Gratitude
What is gratitude and what meaning does it hold for you?
Gratitude is appreciation, a gratefulness, honoring the gifts or qualities of another, or of something, - like a situation or lesson.
We know from research/science that when we are feeling gratitude, our energy vibration is changed. Gratitude positively affects your vibrational frequency. When your vibration increases, you exude and align with those qualities that are of a higher frequency – such as love.
Gratitude is a habit you can integrate more fully into your life. Start to thank (give gratitude or appreciation) for everything in your life at this time, for the good (uplifting) things as well as what you consider to be bad (or challenging). Thank yourself and that which is ‘greater’ than your human/physical self, for all the experiences you've had. Gratitude opens the door for good things to happen positively in your life. When you appreciate even the challenges, your survival, and the lessons learned – you set up a higher level of awareness and appreciation, which creates more of the same.
At this time of year in the US we celebrate THANKSGIVING Day. This is a holiday established to continually remind us of what we are grateful for; experiences, opportunities, abundances, challenges, loved ones, lessons, etc. At the end of the harvest season when summer melds into fall, we celebrate as other cultures and disciplines have by recognizing all that we have achieved, grown, harvested and experienced through the exercise of gratitude.
Gratitude Exercise:
What are you grateful for? List your uplifting (or positive) influences as well as your challenges. This is a PERSONAL exercise! Here are some examples from my own life to get you started. Make sure you fill in both columns! This can be a month-long exercise that you keep adding to. You can review your list daily and also journal around each for more insight.
Uplifting
My children and their spouses
My partner
My pets
My extended family and friends
The ability to stand in my power
Opportunities to appreciate others
My gifts of perception and communication
The ability to hold space/healing for others
Abundance (money, health care, etc)
A car/home that is dependable and safe
People who love and appreciate me
Outlets for my creativity
My physical body; strength, vigor, health
My ability to perceive other’s needs/feelings
The gifts (internal/external) of compassion
Challenging
Challenges in relationships with others
Not always getting ‘my way’ in life
Not being understood by another/others
Having to motivate myself to achieve goals
My feelings of anger, frustration, and/or sadness
Having to work at good communication with those I love
World situations that do not support my best life
Not always hearing guidance clearly
Developing patience
Having to invest time/consciousness to process emotions
Grief over losses; loved ones, lifestyle, freedoms
Living with another person on a daily basis
Control versus power dynamics
Not living in complete bliss/joy
Gratitude is a perspective and a choice. It can bring about much healing because it can shift how you experience or define situations.
May the force of gratitude be with you daily!
Janna