Gratitude and generosity

Most people will say that “since we are all social beings, emotions like jealousy, hatred, and guilt are bound to happen naturally.” 

I don’t want to deny such a statement; I just want to remind you that gratitude and generosity follow a similar natural flow. 

We are constantly making choices, and even though we are not aware of some of them, they still influence our life. Behavioral scientists always remind us to be careful with the choices we are making. 

Following the same concerns, new age gurus and many influencers describe the benefits of learning to create a better life by using the hidden powers of the law of attraction. 

You can read or listen to hundreds of presentations, essays, and interviews where it is repeated that: “Better wealth, better relationships, and an overall sense of accomplishment happens when you are grateful for everything you have in your life.” 

Furthermore, having conscious access to feelings (affirmations) and actions related to gratitude and generosity can destroy the emotional repercussions of hate, jealousy, anxiety, and fear, etc.

Consequently, today’s meditation exercise will help you remember that no matter the strange emotional level of sentiment, you always have the power to change it. And what better way than by practicing gratitude and generosity. 

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.”   Cicero 

Sometimes the social reality around us behaves in ways we cannot understand. For example, we go over breakups, disillusionments, deceits, and other negative aspects of human interactions. But what sets us apart is how we react to these things and the number of tools we put in place to deal with the severity of life circumstances. 

Wherever you are, remember that you are better off than you were before. Learning how to be thankful for what we have is a powerful thing. 

Today, using a simple exercise of gratitude, we will try to consolidate all the other meditation drills we have been using. Remember that we will cover these principles a little deeper in the upcoming book “Where am I.” 

For now, this is how we are going to do today’s exercise. We have mentioned texture, sound, breath, and nature explorations as the anchor to ensure our attention concentrates on one thing. 

If you have done the previous drills, you are probably beginning to realize how powerful your choices are and how incredibly jumpy the mind is. 

But have no fear; accessing gratitude and generosity is a great way to make sure the mind follows you. And here it is: 

1. When you lay in bed this morning, doing your stretches as you do your breathing counts, I want you to think about how nice it is to have a bed where you can do this. To have a body that can receive such large sums of oxygen, to have a roof over your head, and to have something to do. 
2. When you sit to practice your texture explorations, I want you to say thank you to your arms for allowing you to explore the different textures out there. Be grateful you can cut the vegetables you eat and their life force in your fingers before you eat them. Be thankful to the people who made sure those fruits are on your kitchen counter. Be grateful for the smell they have and all the beautiful nutrients they bring into your life. 
3. When you walk outside, into a trail, or the water at the beach, I want you to be grateful for the coolness of the fresh waters, of the clean air you breathe. Be thankful that you have both your legs to experience life and both your eyes to see how the dew glimmers with the early rays of the sun. 
4. Find things to be grateful for as often as you can. 
5. And as a last thing, ask yourself, how can I share this gratitude feeling? How can I be generous to others, even if they have hurt me? 

Gratefulness and generosity are linked with each other. If you don’t believe me, take the time this afternoon to look around you. Nature shows this incredibly well, and children do as well. Take the time to see gratitude and generosity dancing together. 

Add this sense of gratitude as often as you can and for as many things as possible. If you keep a diary, you can test what this does to you by setting a twenty-day challenge. 

Start your first day by asking these four questions: 

• How do I feel about my career? 
• How do I feel about my health? 
• How do I feel about my partner? 
• How do I treat others?  

Keep all your meditation exercises going. At the end of twenty-one days, answer those questions with sincerity. Check the answers you did the first day and find similarities and differences. Be grateful for any changes and allow new ones to keep happening by integrating all these routines into your daily living. 

Step by step, little by little, generosity and gratitude will outpour from you unto everything you do.