by Andrei Yashurin

Created on: May 12, 2009   Last Updated: May 15, 2009

Gratitude is not just about being nice and polite. It should come from deep understanding of the nature of things. Gratitude is meant to be the way we perceive our relationships with all life.

So, what is gratitude? It is joy and rapture which we experience when we discern inherent goodness of a thing, in a person, or an event. Gratitude is powerful. It is one of the most important of life's dynamics which contributes to our happiness and fulfillment.

In order to bring tangible results in our life, gratitude should be all-encompassing. It is easy to be thankful for our blessings yet a mature person is thankful for problems and difficulties as well, because they help us to grow in power and wisdom. Challenges brings us gifts. Let us recognize them and be grateful for them.

If we are grateful only for so-called good things and experiences, we act much like a farmer that blesses full-grown plants but curses seeds which are still in the ground. But no intelligent person will ever act in such a way. Seeds, once they are planted and properly taken care of, will spring forth, grow, and become fruitful plants.

The inherent goodness of things, persons, and events might not be apparent. Looking at them, we often label them as bad, dangerous, destructive, and so forth. But could it be that we just don't see as they truly are - and for this reason we cannot establish proper relationships with them? Allow gratitude to open your eyes.

Gratitude is the art of directed attention. It helps us to look at all the things we are grateful for with intensity and an open heart. As we do that, we may say to ourselves: I gratefully accept this thing as a part of the great Whole. This part is meaningful and I am about to find that meaning. I am willing to let go of my preconceived ideas and resentment in search for better understanding of that thing.

Let us be grateful for ourselves and for every part of our being. There is nothing bad or sinful about us. Our body, our mind, our emotions, our abilities and character traits they all make us who we are. They all are important for our well-being and happiness.

We also need to be grateful for our place is the universal scheme of things - to enlarge our mental horizon and put ourselves into the universal framework. Let us not think of ourselves in a small way. We are children of the universe, and our life has universal significance.

Not to be grateful means to ignore treasures which are waiting to be discovered, and therefore to live in scarcity. Not to be grateful means to miss opportunities, to neglect and to abuse our natural and spiritual gifts.

It has been said that some individuals are more naturally inclined to be grateful than the others. Although it could be true, we all are able to develop gratitude. No matter where you are and what are your conditions, say to yourself, as often as possible: I am grateful for all. This is one of the most useful affirmations I can think of.

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