I once had the privilege to hear spiritual teacher, David Hawkins, speak about gratitude. He said “To be grateful takes requirements off of life, and puts requirements on me.” This is such wisdom.
We place requirements on life all the time and get upset when it doesn’t meet our demands. “I want this. I want that. I want more. I want less. I want. I want. I WANT!” And yet life does not listen for the most part, and we become frustrated at our attempts to control, change, and manipulate. We beg, plead, and try to bargain. And we suffer.
To be grateful puts the requirements on me. Which is very powerful indeed. When I can shift my focus and energy to my own attitude, my own state of being, this is where I can actually be successful at making a change.
Well, sure. Sometimes it’s very hard to feel gratitude in the face of hardship. But isn’t it true that in the face of difficulty, any attempts to resist, fight, complain, or manipulate the situation fall flat without fruition, resulting in big-time suffering?
Our power lies in being able to shift our state of being to one of acceptance, compassion, and gratitude. Oh yes, we still go about taking action where possible, but without the angst, pushing, fighting, and resistance.
It’s a fact of life that all things eventually change, whether we do anything or not. So we can be grateful for the changes that are occurring, even when it is not completely obvious to us, knowing there is a flow to life. In gratitude, we can let life flow and let go of requirements on that flow. We have the power to be grateful – no matter what.
Gratitude is a mindfulness practice learned with Mindfulness Coaching and Spiritual Life Coaching. See Mindful Life Coaching.