Gratitude and Relationships

Consciously cultivating gratitude is a journey of the soul. Vibrations of appreciation and thanks takes on one of the highest frequency in the realm of energy. Adopting an attitude of gratitude brings joy in all areas of our lives, including relationships. Gratitude makes us youthful, vibrant and makes us feel good. It promotes health, as it releases positive endorphins throughout the body. It releases us from stress, worry, anger, resentment and greed. It opens our hearts to love. It makes us generous and kind. Gratitude also connects us to Spirit.

Tips on gratitude:

1. Give appreciation and thanks for whatever that is going right in your life/ relationship. Appreciate your partner just as they are. Show them in thoughts, words and deeds that you appreciate them.

2. When you offer gratitude, you attract more of what you are offering gratitude for. Think about this - do you feel like giving to a person who offers gratitude for what they have already got or to one that demands and complains?

3. Gratitude gives rise to even more expressions of gratitude - much like a spiral.

4. Nothing diminishes the feeling of gratitude more than comparing. Every attribute has a light and shadow aspect. What you see all depends on what you focus on.

5. Express the feeling of gratitude naturally. Forcing yourself to feel grateful just because someone else has got it a lot worse, for instance, does not make it genuine because you are doing it out of guilt.

6. Stop to smell the roses. Pay attention to whatever that you are doing in the present moment and offer gratitude for it. This is practical way of living life as though it is a miracle.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." --A. Einstein

7. Sometimes we get cynical when we receive good fortune in our lives. That is because you do not consider yourself to be worthy of it. So thinking that you are worthy of love, abundance will set up such attractor patterns in your energy field which will then attract more good fortune!

8. In difficult times, look for the hidden blessings in the situation. An event is just an event, it is the meaning that we give to it that matters.

9. When you have expectations, your happiness depends on external circumstances. In order to reclaim back your power, say that no matter what happens you choose to be grateful for whatever you have got, or whatever else that is appropriate according to the situation.

10. Express thanks to your body. A good time to do this is when you are taking a shower.

11. The expression of gratitude is not only for things that pleases us. Sometimes our partner may do something that displeases us. In such a situation, try offering gratitude for whatever that is good about them and watch what happens! People have practiced this and noted that their relationships got smoother - miraculous transformations took place in their partners!

12. Express thanks for somebody whom people tend to take for granted eg cashier at the supermarket/bank teller etc Tell them what you like about their service etc. This leaves a happy imprint in their lives at that moment and you might just make their day. When they go home they transfer their happiness to a family member etc. You might wonder how this relates to relationships, think about this: what goes around comes around. The bounty of happiness that comes around affects all areas of your life.

13. Express thanks whenever and wherever you can. Expect nothing in return.

"If the only prayer you say in your whole life is "thank you", that would suffice."         - Meister Eckhart

14. When someone pays you a compliment, say "thank you" and return the compliment.

15. Express thanks to your teachers, parents, ancestors, kids and most importantly to yourself. Send thank you cards to everyone, including yourself!