Have you noticed how many folks write and talk about the practice of gratitude as we draw close to the American Thanksgiving holiday? (Here I am, doing it myself.)
Gratitude has almost become a cliché, a stereotype, something where we say “oh, gratitude — I know all about that. It’s so last year.”
But here’s the deal. Gratitude really is the key to the secret of life. (Can you see my impish grin?)
I wrote a blog post a couple of years ago called “It all comes down to gratitude.” It’s worth another read.
There’s a teaching going around that emphasizes that one way to bring more abundance into your life is by practicing gratitude. I’m not sure who said it, but it goes something like this: “You won’t attract ‘more’ into your life unless you’re grateful for what you already have.” Which is true. So true! But the underlying message seems to be that practicing gratitude is a strategy for attracting more into one’s life, instead of an authentic thanksgiving from the heart.
Shouldn’t we be practicing gratitude for its own sake? “It’s not happy people who are grateful, it’s grateful people who are happy,” says Brother David Steindl-Rast. “What you appreciate, appreciates,” says Lynne Twist.
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