How to Find Authentic Gratitude

Without realizing it, we can use gratitude as a means to an end. It’s easy to believe that if we express what we’re grateful for, it will get us what we really want. The other option, the one that really feeds our souls, is to fully experience the depth of the feeling. In this season of Thanksgiving, the Akashic Masters want to share with you their wisdom about true gratitude.

What gratitude is not

Have you ever been in a place where things just aren’t going “right”? The tendency is to want to counter that feeling, and on the surface, gratitude is a great way to balance the scales. But we can end up treating gratitude as a commodity, kind of a quid pro quo that helps us have the faith that we won’t stay in this place forever.

Gratitude can seem like a practical solution to dealing with feelings of lack or other insecurities. When processed this way, however, it really amounts to nothing but an asset/liability evaluation. It’s like taking an inventory of your pantry to remind yourself of what you have so you don’t feel as bad about what’s not there. It’s useful, but what does it really have to do with your soul?

It’s best to go deep

Recently, I've been working on a lot of new projects. In fact, I don’t ever remember feeling as grateful for hot water. There is nothing like a steamy shower at the end of a long day to wash away the bits and pieces still stuck to us.

My gratitude made me curious, so I did a little digging. I was fascinated to learn that in the mid-19th century an English painter named Benjamin Waddy invented the first water heater that didn’t require solid fuel. His work influenced a Norwegian mechanical engineer named Edwin Ruud, who invented a gas water heater with a storage tank a couple of decades later.

I imagined these two men tinkering in their workshops. Did they know that more than a century later people around the world would appreciate their work? It fed my soul to feel that level of connection with those whose work provides such comfort in my life.

What are your intentions?

We’ve all heard the advice to make a gratitude list when we’re feeling down. At the same time, when we throw around the word gratitude without examining our motivation, it can perpetrate the negativity that caused us to make the list in the first place. If the reason we are identifying things we’re grateful for is because we feel a lack, the word gratitude can carry the energy of a beggar.

It’s important to ask yourself why you’re driven at this particular time to make a gratitude list. Be honest with yourself. A trick I use if I realize I am using gratitude to cover up a feeling of lack is to ask myself what in my life I appreciate.

I find it puts me on more equal footing when I allow myself to experience the fullness of appreciation rather than look for things to be grateful about. The words are virtually interchangeable, but depending on motivation, appreciation might be the feeling that truly feeds your soul in that moment.

Find a way to be grateful for things that cause discomfort

When clients come to me for an Akashic reading, they often learn things about their past lives that initially are uncomfortable or even painful. Janice learned that she had been in a relationship with a married man in a previous life.

He kept her in an apartment by herself and visited when he could get away from his business or family. This knowledge created a deep sadness in her at first. She had settled for breadcrumbs instead of walking away because she was afraid there was nothing better.

It wasn’t long before she saw that pattern in her current life. The knowledge she gained in our work together allowed her to feel what she’d suppressed about her earlier experiences in this life. The change in her attitude was instantaneous.

In the end, she was incredibly grateful for the information she received during her work with the Akashic Records because it helped her to become aware of how she felt about some relationships in her life. It empowered her to claim her worth and stop settling.

I wish you and your family peace, joy and gratitude this Thanksgiving. May you find things to appreciate and be grateful for that nurture you, strengthen your commitment to understanding yourself and allow you to continue becoming the glorious soul that you are.

As my Thanksgiving gift to you, there is a guided meditation on my site you can download at no cost that will help you connect to your own Akashic Records so you can take a new step on your own spiritual path. As always, I am here to support your journey. Reach out to me through the link below.