10 Ways to Foster an Attitude of Gratitude

By Hilde Larsen

Contributing writer for Wake Up World

I will always remember the day I realized that, no matter what I was experiencing in the now moment, I had something to be grateful for. Even though my body was in severe pain, my emotions were all over the place, and my future seemed to be one of disease and disability, I realized I had not only my breath and my visions — I had unlimited potentials.

I was desperately searching for healing, and had no idea I was IT! I was the love and the gratitude I was craving.

Practicing gratitude leads to forgiveness, which honors love and compassion. Love is the true healing energy, and it always starts with self-love — it always comes back to the self. We, us, you and me, as long as we really love ourselves, can live life from a place of gratitude. The energy of gratitude is a pure love energy. It is the vibration of constant positive change.

Here are 10 simple guidelines for practicing gratitude:

1. Honor what you have.

Whenever you find yourself wanting something to change, start by being grateful for what you already have. There is always something to be grateful for. Even when we are down, feeling lost and depressed, we can search for the inner feeling of gratitude.

2. Order more.

Being grateful is the same as ordering more to be grateful for. If you want your health to change, we must embrace and love the work that the body is already doing. Feeling gratitude for our breath, our vision, our hearing etc. If we want a better house to live in, we must be grateful for the home that we already have, or the couch that we are offered by a friend. No matter the status of our current shelter – giving thanks for what is already there, is inviting in more to feel grateful for.

3. Say thank you out loud.

In your daily life, gratitude starts with mindfulness. Once you are mindful, aware of everything around you, you will be able to see the little things that will create a feeling of “thank you”. Those magic little big words, thank you. Start by giving thanks for the things that are beautiful around you, that you see every day. The flowers that you pass, and the air that you breathe. The subtle things like – thank you for these comfortable shoes, or the sound of that bird I just walked by.

Giving thanks is the ultimate act of gratitude, even though it is merely an honoring of the energy through words. The power is in the feeling behind the words that we speak, and behind the intention thereof.

4. Be aware.

By being more aware, the gratitude effect will grow, slowly and steadily. From the self-talk and the awareness, there will grow an inner compassion for life as it is. What we put our attention towards grows, and what we hold as our inner energy will draw to itself more that will match it perfectly.

The Change will show itself as having a more positive outlook on life, wanting to give more, faster healing, depression, and anger disappears and more things to be grateful for keeps showing up.

5. Understand, gratitude is natural.

Being grateful is natural. When we strip ourselves of our hurts and our clutter, when we get back to our true balance, gratitude is a part of who we are. The trick is to be able to tap into that naked and honest bliss, even when we are preoccupied with life and its busy schedule.

Even when in the middle of what we might see as chaos, we can condition ourselves to feel the grace and the appreciation for all that we have. We can step into it like a state of being, knowing that it is truth.

6. Gratitude is truth.

Anything leading us away from gratefulness is a lie. The hardest thing for many, and I know it was for me, is to stop measuring where you are when you are going after a dream. It is easy to get caught up in where you are at this moment, forgetting that every step along the way has value and something to cherish. I was so hungry for health, I often forgot to appreciate how much further I had gotten, or that I was alive and breathing. Keeping the eye on the ball, always looking ahead can also keep us from seeing what is right in front of us.

7. Be in the NOW.

It is always about this very moment. The magic of the now. Someday, one day, soon, when only, are outlooks keeping us from seeing that this moment is the only one there is.

“There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein

8. Gratitude comes from the heart.

Gratitude doesn’t come from the mind. It is not a thought, it is a feeling, a state of being. It is a heartfelt feeling, and it fills the entire body with a nurturing, positive, healing energy. It is very similar to love, but it is directed towards the recognition of all that is. We can be grateful for every single thing in our lives, good, bad and ugly.

9. Gratitude will show you your true potentials.

Gratitude opens the heart, and it opens the portal for rapid healing and nurturing manifestations. The magic of life will flow towards us, and every cell in our body will align with this vibration.

“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” — Willie Nelson

10. Gratitude is a path to true freedom.

Look at gratefulness as a gateway to freedom. The simplicity is mind blowing. Everybody can do it, feel it, practice it and reap the benefits. The simple yet profound truths are the most powerful there is. We are all capable of tapping into that magical feeling of grace and appreciation that will change our whole lives. Nature reveals it’s truth by keeping it simple.

Let nothing take away your gratitude towards the life you are living right now. It is a gift. It is the light that will keep on shining, when everything else seems lost and dark.

The challenge is this: Gratitude does not come from the mind. It is not a thought, it is a feeling, a state of being. It is a heartfelt feeling, and it fills the entire body with a nurturing, positive, healing energy. It is very similar to love, but it is directed towards the recognition of all that is.

A few tips for practicing gratitude in your day:

When you feel alone, feel grateful

When you feel sad, feel grateful

When you feel hurt, feel grateful

When you feel discouraged, feel grateful

When you feel lost, feel grateful

When you feel defeated, feel grateful

When you feel hopeless, feel grateful

Whenever you feel lost in your own drama or chaos, stop and be still.

Take a moment and pull yourself back. This is not your truth, only your play. Connect with everything you are grateful for, and let the rest go. Let it center you and keep you focused on what really matters. Your center comes from a news and propaganda free zone. No fear, no blame, no lies and no bullshit is wanted. Keep it simple and keep it true.

Write of gratitude in your journal.

Such a simple and easy tool!

Express your intent.

As you keep looking for things to be grateful for, express them, live them, feel them and be them. Allow this feeling to come through you as you honor and acknowledge it. Incorporate it in your everyday life. Say hello to every day with the intent that it will be yet another day filled with gratitude and wonder. Your spiritual awakening will lift you and expand your consciousness.

Being grateful is the new strong, the new successful and the new sexy and true way to fulfillment.

Not that it is anything new at all. It is the language of God, from pure love. It is the connection to truth, unfiltered. It is not a thought, an idea or a philosophy. It is a state of being. It is a brainless place where we know that there is something so much bigger than us.

Something bigger than life.

Saying thank you is not the same as being grateful.

Saying I love you is not the same as loving someone.

Saying I will, is not the same as doing.

Saying I forgive you is not the same as forgiveness.

Gratitude cultivates appreciation for all things. It can be trained, by practicing every day.

“When you notice the smaller blessings, you are getting the larger picture.” — Hilde Larsen

Recommended articles by Hilde Larsen:

• How to Write Your Life Manifesto, and Why It Will Change Your Life
• Listen to All, Learn from a Few, Follow No One
• 10 Ways to Foster an Attitude of Gratitude
• Spread Your Wings! 8 Benefits of Living Outside Your Comfort Zone
• Who Do You Think You Are?
• The Day I Died – The Dark Night of The Soul
• 4 Ways You May Be Sabotaging Your Own Healing
• Deal With Your Own Shit – Then Serve Others
• The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off

About the author:

Hilde Larsen, known as ‘the one who Inspires’, is the CEO and founder of inspiredbyhilde.com. She is a certified Health and Mindset Coach, an Author, a Keynote Speaker, Detox Specialist, Raw food Teacher and Life-Enthusiast. Her glowing enthusiasm for health and vitality has the leading role in her work.

Hilde Larsen writes articles, and has her own blog and YouTube channel. She is the author of ‘Know the Truth and Get Healthy’, and ‘No More Bullshit’.

Her interest in healing and spiritual growth also led her to become a Reiki Healer. She is highly intuitive and has a strong connection to Mother Earth and the spiritual world.

Born and raised in Stavanger, Norway, she and her husband of 29 years have a second home in Florida, USA. She is a proud mother and grandmother, and a tree-hugger at heart. Called by nature and spirit, she is inspiring many to take back their power, and to live a healthy successful life doing what they love.

Hilde now spends her time traveling between Norway and Florida, speaking, and appearing on different media as the Inspired health and thought leader. She is an authority in her field who has walked her talk. She also values the time with her clients, and her time in nature with her closest family and friends.