Transforming from the DOING of Gratitude to the BEING of GRATITUDE
It’s November 2021 – the start of cooler weather, Thanksgiving, and the season of reflection and gratitude. As we move indoors, this is also a metaphor to move inside ourselves, to reflect and find new meaning around giving thanks. In this article, you will gain more depth around what Gratitude actually is, how to harness its power, practices to apply to life and work, and how our team used the power of Gratitude to transform dynamics for an engineering team from New York working on strategic planning.
These last two years have been filled with facing uncertainty, orienting our lives toward what really matters, and finding joy in the simplest of things. We imagine that you may find Gratitude helpful as a peaceful respite from these often anxiety-ridden times.
While it may be common sense that the practice of Gratitude is a good idea and many of us call ourselves ‘grateful’, we don’t always leverage the full power of GRATITUDE.
Many coaches, spiritual teachers, even Oprah have raved about the art of gratitude and its power to transform. Yet, most of us, like me, typically misunderstand gratitude as simply “an act,” or something we DO, like saying a prayer before dinner, saying thank you for a gift, or showing our appreciation for others. The real power, however, is in understanding that gratitude is so much more.
In theory, being grateful and practicing gratitude seems logical, polite, even, yet in reality, BEING grateful can powerfully transform your life. While it may feel tedious, hard to prioritize, or elusive, learning how to BE in Gratitude and how we practice this is unique to who we are as individuals. How we want to show up as leaders, parents, and community members defines what we do. By choosing to embody gratitude, we develop personal meaning, authenticity, and connection.
What is Gratitude?
Gratitude is a way of BEING. We believe the power of Gratitude is not the ACT but in the ENERGY that arrives when we are in the act of gratitude. The next time you thank someone and sense the authentic gratefulness within your heart, notice the ‘experience’ or ‘energy’ that is evoked. This energetic elevation or frequency has the power to transform you, those you interact with, AND the physical space you occupy. It has the power to heal, create, manifest, love, and attract. It has the power to change your perspective, open your heart, envision new solutions, change how you are in relationships, or simply to re-energize and lift your mood.
The power of Gratitude is actually found in the BEING STATE of GRATITUDE or the energy, frequency and vibration that is evoked through the act or expression of gratitude.
In the coming weeks, we will offer tools and practices to inspire your own relationship with gratitude, and connect you to the power of what gratitude can bring to your life, both at home and at work.
Learn how to engage each of these practices deeply and embody gratitude by downloading The Energy of Gratitude eBook below:
Practice 1: Make Gratitude Personal
Practice 2: Experience Gratitude as Energy
Practice 3: Share and Express Gratitude
Practice 4: Sustain the Experience of Gratitude
Practice 5: Develop Gratitude — Journal!
Practice 6: Gratitude at Work – A CASE STUDY
Practice #7: Practicing Gratitude at Thanksgiving
Here are some practices for Thanksgiving to create meaningful connections with those you love over the holidays. Read “Practicing Gratitude at Thanksgiving”.
