Why Being Grateful Isn’t Enough

By
Paula Stephens

How to make your authentic-self to the happy dance!Well, that’s a bold statement isn’t it? As if you’re not already feeling like what you’re doing isn’t good enough, I go and lob that grenade into your world. Don’t get me wrong I am ALL about gratitude! I believe that gratitude is the richest path to optimism, positive perspective and personal fulfillment.
However, I am not about doing something for the sake of doing it and hoping that something will magically happen because I went through the actions. I want the biggest return I can get on my investments! So how can take your gratitude practice to the 10th power and make it even MORE powerful?
The secret sauce in taking your gratitude to the next level is one simple word – WHY. When you say, “I am so grateful for… my kids, my job, my spouse” follow that up with specifically what it is about that thing that makes you feel grateful. In other words, why are you grateful for your kids, job or spouse? Dig deep for the why, be specific. Does it make you feel loved or needed? Does it help you become a more patient person (if you’re talking about kids, yes, all kids do that). Does it give you a new perspective? Attach a specific why to your gratitude and it becomes ‘gratitude to the 10th power’!
When you attach the why of what you are grateful for you are tapping into a powerful source of what makes you tick – your authentic-self. The more you can resonate from your authentic-self and bring that powerful source to the surface the more you attract those things that make you happy. And isn’t that what we all want!
Each of us is sparked by different experiences. By tuning into what makes your authentic-self do the happy dance you have better insight into where you can add happiness to your life. If I connect that the ‘why’ of being grateful for getting to work on time is because it lowers my stress level, now I have the power to identify what I can do in my day that will lower my stress level. KAA-ZAM, gratitude to the 10th power!
It is often said we see what we’re looking for. So rather than just look for things to be grateful for, go beyond that and know why something makes you feel grateful. You will then begin to see those things that most resonate with your authentic self and allow you more joy every day.
What we are grateful for often reflects the values and needs that are most important to us.
Let’s say you’re grateful for your kids and your why is because you see the innocence in them. Now, take that appreciation for the innocence and expand it to when your kids are not making you feel grateful, when they are acting like brats, fighting with each other, not doing their homework and all the other times when you want to pull your hair out. Take a moment, sit back and realize those are moments of innocence too.
We can’t just be grateful for the good things like no traffic when we’re running late to work. We need to start seeing the why so that when things aren’t perfect we can still come from a place of gratitude. In doing this we transform gratitude into compassion for ourselves and others.
This week as you find those moments you are thankful for take the next step and explore why that experience that makes you grateful. You will begin to tap into what your authentic-self needs to be happy, productive and compassionate towards yourself and others.
Good Luck, I would love to hear what you uncover and what happens when your inner goddess is doing the happy dance more often!

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