Practicing Gratitude to Be Alive

Gratitude is a very powerful way to be happier and live a better life. I previously wrote about even being grateful for negative minds. I had been practicing it as part of my reflective writing and the gratitude definitely gives more clarity on how to follow the Universe.

Reflective writing is a powerful way to organise your thoughts so you can connect with the Universe

As recommended by a meditation I have been doing, the idea is to be grateful for everything - even conditions I don't initially like. This I could accept, as these conditions were either redirecting me to do things differently or discard the negative minds. What I actually found most difficult was gratitude for being alive. It's something taken for granted so habitually. I even frequently fell into the trap of thinking what's the point if everything is so difficult. I made a stronger effort this time and realised it was quite a scary idea, being grateful for being alive - there is this back-of-the-mind idea that if I'm grateful for something, I don't 'deserve' it therefore it will be taken from me. I then realised how paradoxical this was, not being grateful for being alive yet being afraid of losing it.

If we are not grateful to be alive, are we really alive?

Why aren't humans grateful? My theory is exactly what I mentioned before - if we express gratitude for something to someone else, we are scared they will think we don't deserve it and will therefore take it from us. Who has expressed gratitude for a payrise to their supervisor? Or even having the job? It's quite scary, isn't it? Fortunately, in this day and age, the Universe will reward you for being grateful because it's the era in which it is possible to truly live. It is now time to cast off old ways of thinking and redundant defensive mindsets so we can live together as

It is finally possible for all humans to truly live