Being Grateful

It is unfortunate how many people allow their negative, fear-ridden thoughts to control their lives and their reality.

The truth is we all have the power to take back our minds and direct our energy in a positive way—serving both ourselves and those around us.

Gratitude gets us there faster. It’s a major step in unwinding our negative mental habits. 

Anyone who lives their entire life without realizing how precious, miraculous, and unique this life experience is (or without understanding the value of getting present with a grateful heart) can never truly realize what it means to be fully loved. Being fully loved does not require another person to love you. This love is an all-encompassing presence in the here and now, within each of us all the time. It’s a state of receptivity that we can open up to at will with a little practice. When we live in fear for our future or sorrow for our past, we miss it. We walk past the miracle of the moment with a blind eye.

Through gratitude, however, we can access presence.

We are able to receive the blessings of being alive. As we open our hearts, aligning our minds and our thoughts with feeling grateful, we are able to witness the true magic of life. This is an indescribable magic unique to each one of us. On the other hand, when we are not aligned with gratitude—when we’re feeling like a victim, complaining about whatever is happening, or blaming others—we cloud our perspective and miss the whole miraculous Universe.

By learning to say, “Thank You” to every experience we have, we move from a place of resistance, where we feel like a victim, to a place of acceptance, where we can be okay with change and eventually even embrace it.

This simple act allows us to move forward with our lives in leaps and bounds.

Unfortunately, most of the time we’re so caught up in either avoiding pain or just getting through the day that we forget to say to ourselves, Wow! Nature is crazy beautiful. Food tastes delicious. I can be the person I want to be right now. What do I want to experience next?

Instead, we are too busy thinking, How will I ever pay my rent? I hope I don’t look stupid! I wonder if anybody will notice me today. Why do bad things always happen to me? I’m not good enough to have what I want. I don’t know what to do, so I’ll just do nothing. Life is boring. 

What’s up with that? Isn’t it obvious that this moment, this experience we are having on this unique planet in the infinitely expanding Universe, is precious and will never happen again? 

By digging deep into ourselves and getting over what society wants us to believe is important and instead focusing our energy upon the blessings of simply being here now, we can live much happier, simpler, and more fulfilling lives. By doing this we bless the people we meet with our epically positive vibes.

This isn’t rocket science. It’s just being grateful!

Remember, wealth is just a matter of perspective, and if you feel poor, chances are you are not taking enough time to bear witness to the miracle of right here, right now. Stop the crazy mental chatter for a moment and concentrate your thoughts on finding one or two things you can be grateful for—then look for more. This will lift the veil of fear clouding an ungrateful heart so you can see life for what it truly is: one amazing miracle.

This article appeared in Unity Magazine®.