Hi Everyone,

I am very happy to find this community during my time searching the web to find ways to improve my life.

I have a big question about gratitude. After re-reading the SOGR book several times, I realized that gratitude is the aspect that I lack the most, and I think that it maybe the reason why I have not yet got what I want.

Can you help me, or show me ways for me to be more grateful?

What would happen if you don't feel grateful but you force yourself to speak words of gratitude? Wouldn't it be like faking it? And if it fake, will it work?

Thank you very much in advance for your inputs.

God bless us all.

Fake it till you make it.
The act of expressing it - sincere or not - brings it to your consciousness and you will instantly feel the benefits. The more you do it, the more it grows,
Try it.

Hi there STM

I would have to agree with (ME) Fake it till you make it. Besides that I too find I need to make a conscious effort. So that I don't forget I use a gratitude journal, every night before I go to sleep I write the things I am grateful for that I have or have experienced during the day. Believe me, once you start and get used to it you will fill the page.

In addition, remember to be grateful for the things that are coming your way and I would suggest to be specific.

Love to you all
Sonia

Welcome, STM.

I smiled when I read your post because it reminded me of the first time I heard about this Gratitude concept. On the Oprah Show, her guest said we should all write 5 things every day that we were grateful for.
At that time, I was not a very grateful person. So my first journal entry was:
1. Today I am grateful that I am still breathing.
(end of day entry because I could not think of more than one thing).

I felt silly and pathetic but I stuck with it and after a few days, writing 5 was easy. Then someone else tossed me the challenge to write 100 things to be grateful for and that is when I discovered how easy that was.

Just start being grateful, and it will increase because whatever we are thinking of, will increase and multiply in our lives.

Caroline

Hi all

Actually, when I tried it, I was surprised at how easy it was to feel gratitude once I got started. And I've a feeling that I started with being grateful that it was a sunny day (those who have visited the UK will understand that one). Then it was as though the floodgates opened, as though a little voice inside my head said 'What, you're not grateful for....' and off it went

Husband and sons
The place where I live
I can walk to the shops and feel and be very safe
My work
I can read and write and add up
I have a computer so ...
The Internet, which puts me in contact with ...
SOGR and the nice people here, which is helping me to ...
Personal growth and self understanding, which is leading to...

...and so on. You get the picture. Try it and see where it takes you.

Hi STM,

Excellent post. Like others have mentioned acting grateful (even if you don't feel like you have much to be grateful for) will change your whole state in a postive way.

As an example I was feeling a little down just before I came to your post-reding what you wrote & what others wrote immediatly picked me up. I am very grateful to you for helping me shift my state-it's that simple.

Gratitude is truly one of the (seven) wonders of the world.

Your post has made a difference.

Cheers to you,

Coach Mark,

quote:

And if it fake, will it work?

STM,

Let me suggest that you re-read the chapter on Gratitude to understand how it works. Here are a couple of quotes from that chapter to answer your question on faking gratitude.

quote:

The law of gratitude is the natural principle that action and reaction are always equal and in opposite directions.

quote:

if your gratitude is strong and constant, the reaction in formless substance will be strong and continuous;

So if you fake your gratitude, what kind of reaction can you expect?

You don't have to "look" for things to be grateful for. You can express gratitude for the obvious. breathing, eating, having two arms and two legs, the computer and the internet connection that lets you be in touch with the world, that allowed you to download the SOGR. You don't HAVE to fake it my friend, you just have to be WILLING. You already have plenty to be grateful for. Just BE grateful.

I'm with Mister Weirdo on this one. there is just so much around all of us to be grateful for.

If you feel you need to fake it I think that means deep down you are still focusing on the disappointment of something, be it lack of, how something turned out, or something you did not expect. the more you focus on this the more you will manifest these things.

So just gently shift your focus to something else you truely are grateful for and try to let go of what you feel you need to fake it for.

It doesn't have to be huge things you have to show gratitude for. I always express gratitude when I get a shady car park at the shopping centre! (As a result, I am always provided with a shady car park whenever i go out!) Yesterday I was grateful for being able to borrow my Dad's lawn mower to tidy up our back yard. Its looking for the little 'insignificant' things to show gratitude for that help bring us closer to the source of wealth and happiness.

I am grateful for your posting because it helps remind me to keep cultivating gratitude!

Shannon

I agree with Rasheed. There is no need to fake it. There is so much to be grateful for. Are you paying "too much taxes"? This means you are earning a significant income. Can you vote? This means you live in a democracy. Are you in good health, have a job, cash in the bank? Do you have a spouse or significant other? You get the idea. There is no need to fake it. None.

Hi STM,

I don't think we need to fake it at all! Here is a thought I had:

We have all said at one time or another: “Thank God I’m not blind”, but have you ever said: “Thank God for my elbows!”Have you really thought how important our elbows are?

Imagine that each elbow is fused and cannot be bent.
How do you reach in your pocket? How do you brush your teeth? How do you comb your hair? How do you drink a glass of water? How would you eat?

We have been taking our elbows for granted, just as we do a million other things that God has placed upon this planet for our appreciation, enjoyment and use.

It must be a thankless task to be God, when so few among the billions of human beings ever bother to appreciate or thank God for the things that they have, but only keep focusing on things they do not have.

So it should be easy to feel gratitude for all the millions of things that The Source has given us freely and unconditionally.

So when next you feel down and depressed, just look at your elbows and say: Thank you God for my elbows!

You get the idea:

I am glad I WOKE up this morning. Imagine if I had not, if I had continued to sleep and gone into a coma or death! But I did wake up from a deep sleep. I see the ceiling, I can feel the bedsheets, I can hear the cars next door starting up. All my senses are awake! I'm aware that I exist, that I'm alive. WOW! What a gift, this life!

Then I can go on to count my blessings of family, home, job, etc. etc. Who needs to fake gratitude? We only need to be aware of the abundance we are blessed with!

I am thankful for this forum as it is so inspiring! I am deeply grateful to SOGR, Rebecca and every single one of you! Thank you, thank you thank you!

We are truly blessed. ”

How about:

"I'm grateful I asked the question."

Positive begets positive. If you are being grateful, it is a postive response to life and so therefore, you can't be negative. The more positive you are (i.e., grateful) the more positive flows to you.

JJ

quote:

A person may come into full harmony with the formless substance by entertaining a lively and sincere gratitude for the blessings it bestows upon him. Gratitude unifies the minds of individuals with the intelligence of substance, so that a person's thoughts are received by the formless.

A person can remain upon the creative plane only by uniting himself with the formless intelligence through a deep and continuous feeling of gratitiude.

The emphasis is mine. Up until now, since I discovered SOGR over two years ago, the "gratitude thing" held me back from truly "getting it". This is something I've finally had a breakthrough on.

It has finally dawned on me that I have always been grateful for my good health and the fact that I have been able to exercise regularly for 30 years with no joint problems, etc. Just like it says in the book. It is how I see myself, I have faith that it's true, I expect it's true, I'm grateful it's true, and it's true.

I look at my marriage of 31 years and exactly the same thing is happening. I have always seen myself happily married. I have faith in that, I expect that, I'm grateful for it, and it IS.

Now I look at my financial life, up until now, and I see that I bought into the training of my childhood that "hard work pays". I've done VERY well at times in my life. But only in the corporate world and only when I worked VERY hard. I was trained to "get a good job and work hard." When I followed those instructions I won awards. I felt no gratitude because I EARNED it. God didn't do me any favors. (other than give me exactly what I asked for, yikes! )

But I've always wanted to work on my own. I now have a business with the potential to make me rich. And up until now, I have struggled. So, here I go to apply the SOGR formula to my business. Develop the vision of how I want it to look. See it, feel it, taste it. Then let that go and have faith that it IS and be grateful in knowing that it IS.

It's kind of weird finally knowing that the principles of SOGR work and yet feeling so far from properly applying them in such a big aspect of my life. But's it's also exciting to feel this close to it.

I'm grateful to all of you for helping me see this.

Dear All,
Thank you very much for your inputs.
There are some tips from your posts that I definitely will try.
Thank you for sharing them with me.

Cheers.

Hi there - great postings guys. Yes I too used to struggle to be grateful - but once you start writing down things it becomes very easy. I am especially grateful I have elbows!!! I got the giggles - imagine not having elbows and trying to drink - you would need BIG long lips or BIG long neck. tehe. funny. keep smiling

If your not finding it easy to think of things for which to be grateful, check out the thread "share gratitude?" . . . I got dozens of ideas by reading what others said. (Maybe someone who knows how will add a link to that thread)

Love Light and Laughter,

Gratitude,

I like others have struggled with this to, I wrote a post Chapter 8 I finally get it, about gratitude.

NOt only do I have to be grateful for everything that happnes now in my life we have learned in SOGR that we are to express gratitude for our CMI as we live it in our minds. I have not lived up to this at all in my application of SOGR.

It is easy to lose the way for gratitude! We need to train our minds and gratitude is part of that training.

I started out small, that I am alive, have a great husband and family and that I live here. Then it got easier to look for a reason to be grateful wherever I am and whatever is going on. From there, it went to gratitude for what is coming, stated as if it is here now. Now I express gratitude on waking up and before going to sleep. Gratitude combined with purpose and faith is helping me to change my life and it's so exciting. I can't wait for what's next.

quote:

p

Hi all,

Gratitude is a great subject because I think human nature in us make us take many of our blessing for granted. Being alive, healthy, finding this site, family, friends, our homes, our job opportunities, etc and the list really goes on easily if we appreciate our gifts in life. Most times these gifts are more precious and priceless than the amount of things we have, can accumulate or buy. I think focus on what we currently have along with the clear images of what new gifts and blessing we anticipate and expect to come to us soon with grateful appreciation helps to hone this skill.
It can be difficult when things are not going the way we plan, however, again, mental and emotional conditioning of truth not current perception is where we need to apply our focus and attention. Keep on.

Best,
Nevadagirl