A Revival- Make Gratitude Go Viral
It’s tragic really. On a day like today when you woke up, you have a roof over your head, you sip on coffee to wake yourself up, and as none of those appear to be a blessings…you internally bitch and moan about how crappy your life is.
In the paradox of praising God for the ‘good’ things in life while condemning God for things we don’t understand, we are unconsciously doomed by the limited views of human conditioning. Seeing blessings in only things we approve of and denying miracles in things we don’t leads to living a very shallow, fear-based, and under-expressed life.
Click here to read Gary Vaynerchuk’s brilliant take on complaining.
The Human Condition
The more you’re exposed to something, the less your brain becomes triggered by it. Good or bad, this little bit of mental software will turn you into an entitled brat who knows little of appreciation and humility. Essentially mind numbing, this default programming works against us quite often if we do not actively take the time and effort to purposefully program our percpetions to a higher, more authentic standard of excellence.
When I was a child my mom used to tell me to write Thank You notes for all my gifts. At the time, I dreaded doing them mainly because I didn’t really know what to say or how to say it.
Dear so and so,
Thank you for the_______. I really appreciate it.
Sincerely, this little girl who doesn’t really know why I am writing this.
In essence, I didn’t understand the true meaning of gratitude. It’s not a set of words we use to be cordial or a gesture in exchange for something else. Instead, gratitude is a feeling deeply rooted in the heart of acknowledgment for all the parts that moved to make this experience possible for us.
I mean, think about it…
When you receive a meal, do you ever stop to consider the people who made the meal possible? How about the farmers, animals, staff? What about the distribution channels that made the food accessible to you? How about the time and energy it took to consider the packaging, the preparation, the presentation?
Probably not. We are a nation built on convenience. We don’t care as a whole who made the food, how it got to us, or what had to happen to make it possible. No, we care more about how it will inconvenience us if we take time to even think about it, more about how much it costs compared to other “comparable” brands, and more about it fitting in with our way of life. The context of how our bodies will respond to the food and the impact the food has on the planet are of little to no concern because we only relate to what we “see” in the moment…
Is it quick? Is it easy? Is it cheap? Great! We’ll take it.
And once it starts as a quick fix, it becomes a habit and fuels every other decision we make.
We grow to expect things to match up to these low standards with the unwillingness to consider the repercussions. It’s not that we don’t care, we just don’t KNOW that we have traded one thing (health, wealth, joy, etc.) for another (quick fix, immediate gratification, etc.). Our sensitivity shifts from defense of quality to defense of quantity. We aim to consume rather than experience and THIS is what moves our logic from conscious choice to programmed response. We stop the gratitude process and start the ‘gimme’ mindset…I deserve this destructive treat because I work so hard…
“I had to wait 10 seconds for a download…FML”
With deliveries coming in two days or less from Amazon, and every bit of informational trivia on the internet being accessible with smart phones and watches, how could we ever go back to waiting for anything?!?! It’s no wonder we lack patience and the necessary tenacity to put in REAL work on our goals.
Here’s a great article by Steve Campbell on the importance and power of tenacity.
Stop for one second and consider how far you’ve come, what you have overcome to get to this point, and who you have had to let go of to move on with your life. Do you dwell in the regrets of what you could have done differently or do you celebrate the blessings that got you this far? Does your mind zoom in on the trauma you have collected or do you celebrate the wins no matter how small?
In perception of life, what you give thanks to grows. Your little “FML’s” and “I hate Monday’s” do nothing more than create more things to loathe about life. Even if it feels like you are not purposefully saying thank you for these things you despise, your consistent acknowledgment of them is your acceptance letter. Gratitude IS acknowledgement of accepting the experience AS reality. Whether it’s with love or with hate, your acknowledgment IS your Thank You Letter.
Now, take a look at your life. Do you see things the way they are, wishing they could be better OR do you see things as they are and acknowledge the potential for expansion through your own betterment? Do you push the blame for circumstance onto fate or do you notice how your focus changes the way reality shows up for you? The glasses of perception you wear will determine whether you are attracting the things you don’t want or searching for ways to overcome your adversity.
An entitled mindset will breed more things to complain about. A truly grateful mind will attract more to be thankful for.
Gratitude Revival
I learned from the best. Really, I did. The best, brightest, and strongest women were my influencers most of my life. From my mom, to my two amazing Grammas (may they rest in peace ❤), to my bosses, to my teachers the ones I loved and hated, and to all the women who ever made a global shift…they lifted me up with their every example. Through their actions, THEY taught me what gratitude really is.
Many of them were spiritual while others were biblical. A few of them knew everything about me, the others knew only what they chose to see in me (which was always better than I saw in myself). They were all so generous and kind, and every one of them was more intense and fierce than the next. In their own ways, they may me appreciate the others in new more dynamic ways. I grew to see the Goddess in each one…showing me that there is a blessings in EVERYTHING no matter how painful.
That inner knowing gave me sanity.
It reminded me that life is the greatest gift we’ve ever been given. It showed me that when we are thanking ONE person, we are acknowledging everything that made that ONE person who and what they are today. It compelled me to notice beyond the surface of identity and see inside a soul. It gave me my power back in self awareness and a passion to show up differently, more excellent, each and every day of my life.
It taught me the true meaning of gratitude. Do you feel it?
