Gratitude is more than just a good practice for mental, emotional, and physical well being. When it finally clicked for me I found that it is one of the most essential tools for spiritual growth and intuition development. This revelation didn’t come overnight. For me it took years of on and off attempts before I discovered it’s relevance.
In the course of a busy day between work, home chores, and family time it can be easy to miss all of the things that pass us by. For years before I made gratitude part of my practice I found it difficult to take naming things I am grateful for seriously. It just didn’t seem useful. I found I was repeating myself nearly every day. So what was the point. I didn’t see any results that I noticed.
So why continue with this process that seemed fruitless? I dropped it and picked it back up so many times because of what I had heard was a good practice. Wouldn’t my family and friends appreciate me more if my outlook changed because I was focused on happy thoughts? Isn’t that what God expected of me? To be grateful for what was given to me? But as it turns out, that was not the point.
What changed for me was my perspective. When I started doing this practice consistently, every day, I found that I could note more and more things I actually was grateful for. It didn’t happen quickly but each day I could recall more things and felt that gratitude more genuinely and deeply. I started to see that as I appreciated the small amounts of, for example, time to meditate, I had more time and opportunity than ever before. My outlook on life began to shift toward more positivity and as a result I developed a greater appreciation for all of the things that would show up in the present moment.
As I sought out the small things throughout my day I was grateful for I became more present in the moment. I found I am more appreciative of all of the things that come up for me. Even the things I maybe would rather not have in my reality. But I now realize I can more quickly shift those circumstances to others that I want to have by changing my focus. The undesirable things quickly start to disappear. I also see the sliver lining in these moments. Yes, I have this, but look at this other beautiful thing that came with it.
The momentum of this change grew to allow for a greater depth to my spiritual practice. Gratitude naturally opens the door to a greater sense of compassion and unconditional love. I am now open to more possibilities. Through expanding my possibilities I can explore the tools and resources that help me grow into what I would like to be. The increased levels of unconditional love and compassion are a foundation for other spiritual and intuitive practices.
The blossoming of intuition, for those that are not born with the gifts in a way that stay with them beyond early childhood, is about trusting in your own ability along with consistent practice. What better way to develop trust in your innate ability than to express gratitude to all the parts of you and to your spiritual team involved in this process? Expressing gratitude to your unconscious mind for bringing forward all of the tools and information needed for the process is like saying, “Yes, I acknowledge your part in this process and I trust you to continue assisting me in the future”. It opens the door for quicker results next time with even greater levels of success.
I can now share my gifts with others, filled with deep gratitude—not to meet expectations, nor to fulfill what others or God might desire. Not to satisfy any external condition, but purely from the sincere appreciation in my own heart for these gifts and the opportunities to support others, whether in small moments or extraordinary ways.
A gratitude practice in action
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Start with coming up with 5-10 things you are grateful for every morning or evening. Try to come up with a few new or different things every day. This can be tedious doing it every day at first but stick with it.
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Gradually start to think in terms of how grateful you are for the events that came with a challenging situation. Such as, “I am grateful for the sincere apology and love I received by this person following our argument”.
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Remember it can take a month or more for a habit to fully settle in. Set a reminder on your phone to keep you on track. It can also work to have this practice coincide with another activity you already do consistently such as showering or doing the dishes.
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After 3 weeks start to consciously take a mental note of things you are grateful for throughout your day. Pause and take a breath when you notice these things. Say a silent thank you. Use some of those things in the evening or the next morning.
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To start to shift your present reality you can modify statements like the one above in the second bullet point to something like this: “I am grateful for the loving moments this person and I share more and more in each conversation. I am open to loving interactions every day.”.