Have you ever met an ungrateful person? Lack of gratitude surely makes us bitter. Despite our remarkable technological advancements, more and more people seem to disconnect from their humanity, living unfulfilling lives — overlooking the abundance of things to be grateful for.
I truly mean it. Consider a seemingly mundane task like grocery shopping: numerous elements must align for this everyday occurrence to be possible. Farmers diligently sow and harvest, reliant on the right balance of light and rain. The harvested food undergoes a journey from distribution centers to supermarkets, involving packaging, transportation, and the orchestration of complex operational, electrical, and sewage systems. This overlooks the historical and technological progress made by predecessors, paving the way for our possibility of going around the corner for canned beans and organic chips.
Every action we undertake is made possible by a convergence of millions of factors within the universe. Without these connections, life itself would cease to exist.
No matter who you are, chances are your ancestors persevered through wars, family, and struggle — and made it, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.
There’s a lot to be grateful for. The reason why we get bitter when we are ungrateful is because, well, we are pretty disconnected — from our hearts, and from the network of life. The result is feeling alone, like it’s us against the world — when in fact, it never was.
Unfortunately, it has become the norm that people disconnect from their hearts and souls — that they disconnect from life itself.
Gratitude serves as a conduit to reconnect with our humanity and the intricate network of life. When we fail to connect to life, we can’t express gratitude.
It’s impossible to discuss living from the heart without acknowledging the transformative power of gratitude, which is brilliant! The heart is the ultimate connector, the great spider in the web.
Yet, gratitude is only one side of the coin.
Cultivate a Heart Light as a Feather
The qualities of the heart include love, understanding, compassion, and acceptance. It thrives on both giving and receiving, which forms the essence of heart healing and balance.
When we can give and receive love in harmony, we finally get to cultivate a heart that is as light as a feather.
The mind is busy, the heart is spacious
Being human on planet Earth is not easy. As we go through painful moments in life, we create walls of protection around our hearts. Little by little we get hardened, numb. We yearn for love — yet, given our self-created protection, we can’t access our hearts. We can’t love or be loved.
In this state of disconnection, life feels burdensome, and apathy pervades. However, gratitude serves as a potent remedy: it is truly about our ability to receive, for life is always giving us so much!
Through gratitude, bitterness dissipates, and we gain a broader perspective, much beyond our belly button. We rekindle our connection to life, witnessing its inherent beauty. Our hearts soften, allowing us to receive and give love, surrendering to the magick of the unknown.
Yet, we need a bit more than that for our hearts.
The heart thrives on both giving and receiving
Gratitude is the ‘receiving’ side. But the heart center is not about receiving only: it also wants to give.
If we only receive and don’t give, we start accumulating much energy within us, which will eventually create energetic stagnation.
If we solely focus on giving without embracing receiving, we risk depleting ourselves and experiencing resentment. Balance is achieved when we both give and receive, allowing energy to flow seamlessly. From this balance comes the lightness of being.
Give and receive. Love, and be loved.
That’s the other side of the coin: giving.
Now give what?
There are many ways we can give love. However, today my invitation is for you to forgive.
Forgiveness: a tender aspect of the heart
It’s time for mercy. Now I know this is a delicate subject for many, yet let’s dive in.
Forgiveness liberates us from the burdensome weight of the past. While forgiveness may seem daunting, even the smallest acts of letting go pave the path to a spacious, healthy heart.
Let that weight go. I know, easier said than done. Now you don’t need to start with the hardest thing to forgive right away.
My invitation is for you to start small: forgive that child who broke your toy 20 years ago. Forgive that person on the street yesterday who crossed you. Forgive yourself for something you keep being harsh on yourself for — we all know we can be our biggest critics.
Integrate Gratitude and Forgiveness into Daily Life
The invitation is to turn forgiveness into a habit. A heart-clearing, emotional cleansing habit. A practice of letting things go — one small thing a day, one thing at a time.
It’s a simple practice, and yet truly self-connecting, and heart expansive. Dedicate moments at the end of each day to reflect on gratitude and extend forgiveness, cultivating a spacious heart — open to love and be loved. Dare to go to your bed every night a bit lighter, more compassionate, and more loving.
What If Gratitude Is Actually the Whole Coin?
As we grow our ability to forgive, we have the opportunity to transmute the weight of our grievances into countless reasons for gratitude. Each challenge becomes a valuable lesson that enriches our journey through life.
These experiences might be painful at first, yet they shape our understanding of life, and discernment to create a better future for us. With each episode of adversity, we find reasons to be thankful, appreciating their invaluable lessons.
Love becomes our second nature. As we radiate love and gratitude to those around us, we embody the essence of our being, naturally giving and receiving love, ongoing.
Maybe gratitude is enough – if we surrender to it the whole way.
Return to Your Heart
I invite you to watch my free miniclass “Live from the Heart,” a concise miniclass demystifying the obstacles to joy.
In this session, we delve deeper into unlocking the wisdom of your heart, demystifying the obstacles to joy, for a more fulfilling life.
Watch Free Miniclass
