We usually think of gratitude as an acknowledgment of our receiving.
Most of us say, Thank you, and it’s over. That is about as active as it gets.
Once the receiving has been fulfilled and the thanks spoken, you can increase your resonance with your own gratitude by acting on it. The action of gratitude is the act of giving.
Giving keeps the receiving-giving cycle flowing. Like a wheel, it gathers speed and becomes a blur.
The Cycle
It can begin anywhere, but let’s start with your receiving. You receive a gift or you notice the beauty and bounty of your world or you feel the love of your friends and family and you spontaneously feel gratitude. Gratitude rises in you. With your conscious cultivation of gratitude and your spoken thanks, it rises but it does not turn over… wonderful though it was, it is over.
Active Gratitude
The second half of the cycle is rarely spoken. It is the active half. People don’t pay attention to it. Most don’t even know it exists. It exist when it is applied with energy and awareness. Gratitude becomes a way of life. Here’s how it works: the passive aspect of gratitude turns into its active counterpart, which is service. Fueled by the energy of your gratitude, you take action in a way that helps someone else. Instead of letting the sweet energy of your sincere gratitude dissipate, you are converting it into its energy form and using it for good. You are churning your gratitude into service. This creates the momentum. The secret to this active part is that you tell no one. You do good in secret.Instead of dissipating the energy of your action by talking about it, you channel it back into the cycle of giving and receiving.
The strange thing about this is that by keeping your beneficial actions a secret, you become grateful for the opportunity to serve and the cycle begins. It becomes effortless, like gliding.
This cycle perpetuates itself in a flow of giving and receiving that energizes you. It brightens your life.
Some of the above are extractions from Straubing, she has a lot of great wisdom, you may wish to visit her site
Daisy Says: There is Joy in an Attitude of Gratitude.
