Yesterday, we looked at the basic fact that attention is nourishment. And to illustrate how to become more attentive about something helpful, positive and valuable in your life (and naturally, in the lives of those around you), we looked at the "gratitude rock" idea from The Secret. (By the way -- The Sequel to the Secret is going to be out very soon; please stay tuned to this blog and I'll keep you updated!).Today, I'd like us to look more deeply at the concept of gratitude.
Now, you may be wondering (as I'd be wondering if I were you) why we should focus more on something that we already understand. After all, each of us has experience of being grateful; and yes, each of us have experience of not being grateful -- or, indeed, of someone not expressing gratitude towards us and thereby making us feel...well, I guess really bad is the only term I can use. "Humiliated" also fits.
The basic point is: we all "understand" gratitude, and we all have experiences -- many experiences -- to draw upon if we need a little refresher of the creative, nourishing power of gratitude AND the destructive, harmful power of ingratitude.
So...if we're all such gratitude-experts, why do we want to spend more time learning about it here?
The simple answer to that question is: honestly, it's just plain hard to be grateful these days.
Really. Open up a newspaper, turn on the news, or even just browse through the web and you'll almost certainly (I'd say absolutely certainly) bump into 20 "bad news" events before connecting with one that is even mildly positive; that is, something that you could, somehow, be grateful for.
Actually, sometimes it seems that the "bad news to good news" ratio in the world may be higher than 20 to 1. Maybe it's 100 to 1. Maybe 1000 to 1.
Well, I'm not going to go out and study this (and I don't recommend that you do, either!), but I will admit -- as positive, optimistic and solution-focused as I am -- that, yes, it's hard to remember the power of gratitude. Or, to put it another, more practical way: it's easy to forget to feel grateful.
Now, I'm not saying that to make anyone feel guilt (including me :). Feeling grateful is, sometimes, an uphill experience.
It's hard to see past the daily, ordinary (or maybe not so ordinary) problems and challenges of life. It's hard to find the clarity that we wish we could tap into. It's hard to remember and be alert to the things that really matter to us -- the things that keep us integrated, that nourish our spirits and bodies, that enable us to be loving, kind, peaceful people sharing a pretty weird journey (well, it is kind of weird) around a sun for...who knows how long? Decades for some, years for others, months, days...it's a mystery.
And it's a mystery that thrives and comes alive with gratitude.
My partner Anneli and me have created an ebook to help you bring more gratitude into your life -- regardless of how busy or complex it may be at times, or relaxing and simple it may be at other times. The ebook is aptly called The Book of Gratitude -- just click on the link and you'll instantly receive the ebook. It's also available at Anneli's remarkable self-help website: http://www.4lifeselfhelp.com/. I'd really suggest that you pay a visit -- and sign-up for your free newsletter while you're there.
See you tomorrow!
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