Gratitude is the emotion of appreciating what one has instead of what one doesn’t have. Our world is filled with negative news, dramas and ads for materialistic “stuff” that can make achieving this state of being difficult. Getting into and staying in the attitude of gratitude has to be a conscious choice and a deliberate creation in your life.

Gratitude is a quality of the heart where the energies of compassion, forgiveness, harmony, the need to give, self-love, acceptance, joy, peace, beauty and authenticity is found. By focusing on all the wonderful things in our life, we can deliberately cultivate gratitude which can increase our well-being, continuing to draw more things to be grateful for into our world. Here are a few techniques you can try if you are having a hard time feeling gratitude:

· Take a deliberate deep breath, feel your heart beating and give thanks for being alive.

· Focus on what you do want instead of what you don’t want. eg. “I’m choosing health” instead of “I don’t want to be sick anymore”.

· Keep a journal about things that you are grateful for. They can be as simple as a great meal, connecting with someone who made you feel good or getting through a difficult challenge.

· Visit with someone who you appreciate and tell them how much you appreciate them. Spreading happiness to someone else will help you to feel good inside.

· Say “thank you” more throughout the day. There are so many small things that people do for us that get overlooked.

· Go for a walk in nature. Stop and smell the flowers. Go barefoot in the grass. Let the sun shine on your face. Listen to the birds. Feed the birds. Focus on everything that your 5 senses are experiencing.

· Do something that makes you feel good. Read a good book. Get a haircut. Bake some cookies and enjoy the smell. Go get a massage. Go to your favourite coffee place. When you find yourself in a state of feeling good, give gratitude for that and appreciate the moment.

Consciously cultivating things to be grateful for is the first step towards embodying gratitude. It can take practice but the more you do it the easier it becomes. Having that magic emotion of hope is the key to knowing that any situation can change into a positive one. If anyone is interested in learning more on this subject, it will be our topic for our November 22 Awakening Angels Wellness Circle.