Where To Find Gratitude

Courtesy Van Archiquette

Mystics have told us, especially within the last ten years, that an "attitude of gratitude" attracts physical and spiritual treasures beyond measure. I'm sure you've seen it yourself, gratitude towards something or someone inspires more of what we're appreciating. Some days though, the gratitude fairy leaves a dirty sock instead of a shiny quarter. Now what?

Raise your hand if you've pretended gratitude and it's backfired on you and when everyone left, irritation and depression set in again. Or our gratitude produced mistrust, accusations of sucking up and fake appreciation in return. So, how DO we find genuine gratitude when we're feeling ungracious and alone?

Gratitude comes from re-living hard experiences. When we bury our pain, exploit it for personal gain or focus only on the silver lining, we miss gratitude and all the gifts that come with it. Only by comparing our past and present, do most of us find perspective and graciousness.  Think about where you came from, what you know, where your family came from. Reflect on your heartbreaks, your suffering, your ignorance. I keep mementos around, reminding me of the struggles I've overcome and compare it to the life I have now. We have all won the lottery, simply surviving this long. If you'd like to feel gratitude, purposefully remember when you've felt your worst.

When we aren't feeling gracious, it's also no big deal. Ingratitude, frustration, depression make up the process of gratitude. We probably have a good, and mysterious, reason for feeling lousy. When we get tired of it, we'll feel gratitude again. Every time we let ourselves cycle around, we learn a little bit more about the process and know how to sincerely create gratitude.

So take a chance, let yourself feel life- the good and the hard. After all, you can never completely repeat your mistakes, you know more than you did the last time around.