2.1. What is Gratefulness?
A GIFT!
Gratitude as a way of living. It’s a state of being in which you open yourself up to receive good things from God or from the universe. It’s the posture of openness, receptiveness, and willingness to receive things that are good.
WHEN you do receive very good things, you instinctively give thanks.
GRATITUDE IS NOT a one time event. Where are you simply say thank you.
Gratitude is perpetual way of life, almost like breathing.
TAKING SOMETHING GOOD, READ OUT GRATITUDE.
RECEIVE – BE GRATEFUL
RECEIVE – BE GRATEFUL
This is a never ending cycle.
It’s a recognition of receiving. It’s when someone gives you something of value.
IN ORDER TO BE GRATEFUL, YOU MUST REGULARLY RECOGNIZE WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN GOOD THINGS.
Call Tveit the ability to look for what’s good. Gratefulness takes focus off of what we don’t like in our lives – it allows us to highlight what’s good, and minimize what’s not good.
GRATEFULNESS AND CONTENTMENT go hand in hand.
The opposite of gratefulness is:
Complaining
Disagreeable
Discontentment
Envy/Resentful
Sadness
Anger/hatefulness
Distrustful
Frustration
Disheartening
Thanklessness
Depressing
Unhappiness
Lamentable
TOP 5 WAYS TO FEEL GRATITUDE IN CHALLENGING TIMES…
INCLUDE AN ACT OF KINDNESS IN YOUR DAY: it helps us move away from things like self-pity, and you feel better about yourself. RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS.
SAY THANK YOU FOR LITTLE THINGS.
REFRAME YOUR NEGATIVITY: nothing is GOOD or BAD. Shift your judgement to curiosity. Learn to change your perspective.
KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL: ask: what experiences in my life can I be grateful for? What happened lately? That makes me thankful? What opportunities do I have today? What have significant others done in my life that I am grateful for? Reflect on the reasons why.
SPREAD LOVING KINDNESS: cultivate, unconditional, love, gratitude, curiosity, and reference.