The Disease of Ingratitude -

As I reflect on my experiences and those of many people I know and have come across in my path as an educator and healer, there is one common trait many of us manifest at some point in our life. Ingratitude. Ingratitude is something we have all nurtured at some point. For others, this disease of ingratitude is something that is recurrent and manifested in their lives on a regular basis. Often times we take it for granted that we are not ungrateful. At other times, we just aren’t always aware of how this stealthily invading dark energy can slowly creep in and strip of us our peace, be a source of confusion, cause us not to appreciate where we are in our lives, robbing us of our life force energy to create the inner and outer world we deserve. Well, just what is ingratitude?

Ingratitude is a state of mind where one fails to acknowledge the many blessings seen and unseen in his or her life. From another perspective, ingratitude can be a basic disbelief in the fundamental goodness of life and the perfect synchronicity inherent in how your life is unfolding. Ingratitude is a contraction of our state of mind whereby the expansiveness of mercy, grace and compassion become obscured to us. When we are ungrateful, we don’t actually see the world as it actually is. We see it in terms of what is missing. When we are ungrateful, there are some basic characteristics that pervade our lives. We are unhappy. We feel victimized by life or others. We lack the natural life force energy that compels us to reach our dreams. We can become resentful of others and their success. Our energy reserves are often depleted and our vibratory frequency is usually low. We will often view our circumstances, ourselves, our loved ones (and much else) from a vantage point of what is lacking.

Ingratitude causes a shift in our perception and subsequently in our experience. In fact, because our thoughts create our physical reality, when we begin to regularly view our experience as lacking and often find ourselves complaining about our current state of affairs, we disempower ourselves from action and the ability to see things as they truly are. We also literally cut ourselves off from the grace that is ever-flowing from God, or our higher power. We simply can’t see the multitude of gifts we have been given. More importantly we affirm and create more of the very thing we are complaining about.

The mind is a tricky thing. It process so many billion bits of information every second that we would go crazy were it not for filtering mechanisms allowing us to capture and work with smaller parts of that information. The interesting thing though is that our landscape of possibilities, what we see a potential outcomes, is inherited by in large by what we have already experienced or affirmed to be true. So, as our filtering systems show us our reality and the possibilities, ingratitude limits us to attracting more of the same outcomes. The average person is stuck in the limitations of what they are affirming in their life-the past and the things that they see as not enough or worth complaining about. In effect, you will only be able to apprehend more to complain about when you are ungrateful. Your field of possibilities will be narrowed by only those things you are familiar with and have happen in the past, whether you failed at them or were successful in them.

Our thoughts contain the information packets and energy to manifest as physical reality. According to quantum theory, we are what we think, literally. Our minds, bodies and other systems will physiologically process our thoughts and thus the world we inhabit. When we fail to see the countless blessings present in our everyday life and give thanks for them, our experience of life is directly impacted. Our opportunities are less, our happiness factor is diminished, our self-love quotient is dramatically affected negatively, and we become victims of our circumstances, while creating those same circumstances.

When we begin to cultivate and attitude of gratitude, we begin to affirm the real truth of the experience of life. Life in and of itself is a precious gift to be appreciated within every moment. When you begin to nurture gratitude, you find yourself in an expanded state of realizing the great life you actually have. You begin to appreciate the little things. The attitude of gratitude within itself becomes so contagious that it begins to attract more things for you be grateful for as you begin to actually acknowledge the wonderful things that are already a part of your life.

The next time you are tempted to complain about traffic on the way to work, be grateful you have a job. The next time you have to break up an argument between your kids about whose going to wash the dishes, remind them that dishes in the sink equate to food in the refrigerator. The next time you feel the need to complain about something or to fail to acknowledge the amazing things in your life, ask yourself how is my attitude of ingratitude hurting me in this moment? Resolve to turn things around and view your life from the lens of abundance, recognizing the countless gifts and mercies that have been bestowed on you without any qualifying criteria or even your deserving these gifts.

Butterfly Questions to Ask Yourself:

How often do I complain?
When I am dissatisfied with something, how is my field of solutions narrowed?
What things do I seem to complain about the most?
In what ways are the things I complain about actually contributing positively to my life?
How often do I actually count my blessings?
When I count my blessings, how does it make me feel inside?
When I count my blessings, how does it shape how I see my external world?

Butterfly Considerations and Tips to Be Mindful Of:

Start your day with 5 things you are grateful for.
When you awaken each day, what you do and how you feed your mind and soul in the next 30 minutes prior to getting your day rolling is the most critical part of how you will direct your day. Place your attention on gratitude.

2. Become more aware of your thoughts.
As non-life affirming thoughts enter your mind throughout the day, counter them with a life supporting gratitudes.

3. Remember, gratitude provides greater present moment awareness keeping you in the flow of life and giving you the power to create.
Notice when you or your body feels tense and anxious. Identify what was going through your mind at the time. Examine how you can take back your divine birthright, which is to experience joy and peace in every moment.

Butterfly Affirmations: