Claudia LeBaron Islas
  • Welcome
    • About Claudia
    • The Harmony Scale
  • Services
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Españ​ol

Blog

Don’t Be Grateful, Appreciate Instead

11/22/2017

 
​The thanksgiving season is normal for Americans to give thanks for an event that happened hundreds of years ago. But this year I want to ask you to not be grateful but to be appreciative instead.
Happy woman smiling with wide open arms
​Of course we all want to be grateful of the awesome moments we’re now living in our lives and in this country. But sometimes being grateful, especially in your life, could be hurting you. Read more to understand why.

​Don’t be grateful

Being grateful implies a past. When you feel grateful it’s because you no longer are living the past circumstances you were living. Or it could be that you’re grateful that you went through a terrible experience that helped you grow personally. Or it could be that you’re grateful because you no longer do something you didn’t want to do.

When you are grateful for something in your life, you unconsciously bring to your present moment memories and feelings of that past experience that at some moment didn’t feel good.

Remembering those not-feeling-so-good-experiences is what hurts you. This happens because when you think in that past experience you bring forward a bit of those negative feeling emotions you experienced to your present moment, and now they’re staying with you.
​
Yikes! Who knew we were doing that, right? Actually, we all knew it all along; it’s just that we were not taught to pay attention to that. But now I’m telling you. Try it. Whenever you think of something you’re grateful about, notice how you feel in your gut. And if the feeling is not so good, send that thought back and focus on something that feels better. 

​Appreciate instead

Now, the act of appreciating, if you pay attention does not have baggage with it. I mean, it is a clean word. No past and no future are implied in it. For instance, when you appreciate a flower, a painting or a baby, you’re not looking at anything in the past, of neither yours nor theirs, that can bring you a bad feeling memory.

Also, if you’re truly appreciating something or someone, you’re not looking at their future, or your future, or your future relationship with them. In fact, if you’re just appreciating their beauty and majesticness your mind has nowhere else to go but to stay present.

As you appreciate, you also cannot have thoughts, and while you don’t have any thoughts you are, as a consequence, being placed in a frictionless flow that connects you to your inner peace.
​
Do you see the difference? Being grateful implies remembering past baggage and bringing some of those negative emotions to the present. Being appreciative, on the other hand, is just about being here in the present with no thoughts or negative emotions, but only positive emotions present. 
We all want to be grateful of the awesome moments we’re now living, in our lives and in this country. But sometimes being grateful, especially in your life, could be hurting you. Read more to understand why.

​Begin appreciating more

You might say, ok I get it, but how do I just appreciate and not be grateful? How about begin grateful to people that help me or being grateful of new things coming to my life? You can still be grateful if by begin grateful you don’t bring negative emotions from the past to your present. Otherwise try to become just appreciative.

You can say to someone who helps you “I appreciate your help so much! By doing this for me you’re helping me to do that.” This implies that a better future is coming for you. It’s much better that if you say: “Thank you so much, you have no idea how much you’re helping by doing this.” This implies your past was kind of unpleasant. Do you feel the difference?
​
And no, I’m not saying don’t be grateful or stop thanking people, experiences and circumstances. I’m just saying start appreciating the good in your life more and more.
​
Appreciation is the secret of life. Become a person who appreciates and you will thrive; you will fulfill your reason for being.” –Abraham Hicks
​

So, begin appreciating people, experiences and circumstances more. Begin to see them with a clean and clear point of view and you’ll see how your life begins to change. Now, tell me, what are you appreciative for right now as the holiday’s season begins?

​Did you like this post? Subscribe here to send you more like it to your inbox every week. Also, share this post in your social media or with someone you think might benefit from this information. Thank you!​
Claudia LeBaron Islas

Related Posts:

​Have Your Priorities Changed?
 
Are You Living By Default?
 
Grow With Joy or Grow With Pain
 
What Does It Mean To Live A Meaningful Life?

Image Credit: https://www.123rf.com/profile_dolgachov


Comments are closed.
    Download
    ​the "4 Steps to Start Your Day on a High Note +

    the Harmony Scale of emotions"
    Picture
    Get PDF

    Picture
    Welcome to my blog! ​My name is Claudia LeBaron Islas. ​

    The purpose of this blog is to give you information, ideas, and guidance that can help you live an empowered life.

    Recent Posts

    Print Friendly and PDF

    Categories

    All
    Abundance
    Happiness
    Life
    Mindfulness
    Purpose
    Spirituality
    Well Being



    Subscribe to receive blog updates

    Download
    ​the "4 Steps to Start Your Day on a High Note +

    the Harmony Scale of emotions"
    Picture
    Get PDF


    ​Did you find a typo, broken link or inaccurate information? Let us know so we can fix it. Thank you!

Download the FREE PDF of the "4 Steps to Start Your Day on a High Note" and begin living a better life.

Picture
Give it to me!
Picture
Links
About Claudia
Subscribe
Español
​
Private Policy
Terms of Use
 ​
Disclaimer
Follow Us
© COPYRIGHT 2015-PRESENT.  ​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The Harmony Scale is a Copyright (C) and Trademark (TM) of Claudia LeBaron Islas
  • Welcome
    • About Claudia
    • The Harmony Scale
  • Services
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Españ​ol