to be grateful for them?

I invite you to take a few moments to ponder where you are in the present, what you have available to you, who you are as a person, and the people you are connected to in your world. Take a moment to consider what life might be like if all of that were gone. It's easy to get caught up in thinking about all the things we want and all the things we don't have. Sometimes, just taking a moment to consider what your world would be like if suddenly you didn't have what you DO have right now, is enough to trigger some genuine heartfelt gratitude.

The coolest thing, in my experience, is that when you find that heartfelt experience of gratitude, it's like a magic bullet that propels you forward into a dream life. The moment I found myself regularly feeling that swelling in my heart of pure gratitude I found myself living the life of my dreams every day and noticing that I no longer fear the unknown of what lies ahead. I no longer worry about not having enough or being limited in my options. I am genuinely happy and profoundly grateful for my existence and the opportunity to share it with others. How cool is that?