From a young age, we are often told to be grateful for what we have. As adults, most of us have heard the phrase and have been encouraged to have the “attitude of gratitude.” Why? Why do most of our spiritual mentors maintain this stance? And, what does it mean to have an attitude of gratitude?
Webster’s dictionary defines attitude as “1: posture, 2: a mental position or feeling with regard to a fact or state.” It defines gratitude as “thankfulness” and grateful as “thankful, appreciative.”
From this I can perceive that an attitude of gratitude might be choosing to have the mental position or feeling of being thankful and appreciative about a chosen person, event, or anything. This choice gives us great power and opens hearts and doors otherwise left closed. Thus, giving us holy encounters to experience, learn and grow from.
As the world’s consciousness and vibration grows, we are coming to the awareness of the desire to be closer to Source/God. Most of us has had at least one experience of oneness with Source/God and want more. We want to expand that feeling of connection and oneness with God/Source. The question is how. One way is through this attitude of gratitude.
We are now coming to realize and appreciate the abundance of the universe. This awareness is different than the feeling of lack most of us grew up with. We were and are taught that we have to fight to succeed, work is more important than wisdom and love, and that nothing short of being the best is good enough. We grow up thinking that if we give away something, we lose and someone else gains. We are taught that if we allow ourselves to be open and vulnerable we will be hurt, often by those we love, trust and depend on most.
So, we shut ourselves down—putting on emotional armor leading to patterns of thought on how to best defend ourselves, which in turn becomes programmed into our brains/biocomputers and is then energetically worn by our physical and spiritual bodies. We close ourselves off from our own Divine Self and from Source/God.
Please take a moment to breathe in. Notice how your body feels; your head, your shoulders, your chest…Now, please think of something you’re grateful for or appreciative of. Now take another deep breath. Feel the opening? Having an attitude of gratitude opens the heart spiritually, emotionally and physically. It is one of the many ways to open the channel to Source/God and Love.
This does not mean to force yourself to be grateful for something you’re really feeling negative about. This means to be open and non-judgmental while seeing the protective programming you have adopted with your emotions, thoughts and behavior. Judgment is just another way to protect ourselves from perceived possible hurt. Your protective thought programming was your survival choice, and you did survive, so it worked for a time. While it may not be working to get you what you want now, it did help you survive at the time it was needed. Being judgmental about this armor is just another way to beat yourself down, keeping gratitude for this survival skill at bay. When you are able to acknowledge and be grateful for your old survival skills, you are then in a position to release them, opening up, allowing Source/God to connect and fill the new void with the Divine Love you are.
Start with something simple. For example, say you and your spouse are having company and your spouse’s usual pattern is to worry about everything being perfect. They start demanding you do this and that. Your normal response is to start defending. The thought comes up, “Haven’t I done enough around here. I can never do anything right for you.” You start getting a sour attitude. Your vibration goes down, yet this time you catch yourself. You can notice the negative thought and reframe it, possibly to something like, “You know, they always become a perfectionist. It really has nothing to do with me. I can appreciate how much they want to do things right.” As you are able to feel grateful, your heart can open up and send a beam of love towards your spouse. The vibration changes, and so do they most likely. You are able to stand strong, feeling joy in the love and light of your divine Self and your connection with Source/God.
When we are not being grateful and appreciative our vibration lowers, and we feel negative and defensive. We certainly are not demonstrating the divine love and light that we are, severing our connection with Source/God. Learning to be aware of when our vibration lowers and when we close off, can lead us to identify our thoughts that are triggering this downward slide from our true self so we can change them and find the love and gratitude in any situation. We then allow connection with our divine self. This in turn, allows us to be the joy, love and peace we really are. We are able to maintain our connection with Source/God longer and more often. Our vibration raises and affects those around us, affecting the world. All starting with the attitude of gratitude. Amazing!
Miche Lame’, MALLP
