“A glorious life is filled with companions who have open hearts. It generates joy moment by moment. It is the continual experience of gratitude.”
~ Gary Zukav

Do any of us understand the importance of gratitude?

How grateful are you? In this sense, by gratitude I don’t mean just saying thank you if somebody gives you a gift, or holds a door for you. That is just politeness, or social convention.

Gratitude isn’t words, it’s emotion. It’s opening our heart to experience that lets our energy flow out in a particular way. Emotions are all indicators to us of how we are releasing energy or how we are “vibrating”. These emotions tell us what state our energy is in, and therefore where we are headed in our lives—towards something great that we’ll enjoy, or something not so good, that we won’t enjoy.

Learning to focus on emotions, and to see what they’re telling us about our energy, is an important step in learning to be a conscious creator. And learning to nurture and magnify the emotions that serve us well is an equally important step.

So if gratitude isn’t about words, what is it?

Generosity

“Bodhichitta (translated as altruistic intention) is such that while one engages in fulfilling the wishes of others, the fulfillment of one’s own self-interest comes as a by-product. This is a wise way of benefiting both oneself and others. In fact I think that bodhichitta is really and truly wonderful. The more I think of helping others, and the stronger my feeling for taking care of others becomes, the more benefit I reap myself. That is quite extraordinary.”

~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Do you remember an occasion when you did something generous for someone else? If it was as small as letting a child win at a game, or as large as caring for a dying relative, remember what that felt like. The flow of love that moves through us in those acts is the most powerful energy available.

The Gratitude Prayer

The Gratitude Prayer is a very quick and powerful way to help you feel better in a matter of moments. It may seem silly at first, but trust me—it works!

Whenever you’re feeling a bit down, just think about all the things you’re even slightly happy about in your life; even if it’s just that your dog didn’t happen to bite you on the way out the door today. I’m being serious here!

Sometimes it’s really difficult to feel happy about anything—believe me, I know. I used to feel that way far more often than I’d like to admit. Anyway, the Gratitude Prayer is simply saying to yourself that you are so happy and grateful about every little thing, like this:

“I am so happy and grateful that my dog didn’t bite me today!”

“I am so happy and grateful that my car started this morning!”

“I am so happy and grateful that I have one good friend!”

“I am so happy and grateful my roof isn’t leaking!”

“I am so happy and grateful I have a job that pays the bills!”

And so on…keep repeating this statement for every little thing you can think of. After just a few minutes, you will actually feel your energy rising and you will feel better. You may even find yourself smiling! This is a five-minute fix to the doldrums. It works every time. No matter how silly it may seem, just try it and see for yourself (alone, if you must).

By doing this exercise, you actually are raising your energy vibrations on a physiological level! Gratitude is one of the two most powerful emotions in the entire Universe. Love is the other one (surprise, surprise!).