Forgotten Spiritual Values: GRATITUDE

The All Important Power of GRATITUDE

One thing that can bring the most comprehensive change in your life is understanding how great the power of gratitude is. Gratitude goes hand in hand with forgiveness and acceptance.

Gratitude can change everything. It can make you more positive and more productive, a happier person, better friend, and better parent. Beyond doubt, even the simplest token of gratitude, if practiced regularly, can be a strong foundation for a positive change.

Gratitude brings results instantly. Think about it: How many other activities can bring such a quick, easy, and thorough change to your life?

And gratitude is easy. You can be grateful for a number of things: for the people you love, for your health, your job, the roof over your head, the clothes your wear, the food you eat, for the positive thoughts and feelings you have, and for your very life itself.

Here are a couple of ways to bring gratitude into your life and change it for the better:

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” ~ Dalai Lama

Morning Gratitude

If you set apart just a couple of minutes every morning, you can establish your daily ritual of gratitude. Think about the people who have done something nice for you. Think about all the things in your life you are grateful for. Maybe it will take more than a couple of minutes, but just by sitting there and being grateful about something or someone, your day will start off great.

Rather than expressing anger, show some gratitude. It is a complete reversal, which is hard to pull off, but if you can it’s the best thing you can do in any situation. It is very simple and yet it can be very hard: Whenever you start to feel anger, stop and don't react. Take a couple of deep breaths and show some gratitude. Is there something positive that this person has done for you in the past? Think about it, and this will change your feelings and improve your mood.

Instead of criticizing, show gratitude. This is essentially the same tactics as in the previous case, but can be applied to love relationships. If you criticize your partner over and over again, your relationship will suffer more and more. No one likes to be criticized. If you feel the urge to criticize your partner, stop right away. Take a few breaths and think about all those reasons you can be grateful. By practicing this simple exercise, your love will grow, and Divine energy will start to spread throughout your home. Your world will once again be in harmony.

When there are major changes ahead of you, be grateful. Many people, when faced with something new and unknown, see that as a dreadful thing.

Even if you make the wrong move, that's not a reason to complain or feel self-pity. Instead of cultivating destructive feelings that don't lead anywhere, be grateful for the opportunity to grow, to learn something, and to improve yourself. If you adopt this approach, you will transform yourself into a positive person that always looks ahead and adjusts their path accordingly. People will love and respect you more.

Instead of focusing on the things you don't have, focus on all the things you have. Be grateful for what you have. It is easy to forget that there are millions, if not billions, of people that live in conditions worse than yours. They barely have any shelter or clothes at all. They have never owned a car, they have poorly paid jobs, and are often hungry.

So be grateful for what you have. The things that you have are probably enough to make you happy. Happiness is not a destination in the future; it is already here, with you, at this very moment.

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