Today, in this Thanksgiving period, we are all reminded of the importance of Gratitude. In my Ho’oponopono practice, the THANK YOU has a special place. It’s often in the end of the mantra. But really, Gratitude is the Beginning of Everything !
Firstly “Thank you,” is a Ho’oponopono cleaning tool that invokes the whole process of repentance, forgiveness, and transmutation, We can be thankful for everyone and everything that crosses our path, even (maybe especially!) those who trigger us or make us upset. Because if we choose to open to the beauty and be grateful for what surrounds us and what we already have, the Beauty and the Love take seeds in our Gratitude and Manifestation germinates from the combination !
In France, we complain a lot. I often say to French people ranting that they need to stop being so French ! Believe it or not, we, the French, are rarely happy and I think it’s because we are seldom grateful… We can complain about everything : a lumpy bed, a sore back, a cold coffee or tea, the weather, the bad manners of others, politics (of course; my pet peeve !), the cost of life, work… the list is endless! But when we learn to truly appreciate what we have been blessed with, the way we see our surroundings changes and our life becomes lighter:
- Instead of complaining about a lumpy bed, be grateful you have a bed at all, you could be sleeping on the floor in the street, in the cold. Now you feel how lucky you are that you have a bed, don’t you ?
- Instead of noticing your sore back, be grateful that you can feel your body and that you are alive ! Do you see how blessed you are to be allowed to feel ?
- Your cold coffee or tea isn’t just that, it’s a blessing that will help you to start your day ! Do you know it’s still working when it’s cold ? Do you feel how lucky you are that you can have a coffee or a tea ?
- You can hardly change the weather so why complain about it, instead recognize its blessing : it warms you and Mother Earth when it’s warm, it nourishes the grounds when it rains, it helps Nature sleep and restore itself when it freezes. Do you see how being a part of these cycle is a teaching in itself ? Be happy we have seasons for they help us see cycles are beneficial and changes are a good thing! (I will write a blog on that theory of mine soon).
- Be blessed that you have crossed the path of someone who upset you by his/her bad manners for that was a lesson you might have needed to be reminded of. Don’t you feel lucky that you have been taught manners ?
- Say Thank You for politics because they are a sign that we have and are forever evolving.
- Decide the cost of life is a blessing because it challenges you to work harder and better to earn more.
- And be grateful for work as you are blessed to have a job so you can feel useful !…
Every day we need to be grateful and GIVE THANKS. Make it a habit. This can be applicable to ALL aspects of our life. Furthermore, I choose to be optimistic and grateful because it actually generates more reasons to be grateful for ! Let me explain…
In Japanese language there is a term : “on”. The meaning of “on” often includes a sense of gratitude combined with a desire to repay others for what we have been given. It’s not just that we feel grateful, or that we express our gratitude, but that we actually experience a sincere desire to give something back. It’s an appreciation that stimulates a sense of obligation, but not an externally imposed obligation, more a sense of obligation that arises naturally within us as we recognize how we have been supported and cared for by others.
And you probably know or have heard of the “Law of Attraction” and “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne: thinking and projecting happy thoughts and intentions give us the power create our Reality and make these happy thoughts happen. And what can be happier than a wholehearted sense of pure and deep Gratitude? I believe and I have received plenty of demonstrations that setting your mind to “Thank You” mode says to the Universe “I already have plenty” and that, funnily enough, triggers the Universe to send more your way ! (Ask me for examples if you want, I can’t quote them all, this post would be way too big).
One of my favorite quote from “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho is : ” Once you make one step towards your dream, the whole Universe conspires to help you.” So if you combine this with the desire to give something back in the Japanese “on”, it all makes sense that the Universe will help us manifest the things we are grateful for. Choosing and developing an attitude and a habit of sincere and “heartfelt” gratitude for your current blessings unleashes the power for manifesting and receiving many more !
I am so grateful today ! I was inspired to write this blog by this dear soul buddies of mine who keep reminding me to slow down, take the time to smell the flowers and absorb ! Many thanks to them both! And I also found inspiration from Brother David Steindl-Rast’s Ted Talk : “Want to be happy? Be grateful !” So as this delightful Benedictine monk says, remember the lesson of when you were a child taught how to cross the street and “Stop, Look and Go!”; set some gratitude reminders on your path and more importantly, start counting your blessings right now…
What are you truly and deeply Grateful for today ?
Share in the comments, make the list long, Really Feel it, and Meditate on it, I am sure you will at least feel happier; and that more things to be grateful for will come your way!