by Denis Wallez
December 21st, 2013
illustration (attribution, if any possible, is at the end of the article)
As announced gplus.wallez.name/biZo6rDzNyB , the buddhist #PrayerOnAir on 'gratitude' organised and hosted by +Mindah-Lee Kumar was aired yesterday evening (23:30–00:20 London).
The replay is available at An Attitude of Gratitude #PrayerOnAir Hangout: A Short Guided Meditation & Discussion
Of course, Mindah-Lee was fantastic and +Julio Robles was amazing, and the one contending for « worst sound ever » was yours truly (my sincere apologies!). So here is a summary of the "practical tips" I inaudibly mentioned to cultivate gratitude:
• say "thank you" randomly, and only then reflect on why
(greatly applicable to mundane tasks, easily taken for granted);
• at the end of the day, list 3 things we're grateful for;
• at the end of the day, recall the 'worst' part of the day
and focus of what lesson is to be found, what nuance is to be found.
• program your brain to ring alarm bells on specific 'sentences' such as
"I want more" and ask yourself "am I making the best of what I have?"
Is the 'more' somewhere else, or am I forgetting the 'more' already
available in the current circumstances?
• fake it until you make it. This is part of reprogramming habits towards
'wholesome' habits.
• on bad days, just don't trust the feelings,
feelings are not representative of reality;
break the pattern "it feels rough so it means something is wrong";
we are creatures of habits, change creates uneasiness, but this
doesn't mean changing some habits is 'wrong'… Value the practice!
Good day, bad day? Just practice! Do your best, it's valuable.
• don't be grateful in your head, manifest it! To be explicit matters;
• transmit; make long chains of gratitude, not myriads of tiny loops;
manifest gratitude in the environment of what you're grateful for,
not just to what you're grateful for.
#Buddhism #gratitude #PrayerOnAir
Brushwork: "gratitude" © Denis Wallez