Anytime we acknowledge that life is good, we are entering a state of gratitude. Begin to live in a state of thanks for being alive and having the chance to improve the lives of others through your words and actions. (Goddess Network Newsletter) - http://thegoddessnetwork.net
If you were asked to make a list of things for which you are grateful, how long would this list be - 20 items, 100, 500? Most likely you would include your health, your mind's ability to function well, family, friends, and freedom. But would it include the basics, like a safe place to sleep, clean air and water, food, and medicine? What about for Earth itself, blue skies, a child's laughter, a warm touch, the smell of spring, the tang of salt, the sweetness of sugar, or that morning cup of coffee?
The making of such a list is not meant to make you feel indebted but is intended to clarify your understanding of how life really is. It is a reflective meditation that uses mindfulness to carry you beyond the superficial to a deeper experience of your life unfolding moment by moment. You learn to throw off the blinders of habitual assumptions that prevent you from perceiving the miracle of life.
The next step in gratitude practice is to actively notice things you are grateful for throughout your regular day. For instance, when you're stuck in traffic and it's making you late and irritated, you notice you can be thankful you have transportation and that other drivers are abiding by the agreed-upon driving rules, which prevent chaos and unsafe conditions. In other words, there is a level of well-being and community cooperation that is supporting you even in the midst of your bad day. And you do this not just once or twice, but a hundred times each day. You do so not to get out of a bad mood or to be a nicer person, but with the intention of clearly seeing the true situation of your life. Traffic remains frustrating, but the inner experience of how your life is unfolding begins to shift. Slowly you become clearer about what really matters to you, and there is more ease in your daily experience.
You might ask yourself about your "gratitude ratio." Do you experience the good things in your life in true proportion to the bad things? Or do the bad things receive a disproportionate amount of your attention, such that you have a distorted sense of your life? It can be shocking to examine your life this way because you may begin to realize how you are being defined by an endless series of emotional reactions, many of which are based on relatively unimportant, temporary desires. When you look at how much griping you do versus how much gratitude you feel, you realize how far off your emotional response is from your real situation. The purpose of this inquiry is not to judge yourself but rather to motivate yourself to find a truer perspective. Why would you want to go around with a distorted view of your life, particularly when it makes you miserable? (Phillip Moffitt) - www.lifebalance.org
The trick is loving what you are doing, with all your heart and all your soul, and I promise you God will take care of the rest. The universe supports action. Let your actions be motivated by love. You have the right to do what you love doing. That is why you love it. God intended for you to love it because that is how you are meant to serve. Suffering in a dead end job or relationship or home is not necessary. It is your conditioned belief in pain and suffering that holds you there. That is all. That is the very bottom line. (Lord Kuthumi through Michelle Eloff) - www.thelightweaver.co.za
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