This was one was derived directly from ‘The Secret’. It really is a virtue, not a value or anything like that (though I value it).
Those who are grateful, can stop striving. When you’re grateful, you can accept and live with what is in your life. If you’re grateful, you’re not annoyed. When you’re grateful, you love yourself.
The Law of Attraction goes a step further: gratitude is one of the conditions for spiritual (and financial) growth. After all – when you’re grateful, you’re not sending negative energy into the universe. And only those who send out positive energy will receive it [but after just reading 'The Devil Wears Prada' I'm not so optimistic].
Although I don’t personally see gratitude as a solution to all evil, I do agree that the only way to become happy is to be content with what you have in your life. But sometimes it does help to figure out solutions to problems you face, instead of forcing contentment.
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I agree with your take on gratitude.
However, if it’s true that “when you’re grateful, you’re not sending negative energy into the universe. And only those who send out positive energy will receive it” how do we explain people like Bernie Madoff? Was it all his positive energy, coupled with lying of course, that made him so rich? Or just cold cynicism and lying? Hard to tell.
I see a lot of rich egomaniacs in the world. All grateful? Don’t think so…
Of course I agree that becoming wealthy in a way that utilizes positive energy is preferable to becoming wealthy by cheating and lying all the time. But the latter is a lot easier in our gullible culture.
Which is why I’m not rich, no doubt. Damn standards always screw me up.
Short answer: it’s karma. That is: they work hard for money or power, and so they get it. You work hard (by the sound of it) to live for having a valuable life, money is only a side product.
Also – who says getting rich is really all that good a thing?
I’ve gone into the money issue elsewhere on this blog. On this particular post it was only a sideline:
http://www.allconsidering.com/tag/money/
Some make it to the top by using others as a stepstool, there is no doubt about that. It used to trouble me as well, but I realized that successful and rich do not mean the same thing.
You can have a lot of money and still be a failure. If you focus on money, you get money, but you end up with a series of broken relationships, a lot of buddies but no true friends, parents and kids who hate you, and eventually you die alone.
I’d rather have success in life, a healthy balance, and real relationships than just have money. Money is fun, but true success is sweeter.
Hi Katinka,
I’ve long thought that gratitude has a power very few realise. I like the line “When you are grateful, you can stop striving” and it’s also true that gratitude makes us love ourselves. I started a gratitude journal a few years ago and it’s really changed my life. You make a wonderful point in this post!
Daphne and Boshemia: thanks for enriching my post
This post makes perfect sense… also I think when one is grateful one can still strive to do the best for others… unless one disappears.
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