Your connection with gratitude
Gratitude is one of the most popular words that has been floating around in social media in recent times. Right from celebrities to business leaders to the monks, you will hear them talking about gratitude and its benefits. However, this article is not about sharing the benefits of gratitude. Here, I would like to share with you my learning’s about ‘gratitude’ from my humble mentors.
I have been practicing gratitude for the last few months by maintaining a journal and writing the things I am grateful for, on a daily basis. No doubt, it has given me innumerable benefits.
Moreover, I have been trying to consciously learn new ways to make my gratitude practice more effective. This is through learning from the wisdom of the best teachers who have achieved landmarks in their respective fields. Gratitude was like a daily ritual in their life.
#Learning 1: Gratitude is the Fertilizer
Lisa Nichols, a motivational speaker, is one of my online mentors. What I learned from her was an ‘analogy’ that deepened my understanding about gratitude. This is Lisa Nichols in her own words,
“Gratitude is the Fertilizer. If your dream is the seed, action is the water to grow the seed, sunlight is the consistency to grow the same seed, then gratitude is the fertilizer that makes it grow sooner, quicker and faster.”
“Gratitude is the fertilizer”. What???
This was my initial response, it went over my head, that, how can gratitude be the fertilizer. Then as I transitioned into the flow state, I could tap into the real essence of this analogy. I learned that as you express gratitude for who you are, and for the things you have in life, including career, relationship or materialistic things, your happiness increases exponentially. Gratitude acts like a catalyst that will help you elevate and thrive!
#Learning 2: Framework to practice gratitude
I came across this chapter– ‘how to practice gratitude’, as part of the Mindvalley Quest program. I mentioned earlier that I have been journaling about the things I am grateful for. However, oftentimes, I experience two challenges. Firstly, I struggle to think about things that made me happy and joyful in the last twenty-four hours. Secondly, journaling appears like a mechanical task, writing a list of things I am grateful for, but still not connecting at an emotional level.
The ‘framework to practice gratitude’ gave me a structure to visualise things I was grateful for in the last twenty-four hours.
The author explains the three pillars of gratitude: your personal life, career and yourself. In simple words, next time, when you have to write the things you are grateful for, ask three simple questions,
- What are the three things you are grateful for in your personal life? (it could be the dinner you had last night or the beautiful home you live in) - What are the three things you are grateful for in your career? (it could be an amazing company you work for or a great supervisor) - What are the three things you are grateful for –yourself? (you could be grateful for your positive attitude or for being a good parent)
So next, how do I bring in emotions while expressing gratitude?
During journaling, don’t think of it like a list. Delve on ten to twenty second as you visualise these moments. Make these moments as vivid as you can, incorporating all five senses – taste, sound, touch, smell and images. Very soon, you will experience a sense of youthful exuberance. Try it!
As I continue with these mindfulness practices and look for ways to improve and optimise my performance, I am so grateful to come across these humble mentors, who have played a pivotal role in enhancing my consciousness.
I deeply express my gratitude to all my mentors.
Happy Reading!