My family at Life is Good asked me to start a conversation about gratitude and what it means to me
Enjoy
I’ve often questioned gratitude
I wonder if we’re over using or sharing that we’re grateful AF
I question sincerity
I question a lot of things really
And those questions help me dig deeper and understand that love and hope and gratitude are always available to us and that is optimism
I am grateful for my humans who lift me up when I am at the bottom of a tissue box courtesy of my rollercoaster of healing
I am grateful for the life I’ve created but more importantly lately, during times when I try to close my heart, I’ve become more keenly aware of the love that fights to keep me open because love is my gift and nothing should have such a strong hold over any of us that makes us want to close
Even still, gratitude is something that I question about my own actions and self a lot more lately than ever
Maybe because people are starting to share that they’re grateful or maybe because more so now than ever I truly am grateful for all that is hugging me, coming my way, and I have begun to understand through my healing that moments of sadness, hurt, and trauma are all there to help me grow and for that I am grateful
Stepping outside of my own thought bubbles has helped me see that my heart shows gratitude in ways that are often left unspoken My heart sees these opportunities and reflects on moments of failure differently now
I’ve learned to appreciate those things, those moments, the people in my life who are always there, now, more than ever
You see, several years ago i made the decision to say things like “I get to” rather than “I have to” when referring to most moments in my life
That simple shift in wording altered my approach to just about everything
I started to notice that when I say “I have to..” I’m usually out of alignment; I’ve overextended my energy leading me away from my heart which ultimately means I am betraying myself
This is where the word, the virtue of gratitude, for me, truly hits
The mindset shift to seeing where you love and appreciate what you are doing or is ahead of you, what you have versus what you feel obligated to do, shifts your perspective and opens your heart
The mindset shift allows you to receive what is meant for you and help you learn to trust yourself
The shift from “I have to” over to “I get to” helps all of us evolve into living a more intentional life filled with love rather than a feeling of obligation that often drains us
And when you do things out of love
When you live life being grateful for what you have
You begin to see that love never leaves
Because abundance is everywhere
And smiles go for miles