The Gratitude Hype
So what’s with Gratitude? Jenny Ibbotson explores how living a life filled with gratitude brings about joy and abundance in every aspect of our lives.
Everyone is talking about gratitude! Almost every personal development book has a section on gratitude. We are told that it is vital to be grateful – not just for the good things but for everything that comes into our lives. Every person, event or circumstance. Many coaches and inspirational speakers and writers suggest a gratitude journal. But why? I used to wonder why there was such emphasis on being grateful – and for everything. I know it makes you feel better but I wanted to know why and I wanted to understand how this could change things for us. When the light finally went on I realised that gratitude would, and indeed did, change my life in the most wonderful ways.
Lets begin with Energy
You’ve probably heard that everything is energy. What does this really mean for us? Albert Einstein came up with that wonderful and life-changing equation E=mc2 which means in its very simplest translation that energy is mass or matter, and that matter IS energy. That means everything. The very smallest ‘particles’ that we can identify are sub-atomic particles and they are in essence the building blocks of all ‘matter’. But scientists have discovered that they are not in fact particles even though we call them that. They are simply filaments of energy – vibrations of light pulsing away in our very cells.
So moving away from the science of it, the bottom line is that we all consist of energy, you, me, oak trees, rocks, air, water, cars, bricks, everything. We are all the same stuff and we are all vibrating at different frequencies – some fast, some slow, and some in between. This gives new meaning to the concept of being connected, of being one with the universe. It also explains why you may walk into a room and feel the vibes – happy or tense. It explains why, when you are house hunting and you walk into a house, you like the ‘feel’ of it. It explains why you may say “I am feeling pretty low today”. That is perfectly accurate because your vibrations are literally at a low frequency.
So it’s worthwhile remembering that you are always vibrating at a particular frequency because you are a bundle of beautiful energy.
Back to gratitude
We are manifesting our reality in each moment and what we create depends a great deal on how we are vibrating. Every emotion, every thought, every belief, even the words we use, affect our vibrations; and gratitude lifts us to a super-high level. It changes the way we see the world and it changes the world. So if you can, be grateful for everything – the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’. It is the sense gratitude, the joy you feel, the celebration of life, and the bliss, that brings the good stuff hurrying towards you.
A daily practice
Try using a gratitude journal or incorporating your ‘gratitude’s’ into your regular journal. You could say them to a partner or a friend, tweet them, record them on facebook or my personal favourite, start a skype chat with a group you trust and share your gratitude’s every day. Stay aware of the fact that you are surrounded by wonder.
Jenny Ibbotson is the author of The Obedient Universe, which is about creating a life of joy and abundance. You can find out more at www.obedientuniverse.com
Count your blessings - all of them
We-insure is the largest independent insurance comparison service in South Africa and can get you up to