It’s raining. The umbrella just broke from the crazy wind, your jeans are totally soaked, and the damp chills are coming on. You’re not sure what street this is, but it’s getting dark outside, and you feel like the day is against you. So give thanks. Shout it. Sing it. Dance to it. Tell the universe exactly this: “I love you, thank you!”
Gratitude. Let’s talk about it. Let’s praise the hell out of gratitude because it’s my best friend.
I LOVE giving thanks. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I look forward to it every day. Each night, I write all the things I’m grateful for in my journal. Sometimes I make a list, sometimes I write paragraphs about all I’m happy to be a part of, and sometimes, it’s just me being grateful for my resilient efforts in learning to be grateful. But, no matter what, I write it down every day. Two minutes or twenty minutes. This is my time to work on me, to work on my gratitude, to show love to my own life and the Universe.
Giving true thanks is a recent practice of mine (one that I will preach about and do for the rest of my life), and one I’ve been consistently working on. It was difficult at first; sitting there with a pen in my hand, trying to think of one thing to be grateful for when the day seemed so mundane or less than ideal… Nevertheless, I continued. I stared at the blank page until my heart had something to say. Night after night, gratitude started to flow through me. The next morning began to reflect my gratitude from the night before. I was waking up smiling. I was feeling genuine joy to begin my day. I was excited for what this new beautiful day would bring. My heart was full. Gratitude completely changed me.
So… How could you be grateful experiencing a day like I described above?
It’s called perspective. Realize that the Universe is for you. Understand that it loves you unconditionally and wishes you the best. What you put out, you will get. What you think, will be. Vibration attracts vibration. And, gratitude brings out the best in you which brings out the best in the world, giving you everything you hope for. Get your pens and pages ready and your change-in-perspective on the table!
Know that even when a rainy day makes its way into your life, see it as a wake-up call to work on some gratitude. Be thankful that the rain is melting the snow, watering the grass, making the flowers bloom. Enjoy the moment of being lost- who needs a map anyway? Use it to find somewhere new – a hole-in-the-wall with great coffee, perhaps? As you shelter from the downpour, stumble into some shop and make a new friend. These moments may seem small; these moments may seem like nothing at first glance. These moments are not nothing. These are moments to be grateful. Look outside. Your gratitude will bring out the sun. Your raise in energy and vibration was created from a change in perspective, attitude, and your work on being thankful. All of that answered your hope: a bright shining sun.
While you walk on the sunny side of the street, remember what the rain taught you. You saw the snow melt away. You thought of spring. You thought of flowers. You drank great coffee (and return again soon to show your thanks). You became familiar with the place you were once lost in. You met an unexpected friend.
I’m not saying find your gratitude. I’m saying work on your gratitude. Gratitude is not something found, but something created. It is created when you work on your ability to change your perspective and see something good.
Gratitude takes hard, hard work. I certainly didn’t learn it over the course of a day. Or two. Anyone who practices gratitude will tell you it takes consistency and dedication to yourself and the world we live in. I still haven’t mastered it, but everyday I’m closer and that excites me! Right now, I’m grateful to be writing about one of my favorite things – my superpower! Now you have the knowledge to work on your power too.